Monday, February 21, 2011

The Ageless Story--------Tradition with a Big Twist!!!

The Ageless Story
By Lauren Ford
1940 Caldecott Honor Winner
Bio from: http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/resources/poetry/xmasp.html
Lauren Ford was born in New York City in 1891. Her mother was Julia Ellsworth Ford, "the author of many books and plays for children." Her father was Simeon Ford, owner of the Grand Union Hotel, a man of famous wit, and a popular public speaker. According to Julia Ford, Lauren began to draw at age four. Lauren studied art with George Bridgman and Frank V. du Mond. In 1973, Lauren Ford passed away at the age of eighty-two. During her life, Ford painted many works of a religious nature.
During her life, Ford published three books: Our Lady's Book, The Ageless Story, and Lauren Ford's Christmas Book. In each of these books, Ford combined her artwork with her own lyric prose to interpret the Marian aspects of the Bible and the Christian tradition.


Book Summary
                This is a religious book about “The Ageless Story.”  I had to ask myself, what is the ageless story?  Then once I opened the book I got it!  Do you know what the Ageless Story is?  If you are at all religious I think you do!  Take guess let me know what you think.
The interesting fact about this book is the setting.  It takes the characters from the Ageless Story and sets them in modern Connecticut Countryside.  Very interesting to think about.  It also shows the Main Character growing up.  Something that is not depicted often.  Again do you know the story? 
Illustrations:  These illustrations really make the book for me.  Because most of the book is in a different language/form, not sure what to call it, Gregorian Chant is what the book calls it.  The chants, along with the music, is on the left hand side and then there are pictures on the right side.  There is a border around the entire page on both sides.  In the border there is Gold!  Well it looks as if it is gold, shiny and everything.  I can totally see how this book won this honor.  Take a look, but finding a copy is going to be the challenge.  I got the Pierce County Library to get a copy of the book from me, it came from Gellert Library St. Patrick’s Seminary in California.  When I looked on Amazon for this book the price was over $150.00.  So yes I think this book is stunning! Not only because of the price but Lauren Ford took a mix of something so strong and traditional (the chants) and put them with modern depictions of Characters we all know.  Why am I not telling you?  I want to you seek the answer.
Art Medium:Lauren Ford was a painter, etcher and writer/illustrator of children's books whose subjects were children and Christian themes in present-day settings. She often used her farm in Connecticut as the background of her paintings. "The Little Book About God," 1934, and "The Ageless Story," 1939, are two of her books for children. "Life" magazine published her paintings of religious scenes and Christ's boyhood in 1938 and 1944 in their Christmas issues.”  From http://www.askart.com/askart/f/lauren_miss_ford/lauren_miss_ford.aspx
Final Thoughts:
1. Would this be a book I would pick up again?  Perhaps
2. Would I recommend it to others to search out and take a look at?  Yes, but it will be a challenge!!!  Remember I had to get the Library to borrow it for me.
3. Would I spend my hard earned money on the book?  No, it costs to much for me!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

A Classic! Madeline!!!!!!


Madeline
By Ludwig Bemelmans
Bio from: http://www.madeline.com/
Ludwig Bemelmans was born on April 27, 1898 and died on October 1, 1962. He was an essayist, humorist, novelist, artist and an author of books for children.
He was born in the Austrian Tyrol and moved to the United States in 1914. When he arrived in the United States he worked in the hotel industry. But when the United States entered World War I, Bemelmans enlisted in the United States Army. He became a United States citizen in 1918, and after the war he returned to the hotel business.
It was at the suggestion of May Massee, a children's book editor for Viking Press, that Bemelmans wrote his first children's book, Hansi. Hansi was the first of Bemelmans' fifteen children's books. It was very well received by most reviewers. But it was Madeline, which brought Bemelmans his greatest success.
From the time of his marriage to Madeline Freund in 1935 (they had one daughter, Barbara...whom the Madeline character is modeled after) until his death in New York of pancreatic cancer, Bemelmans wrote approximately one or two books a year. .
Although Bemelmans became famous for his Madeline books, he always considered himself more an artist illustrator than a writer, and later in life he became a serious painter with works now on display in the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the MuseƩ National d'Art of Paris.
That isn't to say he did not take his writing seriously, for he was careful never to insult his young audience. "We are writing for children, but not for idiots," he once stated. 


Book Summary
                In the story Madeline the main character is a small, brave little girl names Madeline.  The story takes place in France.  Madeline gets sick in the middle of the night and is taken to the hospital.  At the hospital they take her appendicitis out and she is then visited by the 11 other girls whom she lives with.  By the end of the story Madeline is doing much better and the 11 other girls who were jealous of the attention pretend that they are now sick.
Personal Reaction to story: Darling!  I enjoyed it.  It was a quick read and would be great for any young girl who may have to visit the hospital.
Illustrations:  The illustrations are set in large rectangular squares.  The meaning of this?  Not sure?  Could it be that we are looking thru a window to see bits and part of Madelines Life?  Could it be that We have a little girl who loves to push the boundaries and do things outside of the box so the illustrator has tried to put her inside the box?  Just not sure.  Makes you think.  Once you are inside the pictures we see popular sites associated with France.  They are soft and delicate with a bit of whimsy.  There are some pictures in full color and others with a yellow background and black details.  There is not a pattern that I can see to tell when the pictures will be colored or yellow.  I enjoyed the book and the pictures.  I do think the pictures are stronger than the text.
Art Medium: not sure
Final Thoughts:
1. Would this be a book I would pick up again?  Yes!
2. Would I recommend it to others to search out and take a look at?  Yes
3. Would I spend my hard earned money on the book?  Yes
Want more information?  Here you go!
http://www.madeline.com/

Sunday, February 13, 2011

1940 A year full of War and Cartoons!

1940
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Year 1940 was a leap year and started on a Monday.
 January
February
 March
April
 May
May 13Winston Churchill, in his first address as Prime Minister, tells the House of Commons, "I have nothing to offer you but blood, toil, tears, and sweat."
June
July
August
 September
 October
 November
 December