Sunday, July 31, 2011

Sing in Praise! Perfect for a Sunday!


1947 Caldecott Honor: Sing in Praise

Stories of the Hymns and Music Arrangements by Opal Wheeler

Illustrated by Marjorie Torrey

This is the second time we are seeing this pair, they also worked together on Sing Mother Goose which won a 1946 Caldecott Honor.

Fame is a funny, fickle thing. Marjorie Torrey, who as Torrey Chanslor wrote Our First Murder, was one of the major illustrators of children’s books in the mid-twentieth century, achieving back-to-back Caldecott Honor awards, but today she is virtually forgotten. She was born in New York in 1899 but somewhere in the late 1950s, she seems to have quietly passed from the scene.

She wrote a few children’s books herself but she was primarily an artist, whose old-fashioned style was ideally suited to illustrating books for young people. She also did the covers for the two mysteries featuring the Beagle sisters, Our First Murder (1940) and Our Second Murder (1941). Although these covers were uncredited, there’s absolutely no doubt whose work it is when one compares the playful, yet extremely accurate, cover of Our First Murder (reproduced for this edition in a slightly enlarged form) with the delightful illustrations in her 1946 Caldecott Honor book, Sing Mother Goose.

All of her books are out of print today. Even her Caldecott honor books are difficult to find, often confined to rare book rooms or the special collections section of larger libraries. Ironically, she’s perhaps best known today for her two mysteries, which have been mentioned in Carolyn G. Hart’s popular “Death on Demand” mystery series and are sought after by collectors specializing in the evolution of the private eye novel, especially those featuring women sleuths.


Book Summary

A collection of church hymns accompanied by short stories that are titled the same as the hymns.

Illustrations

Traditional.  Simple yet complex?  These are the type of pictures I can seem to recall hanging in my church as a child.  Children are the main subjects of the pictures and they are depicted in religions settings.  The first hymn of the book is “Onward, Christian Soldiers”  (are you singing? J) The illustration next to the hymn is a collection of 7 children walking down a path all singing and carrying a book (hymnal/bible).  There is a sweet, innocent feel about these pictures.  I enjoyed looking at them.

Final Thoughts:

1. Would this be a book I would pick up again? No

2. Would I recommend it to others to search out and take a look at? No

3. Would I spend my hard earned money on the book? No

4. Where did I get the book? Pierce County got a copy from Lamar University-Beaumont

Friday, July 29, 2011

Pedro the Angle!!!


1947 Caldecott Honor: Pedro The Angel of Olvera Street

By Leo Politi
This is the first time we see this illustrator but we are about to see a whole lot more from him!

Leo Politi (1908–1996) was an Italian-American artist and author who wrote and illustrated some 20 children's books, as well as Bunker Hill, Los Angeles (1964), intended for adults. His works often celebrated cultural diversity, and many were published in both English and Spanish.

In 1931, Politi, at the age of 22, left Italy for California. Passing through the Panama Canal he discovered the exotic beauty of Central America. He sketched the things that he saw and small stories began to bubble up within him.

He was attracted to the Mayan culture of the region and developed a palette that served as his core of colors throughout the 1930s and '40s. Politi later wrote of his technique: “(I) developed an ochre yellow, burnt sienna and a number of brown tints symbolic of the warmth and earthy qualities of the life and vegetation of the tropical Central American jungle. I also used a lively blue-green symbolic of the water, sky and in small spots for precious stones used then in their ornaments as jade – all elements inherent to the Maya civilization.”

Artist Buckley Mac-Gurrin, an art critic for the literary film magazine Script published by writer and artist Rob Wagner, wrote in a cover story of Politi in 1940 that “Leo became proficient in the use of many media – oil, watercolor, wood-carving, wood engraving, lithography, book illustration; he had a very fine artistic education. His training was modern as opposed to academic; it tended to develop originality rather than subservient to the art forms of bygone eras. His own artistic philosophy drew him toward the genuine and the earthy; toward people whose contact with the soil was still fresh, intimate, satisfying.”

