Picturing Pippi

I just finished reading Pippi Longstocking to my 7-year-old.  I had only vague recollections of the book but I do vividly recall making a book report cover using real yarn for Pippi's hair which I actually braided - a great accomplishment for this non-crafty girl and her equally non-crafty mother.


This time around, we just happened upon the edition illustrated by Lauren Child (at right).  While the book didn't thrill the adult me - its absurdist sense of humor and child's eye view of the world just aren't my style - my daughter was enthralled.  And I was captivated by the... well, the word "illustrations" doesn't do Child's work justice.  She doesn't just illustrate the book but, as in her Charlie and Lola books, plays with fonts and text placement.  This whimsical style works perfectly here, as when the sentence describing the ringmaster cracking his whip curves just like a whip and a birthday invitation is printed on what looks like a postcard:

Out of curiosity, I also checked out the edition illustrated by Louis S. Glanzman:  

My daughter pronounced both sets of illustrations (Child's in full color and Glanzman's in black-and-white) equally good, which surprised me, as I assumed that children would prefer the color illustrations.  I liked both, but I'd have to give Child the edge.  Of course, it's ultimately a matter of personal taste.  (The translations are different too, but I didn't have the time or patience to compare those!)

Finally, my younger daughter, who occasionally would listen to our reading, spied the illustrations and exclaimed, "This is the sister book to Charlie and Lola!"  What a lovely way to put it, don't you think?

Do you or your kids like Pippi?  Do you have a favorite edition?  And have you read the sequels, which I vaguely remember as disappointing?

Searching by Illustrator

I came to children's books because of the stories, but I stayed because of the pictures.  As I've become more interested in the world of children's literature, I've discovered more and more illustrators whose art is just... beautiful, unique and compelling.

We all know that fiction books are organized by the last name of the author, which leads us to search for books that way.  My 7-year-old is frequently writes on her reading responses to books "I would like to read another book by this author." or something else along those lines, but she never mentions the illustrator, despite her interest in art.  Luckily, it is easy to search for books by illustrator these days (sadly, I can't remember if you could do so with the card catalogs of yore). 

I've taken to searching for books by illustrator.  Admittedly, the results are mixed when you judge the books in their entirety.  But it's worth it to see more work by some of my favorite illustrators.

Here are a few:

Tom Slaughter.  I discovered him in Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow? by Susan Shea and immediately recognized his primary-colored, strong artwork when I saw it again.  Unfortunately for us, most of us his books (generally collaborations with Marthe Jocelyn) are truly "baby" concept books (numbers, over/under, animals, etc.), for which his illustrations are well-suited, but they are far too young for my daughters.  However, we were able to make a game out of Same Same with my not-quite-reading 4-year-old guessing what the items on each page had in common. 

Christine Davenier.  The first book we read illustrated by Davenier was Samantha on a Roll by Linda Ashman.  It prompted me to look up books by both of them, individually, as I haven't seen any other collaborations by this pair.  This one is still my favorite of both of theirs, but I also have a soft spot for Leon and Albertine, a funny barnyard romance illustrated and written by Davenier.  Although the text in other books she's illustrated is weaker, I still love her artwork.  Her style is warm, exuberant, joyous, and realistic and makes drawing look easy.


 Jan Ormerod.  Ms. Ormerod's wordless books, Sunshine and Moonlight, are two of my favorite wordless picture books.  Actually, they are two of my favorite picture books, with words or without, ever.  Her art in her other books never disappoints.  And strangely enough, she also illustrated a book by Linda Ashman, Mama's Day, a sweet tribute to the loving work mothers do every day.


Brian Wildsmith.  I had never heard of Brian Wildsmith until I began my search for different illustrated versions of Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses (more on that... someday!).  My 7-year-old and I were both captivated by his vibrant, modern style, which stood out especially among the more traditional art that usually accompanied these classic poems.  He is also the author-illustrator of several stories perhaps best described as modern animal fables as well as an assortment of concept books (alphabet, animal, counting), and has illustrated several other works.  Again, these are not my favorites in terms of the stories, but the art is consistently stunning.

Meeting the Steads (Erin and Philip, not Rebecca)

Today I took my girls to hear Erin and Philip Stead read from A Sick Day for Amos McGee (written by him, illustrated by her) and And Then It's Spring (written by Julie Fogliano and illustrated by Ms. Stead) at our local bookstore.  My daughters initially didn't have much interest.  To them, hearing Erin or Philip Stead read A Sick Day for Amos McGee was no different than hearing me read it to them.  But as it turned out, Erin Stead did something very special that caught the attention of my 6-year-old aspiring artist.  She not only explained how she had made the illustrations for Amos, but she brought with her examples of them at all their stages - as sketches, woodcuts, and prints.  We hadn't even known that the illustrations were prints from woodcuts! 

