Wee Gillis
1939 Honor Winner
Written by Munro Leaf
Illustrated by Robert Lawson
Side Note: Robert Lawson also won a Caldecott Honor in 1938 for Four and Twenty Blackbirds, yup that is two years in a row for Mr. Lawson! Way to go!
Robert Lawson (October 4, 1892 – May 27, 1957) was an American author and illustrator of children's books. During World War I, he also served as a camouflage artist. After the war, Lawson resumed his work as an artist, and in 1922, illustrated his first children's book, The Wonderful Adventures of Little Prince Toofat. Subsequently he illustrated dozens of children's books by other authors, including such well-known titles as The Story of Ferdinand the Bull by Munro Leaf (which later became an animated film by the Walt Disney Studios) and Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater. In total, he illustrated as many as forty books by other authors, and another seventeen books that he himself was author of, including Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin By His Good Mouse Amos and Rabbit Hill. His work was widely admired, and he became the first person to be given both the Caldecott Medal (They Were Strong and Good, 1941) and the Newbery Medal (Rabbit Hill, 1945).
Bio from Wikipedia
Book Summary:
“Wee Gillis lived in Scotland. His real name was Alastair Roderic Craigellachie Dalhousie Gowan Donnybristle MacMac, but that took too long to say, so everybody just called him Wee Gillis.”
Wee Gillis has to find his place in the world. He spends one year living with the Low Landers, his mother’s side and the next year living in with the High Landers, his father’s side. Then at the end of two years he must decide where he is to live for the rest of his life. I will not tell you how it ends, you will have to read the book to find out! Ha ha, such a teacher move!
Illustrations:
Art Medium: I think it was done with etching. They are black and white in the book.
I really enjoyed the simple text with detailed pictures. The text was on the left hand side with the illustrations on the right. The illustrations were done in black and white and were detailed right down to the fuzz on Wee Gillis sweater. I feel as if the illustrations bring this story to the next level! I loved reading a small amount of text and then studying the picture to see what Wee Gillis was feeling or doing.
It is amazing to me that an artist can change the meaning of a picture with just one line. What you don’t think so? Okay take the mouth. It is one line, right? What if that line is straight? What if that line is slightly turned up on both ends? Turned down? What if the line is bent into the shape of a circle?
Okay you think the mouth was too easy, so let’s look at another line. Let’s say musical instrument. What if the line is coming out of that instrument that is straight and forced? What if the line is squiggly? What if the line just sort of softly meanders? What if the line was really long? What if the line was short? You see what I mean?
Robert Lawson definitely understood the effect of lines in art work. His art work is filled with lines! I enjoyed this book and I hope I made you think about lines in art work. Let me know what you think about lines in art. Okay I am having a bit of fun with this. I think I just may do a lesson in my classroom on lines with art, this book would be a great example!
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? yup
4. Where did I get my copy of the book? Pierce County Library
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