Politi arrived in Los Angeles, California, in October 1931 and two years later he married Helen Fontes.

Olvera Street


Politi began sketching and painting from a regular spot on Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles, where he sketched tourists and sold drawings alongside potters, weavers and other artisans-in-residence. Politi’s affection for the Mexican-Americans and their folkways was genuine; an affinity. Most especially, as a devout Catholic, at home with Italian saints, he responded to Mexican ritual. Children — natural, spontaneous children — he loved without reserve or distinction. Drawing Mexican children, for magazines and books, gave him an American career and a professional identity. He painted a mural on Olvera Street "The Blessing of the Animals", where he depicted a tradition of Catholicism in remembrance of St. Francis of Assisi's love for all creatures. In the mural, men, women and children are walking their animals to get blessed.

During the 1930s he worked in oils, watercolors and wood sculptures. His best work was probably gouache on paper with variations of the theme of mother and child. He also focused on Mexican pueblo scenes, religious ceremonies and customs, dancers and mischievous children. His palette was generally the same: ochre yellow, burnt sienna and brown tints that to him defined the Mayan civilization.

The above Bio is from Wikipedia.

Book Summary

Pedro, a young Mexican boy is eagerly getting ready to celebrate Christmas on Olvera Street!  Pedro is known for his singing voice, it sounds like an angel.  Pedro is then asked to be the lead of the Posada (possession). 

Illustrations

There is a lot to learn about the illustrations in the above bio from Wikipedia.  We learn that Mr. Politi really enjoyed the Mexican Cultural and was immersed in it while creating the illustrations for this book.  It shows! 
The illustrations vary in color, some of them are simple brown and white tons, while others are full colors!  I love it!  Turning each page is like a little surprise.  I also really enjoy how Mr. Politi was able to capture how busy this street was.  There are little side stories happening all over the illustrations.  We see people all over and they are all doing very different things!  Children are the main focus on the story and I was delighted with the illustrators version of this famous street at a very special time of the year!

Final Thoughts:

1. Would this be a book I would pick up again? Not sure, it is dated but darling!

2. Would I recommend it to others to search out and take a look at? If you are a fan of Mexico and Christmas this is the book for you!

3. Would I spend my hard earned money on the book? If I found a copy I would purchase it.

4. Where did I get the book? Pacific Lutheran University, WA

Want more?  Here you go!

http://www.leopoliti2008centennial.org/

http://ecollections.lib.csufresno.edu/arne_nixon/collections/politi.php

http://archives.frederatorblogs.com/talk_to_the_snail/2008/01/27/bunker-hill-by-leo-politi-exhibit/

Olvera Street from back in time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPC1L-66uBM

Sunday, July 24, 2011

SNOW??? REALLY????

1948 Caldecott Winner: White Snow Bright Snow
By Alvin Tresselt                               Illustrated by Roger Duvoisin

Here is Roger Duvoisin at work in his studio.

I am finding that I enjoy seeing pictures of the artist working in his/her own space.


Roger Duvoisin was born August 28, 1904, in Geneva, Switzerland. The young Duvoisin showed an early interest in art, music, and books. After attending music and art schools in Switzerland and France, he painted murals, posters, and stage scenery and worked in a textile studio. His talent in textile designs brought him the opportunity to move to New York in 1927 to work for the Maillinson's Silk Company. Four years later, the company went out of business, but the president's son showed a manuscript of Duvoisin's to Charles Scribner, who published the book, A Little Boy Was Drawing (1932).

Duvoisin went on to create more than forty books and illustrate more than 140 books for children. He was perhaps best known as the illustrator of the "Happy Lion" series, written by his wife, Louise Fatio. Duvoisin created other popular animal characters in Veronica, Petunia, Donkey-Donkey, and Hector-Penguin. He continued to work as a commercial artist, including assignments for The New Yorker.

