From changing the course of one life to shaping the imagination of generations, stories have a way of staying with us, especially the ones we hear as children.

Children's books use words and art to spark curiosity, fuel imagination, and lay the foundation for a love of reading that can last a lifetime.

Producer Russ Hunsinger introduces us to Gordon C. James, an extraordinary local illustrator.

(upbeat music) - I have a life goal to be a great fine artist.

That being said, the method in which I work doesn't really change when I'm doing illustration.

I approach my illustration work with the same dedication and passion that I do for the paintings that are just for me because I believe that children deserve that in the books that they read.

So I try to give kids these beautiful impressionistic paintings, 17 to 24 at a time in children's book form.

(upbeat music) You're leaving a legacy.

These books are gonna be around long after I'm dead and gone.

I don't want things that are maybe not up to my standards to be out in the world after I'm gone.

(lively music) There's a favorite in literally every one of these.

"Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut" is a story about a young man who gets a haircut and how good that haircut makes him feel.

And so this book won a ton of awards, and it's got some beautiful pages in it.

I try to figure out in what way that I relate to the character.

Sometimes there are things that the character's going through that I've been through directly in my life, you know?

And then there are other things that I feel like I maybe do a little research on.

Also, these books are a team thing.

So we have, you know, the editors and the art directors that also help.

And "I Am Every Good Thing", my favorite one is the cover 'cause my little boy is on it.

I just love that one to death.

I think my favorite books are the ones that are about present-day kids, and they're like super uplifting and affirming.

"I Am Every Good Thing" and "Crown" are very much that way, and those are awesome 'cause I have a little boy and a little girl, and I like to do those books that kind of help kids, that really boost that self-esteem or just confirm it.

(uplifting music) (singer vocalizing) I still do school visits and talks to kids.

Oh, they're awesome.

I go all over the country, and it's just fun.

A lot of times it's the entire school, and I have a PowerPoint presentation, and I bring people up.

We design a book cover together.

We create stories together.

I'll talk to kids about their drawings and why I'm doing what I'm doing, and what they could maybe do if they feel like going in this direction.

When you get out and you get to see the people who you created the book for and that they enjoy it, it is just a blast.

What I would like to leave people with is that if you have a passion, it could be, you know, a creative passion, an intellectual pursuit, whatever it is, it's something that you deserve to have in your life.

A lot of people have this thing that's inside them that they want to do, and they just don't give themselves the right to do it, or they don't carve out the time to do it.

Meanwhile, they get up every day, and they go to a job, and they do their absolute best, and then they come home, and they don't give any of that energy to themselves.

So I would like to encourage people to give some of that energy to yourself and feed your passion, and just take those steps into being that person that you know you are destined to be.