Mexian Influnced Artist says good night!

1944 Honor: A Child’s Good Night Book

Written by: Margaret Wise Brown                            Illustrated by: Jean Charlot

Illustrator Biography

Bio from: http://www.yucatanadventure.com.mx/charlot.htm

A French-Mexican artist, illustrator and muralist, writer and archaeologist, Jean Charlot was born in France and attended the National School of Fine Arts in Paris. In 1921, Charlot and his widowed mother immigrated to Mexico where his mother’s family had lived for several generations. Charlot played a major role in the post-revolutionary florescence of Mexican art, becoming close friends of many leading muralists: José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Fernando Leal and Xavier Guerrero. He began his mural painting as an assistant to Diego Rivera. It is accepted that Charlot’s knowledge of fresco painting was critical in the development of the techniques favored by the leading muralists. Charlot’s own mural, “The Massacre in the [Aztec] Main Temple,” painted on the walls of the Escuela Nacional Preparatoria is usually considered the Mexican mural movement’s first true fresco.

Charlot devoted much of his artistic energy producing prints, particularly woodcuts. He carried with him from France his devotion to popular folk art (the Images d’Epinal), and early recognized the importance of Mexican satirical pre-revolutionary printmaker José Guadalupe Posada. Throughout Charlot’s career, he stressed his commitment to creating popular, reproducible, and even useful art for the people.

Book Summary

The world is getting ready for sleep at the end of the day. There are plenty of animals, big and small, that are getting ready for a night of sleep.  We even see items that are not “alive” slow down at the end of the day for sleep. At the end of the story we see young children being cared from by hands from above as they say prayers and ready themselves for sleep.

Illustrations:

At the start of the book the words are on a solid white page while the full color page is located on the right hand side.  Then in the middle of the book the illustrations and words are merged together, no color used but the words and pictures are mixed together.  Then at the end of the book the words and pictures switch, words on the right full color pictures on the left until you get to the very last picture that is in full color on both pages with words mixed in. 

Okay why do I take the time to mention the above.  Well I think it is an important part of the story.  It is like the story is opening and starting, then you get to the climax and then it starts to close!  Think of it like a journey up a hill.  Up one side, stand on the top and admire, then begin your journey down until you are home!

Now about how the art is created.  The colors are soft and inviting.  Yet the outlining shapes are strong and determined.  There are a few rounded edges but there are also hard, sharp edges.

Art Medium:  

“His art style strongly reflected the Mayan Pre-Columbian sculptural traditions of Mexico, their ties to the earth and stress on geometric forms and volume.”

From: http://www.yucatanadventure.com.mx/charlot.htm

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

4. Where did I get the book? Pierce County Library system

More Info:

http://libweb.hawaii.edu/libdept/charlotcoll/charlot.html#About

Illustrtor to the Grapes of Wrath!!!

1944 Honor: Mighty Hunter

By Bertha and Elmer Hader

This is the second time this couple earned the Caldecott Honor.  They previously won in 1940 with Cock-A-Doodle-Doo.  On that post I shared the bio of Bertha and Elmer prior to marriage.  Today I share info of them after they were married.

Biography of Illustrators (bio from Wikipedia)

When Elmer and Berta met in San Francisco, they had both been part of a broad network of artists and intellectuals in the area. They became good friends, and, rather than return to San Francisco, Elmer went directly to New York when he was demobilized, where Berta was working for McCall's. The two quickly married, then lived briefly in Greenwich Village. Seeking a more rustic setting, they left the city to rent the Lyle Cottage in Grand-View-on-Hudson, a small town in rural Rockland County on the west bank of the Hudson River. This would become the area they would spend the rest of their lives in, eventually building their home on a 1,5 hectare plot a mere 500 meters from the Lyle Cottage. This home, which took more than twenty years to build and was largely done by Hader and his friends, became an art project in its own right. Elmer went so far as to extract the stones used to build the house from the earth himself. The Haders had a boy in the early 1920s, Hamilton (named after the author Hamilton Williamson), who died from meningitis not long before he turned three. The death of their son, according to their friend J. J. Marquis, turned both of them into agnostics, though they recovered enough to avoid becoming embittered or cynical.

