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
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