The Steads could not have been more charming or gracious.  In response to my inquiries about how my daughter might be able to try printmaking, they suggested potato prints, which I'll now look into (any tips for her not-very-artistic mother are appreciated!).  And my easily frustrated daughter was thrilled to hear Ms. Stead talk about how many mistakes she makes, how many attempts she throws out, and how many she rectifies with her handy eraser. 

Are your children interested in hearing authors and illustrators read from their work?  Are you?  Who has been the most interesting or inspiring author or illustrator you've heard?

Collage Up-Close

In December, I accompanied my daughter's class to the exhibit The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats opens at The Jewish Museum.  The museum educator did a fabulous job and the kids were really engaged.  But I didn't have a chance to take in the exhibit the way I really wanted to.  So this past weekend, I went back, with my husband, but without kids, and took my time.  It was worth it!  While seeing a painting up close is certainly different from seeing a reproduction (seeing the brushstrokes, the thickness and texture of the paint), somehow that felt even more true to me when it comes to collage.  I, at least, can't tell from reading Ezra Jack Keats's work that the illustrations are often collage, but when you see the originals up-close, it's a different story.  The exhibit closes soon, so go if you can!

If you've already seen the exhibit, what did you think?

What other children's book illustrators work primarily in collage?  Lois Ehlert and Eric Carle come to mind.  Who else?

Authors, Illustrators, and Author-Illustrators

In an interesting interview with author-illustrator Tomi Ungerer today, he claimed that all the classic children's book writers are author-illustrators, not "merely" authors or "merely" illustrators.  Specifically, he said, "Look, it’s a fact that the children’s books that withstand the grinding of time all come from authors who did both. Because the author has a vision, and there’s an osmosis between the oral and the visual, which come together and mix." Do you agree?  Can you think of counter-examples?

Right Up My Alley - And Yours?

Tomorrow what sounds like a fantastic exhibit of children's book illustrations opens at the NYPL.  I plan to check it out and to see the centennial exhibit too.  Maybe I'll see you there!

And if you love the library like I do and are concerned about impending budget cuts, consider signing this petition.  Thanks!

A Mom with a Hobby

In most, if not all, of the books my kids and I have read, the mothers are primarily or solely caregivers.  Yes, in the Ramona series Mrs. Quimby gets a part-time and then full-time job (is "liberated!" as her daughter Beezus says), but, although she seems to enjoy her work well enough, she does it out of economic necessity.  In picture book after picture book, the moms give hugs and kisses, prepare meals, put children to bed, and tend to all the other daily minutiae of childcare, but do not seem to be doing anything sheerly for their own pleasure. 

Enter Mrs. Peter, the cello-playing harried mother of seven in The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman and illustrated by my new favorite Marla Frazee.  Although the story is, as the title says, silly - the seven children each eat only one item - and their mother is a total pushover, the clever rhymes and the delightful illustrations make it utterly enjoyable.  As the family grows, the mom still manages to find time for her passion.  Even as one of the kids dumps oatmeal on the cat (which always makes me think of the song from The Fantasticks which laments, "Why did the kids put jam on the cat?  Strawberry jam all over the cat?  Why would the kids do something like that?  They did it 'cause we said no!"), Mrs. Peters does not get up from her cello but yells at the offender across the room.  Although the cello disappears from the illustrations midway through the story as Mrs. Peters is overwhelmed by her household, in the end, she takes it up again.  

Of note (pun intended) is the fact that the cello is never mentioned in the text - we only see it in those charming illustrations.  Whose idea was it, I wondered, to include the cello?  The author's or the illustrator's? 

So I emailed Ms. Frazee, who graciously wrote back within hours.  Apparently, I was not the first person with these questions.  Linda Urban had previously "interviewed" Ms. Frazee by email and reprinted the conversation, which included this topic, on her blog, Crooked Perfect (full links included below).  Ms. Frazee gave exactly the answer I was hoping for: she put the cello in because she thought the mom needed to be defined by something other than her status as a mother alone.  And for that, I, for one, am grateful.

Can you think of any other picture books or early chapter books where the mother has a hobby, a passion, an interest besides her children?

Here are the links to the full conversation.  The last link is the one that discusses  The Seven Silly Eaters specifically, while the others talk more generally about the process of illustrating picture books, including the collaboration with the author and editor and about what makes a book a picture book.  I highly recommend the entire series.  Enjoy!

http://lurban.livejournal.com/2008/08/22/

http://lurban.livejournal.com/2008/08/23/

http://lurban.livejournal.com/2008/08/24/

http://lurban.livejournal.com/2008/08/25/

http://lurban.livejournal.com/2008/08/26/