The two used their talents and Berta's connections to prepare children's sections for Good Housekeeping, McCall's, Pictorial Review, Asia, Century, and The Christian Science Monitor. They did pictures and cut-outs, often featuring children dressed in national costumes. In Berta and Elmer Hader's Picture Book of Mother Goose, the couple collated pen-and-ink and color drawings they had done for Monitor and Good Housekeeping to great acclaim. When the US Postal Service dis-allowed the sending of magazines with cut-out segments in 1926, the Haders switched gears, gaining a contract with MacMillan for a series of children's books. They began writing the stories for some of the books in this period. Demand for their product soared, and they worked incessantly from 1927–1931, illustrating, in some cases writing, producing, and helping to sell thirty-four titles. They stayed busy for the rest of their lives, producing another seventy or so books before they retired in 1964. One book in particular, Billy Butter (1936), so impressed writer John Steinbeck that he requested Elmer Hader do the cover to The Grapes of Wrath (1939), Steinbeck's most important work. Hader eventually did covers for two other Steinbeck works, East of Eden (1952) and The Winter of Our Discontent (1961).

Book Summary

Little Brave Heart, a young Indian boy, goes on an adventure.  One morning Little Brave Heart decides to skip school and hunt for fun.  He starts with his eyes set on a small field mouse.  But the field mouse stops him and convinces Little Brave Heart to set his goal bigger.  This is repeated until finally Little Brave Heart sets his sight on a bear.  The Bear teaches him a lesson about hunting and convinces Little Brave Heart to return to school.

Illustrations:

I personally enjoyed this playful book.  The illustrations were very complimentary to the story line.  What I thought was interesting is that each of the animals Little Brave Heart would run into would be sitting just outside of the main illustration space.  Each page had a picture with a white border along the side and bottom of the page.  It was as if the animals were just out of reach for this young hunter.

                The illustrations were realistic yet playful.  This book itself had animals talking to Little Brave Heart.  The pictures would show an accurate animal, size and color but then the animal would talk to Little Brave Heart.  Little Brave Heart would also talk to them.  You could see the exchange in the eyes.  They were playful and hunting.

                I especially took note of how perspective came into play.  At the end of Little Brave Hearts Hunting Journey he comes to a bear.  The bear is on the right hand side of the page, in the top corner, large and fierce.  Little Brave heart is in the bottom left hand side, just outside of the illustration standing in the white border.  He looks small and alarmed.  Just a beautiful way to show this concept!

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

4. Where did I get the book? Pierce County borrowed this book from the University of Portland Library

More Info:

http://nwda-db.orbiscascade.org/findaid/ark:/80444/xv50977

http://haderconnection.com/

How do you put a boat in a bottle?

1944 Honor: Pierre Pidgeon

By Lee Kingman                                Pictures by Arnold Edwin Bare

Biography of Illustrator

Can’t seem to find anything online about the illustrator for Bio.

Book Summary

A young fisherman’s son, Pierre , falls in love with a boat in a bottle.  Down in the shop by the docks on the third shelf Pierre eyed the fascinating Boat in a bottle.  He would ask the shop keeper how the boat got in the bottle.  The shopkeeper told Pierre that it would grow inside.  When Pierre inquired the cost of the item he was alarmed to find out it would cost one whole dollar.  Would Pierre ever earn one whole dollar? 

Illustrations:

These pictures are new and interesting.  I have not read a book yet that has the same appreience as these illustrations.  They look as if they are block.  Meaning, not full of lots of detail yet a block of color here to represent something.  For example, Pierre’s Boots on the first page are about 99% Green, the detail comes in the outline of the object rather than the fine details on the inside.  There are only a few colors used in the illustrations, Dark Green, Grey, Black, White and Dark Orange. 

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

4. Where did I get the book? Pierce County Library borrowed this book from Texas for me to read.

12 year old wins Caldecott Award!

1944 Honor: The Good-Luck Horse

Adapted from an old Chinese Legend by Chih-yi and Plato Chan

Bio from: http://collectingchildrensbooks.blogspot.com/2009/05/caldecott-orbit.html

The son of a Chinese diplomat, Plato was born in New York, but grew up in Germany, France, and England. He began drawing at eighteen months and by the age of six was designing patterns for French fabric companies. He had several public exhibitions in Europe and painted a portrait of England's queen, which he hand-delivered to Buckingham Palace. When World War II broke out, Plato's father was sent to an internment camp in Germany and the rest of the family finally returned to New York. It was there that Plato's mother, Chih-Yi, adapted a traditional Chinese tale for her son to illustrate. THE GOOD-LUCK HORSE was published in 1943, when Plato was barely thirteen years old.

Book Summary

                Adapted from an ancient Chinese Legend, the story line is about a young boy who makes a paper horse.  The horse is magically transformed into a real horse by the magician that lives next door to the young boy.  Then the Good-Luck Horse begins to prove that he may indeed be a Bad-Luck Horse.  It’s not until the end of the story that we discover what is the true fate of the magical paper horse!

Illustrations:

Wow!  Think about it!  This illustrator was 12!!!!  12!!!!!  He won one of the most prized awards in Children’s Books at the age of 12!  What an accomplishment!  The illustrations are a delight to look at and I enjoy the attention to detail.  The fact that a 12 year old could draw accurately and make the subjects look realistic yet playful at the same time is just amazing!  The illustrations bring the characters to life!  There are emotions represented on the faces of the human and animal characters!  Just amazing!

Art Medium: pen and ink and color

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? When I looked it up on Amazon it was a bit out of my price range @ $175.00!  WOW!
4. Where did I get the book? Pierce County Library system borrowed this book from Southern Oregon State College

Cute and Sweet

1944: Honor Small Rain

Chosen by Jessie Orton Jones

Illustrated by Elizabeth Orton Jones

Bio from Wikipedia

Early life

She was born "half past Christmas" in Highland Park, Illinois, to George Roberts Jones, a violinist, and Jessie May Orton, a pianist and a writer. Elizabeth was followed by a brother and a sister. During her youth, two Bohemian girls served as cook and nurse in her home, providing an alternative set of cultural norms which surely served as an encouragement for Elizabeth to develop her artistic side.
During Elizabeth's youth, she and her siblings made many creative outlets for ther imagination. Setting up "tasks" for herself, she taught lessons to her dolls and eventually read the entire Bible. A more collaborative project between her and her siblings was the creation of the "Beagle Language", named after one of their pets.
Jones' great-grandfather, Joseph Russell Jones, a friend of Abraham Lincoln, was minister to Belgium under President Ulysses S. Grant. Her grandmother was a professional pianist and her grandfather owned a bookstore.

Book Summary

                The text is selected verses from the Bible.  The illustrations show the interpretations of the Bible Verses.

Illustrations:

Sweet soft realistic images fill the pages of this book.  There are boys and girls, of different colors all.  I did enjoy the illustrations and the simple ease they made me feel.  Nice rounded edges with happy little children.  It is almost like watching a Sunday School Class act out the Bible Verses!

Art Medium:

Final Thoughts:
1. Would this be a book I would pick up again? Not sure
2. Would I recommend it to others to search out and take a look at? It is sweet but don’t spend a lot of time finding it.
3. Would I spend my hard earned money on the book? Not sure, if I found it cheep I may purchase it to add to my collection!  I am a collector.
4. Where did I get the book? Pierce County got this book from PLU for me to look at!
More info: 
http://ortakales.com/Illustrators/Jones.html
http://www.vintagechildrensbooksmykidloves.com/2008/02/small-rain.html