Duvoisin was the recipient of many awards and honors, among them the 1948 Caldecott Medal for White Snow, Bright Snow. Duvoisin's work was selected four times for the New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of the Year and seventeen times for the American Institute of Graphic Arts Fifty Best Books of the Year. For distinguished contributions to children's literature, he received the Society of Illustrators Award in 1961; the Rutgers Award in 1966; the Hans Christian Andersen Medal runner-up for 1968; the Silver Medallion of the University of Southern Mississippi in 1971; and the Kerlan Award of the University of Minnesota in 1976. Duvoisin died June 30, 1980, in Morristown, New Jersey.



Book Summary

“The postman

said it looked like snow.

The farmer said it smelled

like snow.

The policeman said it felt

like snow, and his wife said

her big toe hurt, and

that always meant snow.”

Did it make you smile, or even laugh?  I laughed, I love the policeman’s wife!  We all know someone with this personality and I love it!  This is a delightful story of a late winter that melts into spring.  We see the characters of the story adapt and change as the weather changes.  Set in a small village/town in March we see how the community deals with a large amount of snow fall.  I found It adorable and easy to follow along!

Side Note: This is the second Caldecott Award book for this author!  He also was awarded the Honor in 1947 for Rain Drop Splash.  This is his second Caldecott Award, and this time it is the winner.  We will see him again in 1966 for Hide and See Fog (Caldecott Honor).

Illustrations

I am not sure what medium Mr. Suvoisin used for this book, but in other pieces of work he used paint and he worked often with textiles.  This book does give the impression of paint but I am NOT an expert in this field, it is purely a guess.  Okay, let me describe what I see.  White and Grey are the colors used most often, that makes sense right a, story about snow?  There are some accent colors as well, red and yellow for the most part but not to be forgotten are brown or rather it appears brown but it could be a combination of the yellow and red painted on top of each other. 

The illustrations give just enough detail yet leave some to the imagination.  Often times there are more than one scene on each page.  We see snip shots of the story but both text and illustrations flow across the pages in a very logical manner.

Personal reaction: I enjoyed these pictures.  It has that classic feel to them.  I love the snow!  The way in which they were created was magical.  The snowflakes intertwine with the text and the pictures brining them together.

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? Already did!

4. Where did I get the book? I own it!

More Info:

http://eclipse.rutgers.edu/goose/zam/duvbio.aspx

An Out of Print Night Before Christmas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iQ7oJVsgos

Saturday, July 23, 2011

AMAZING ILLUSTRATIONS!!!!

1948 Caldecott Honor: Song of Robin Hood
Selected & Edited by Anne Malcolmson
Music Arranged by Grace Castagnetta
Designed & Illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton



This is Virgina Lee Burton, I love the look of it!  Don’t you?

Okay, so Virgina Lee Burton is a name we should be familiar with.

Here is a short clip you can check out if you are interested.


Book Summary

                This book has 18 “chapters,” I don’t know what the formal word for them are.  They are not chapters like we tend to think because they are accompanied with written music.  Anyway here they are:

1.       Robin Hood and Little John

2.       Robin Hood and The Stranger

3.       Robin Hood and The Tanner

4.       Robin Hood and The Prince of Aragon

5.       Robin Hood and The Curtal Friar

6.       Robin Hood and The Allen A Dale

7.       Robin Hood and Maid Marian

8.       Robin Hood and The Bishop

9.       Robin Hood and The Butcher

10.   The Bold Peddler and Robin Hood

11.   Robin Hood and The Guy of Gisborne

12.   Robin Hood and The Golden Arrow

13.   Robin Hood and The Ranger

14.   Robin Hood Rescuing Will Stutly

15.   Robin Hood and The Bishop of Hereford

16.   Robin Hood’s Golden Prize

17.   Robin Hood Rescuing Three Squires

18.   Robin Hood’s Death

Illustrations

Where does one even begin?  These illustrations are AMAZING.  Ms. Burton took 3 years to work on this book!  It shows.  At the beginning of the book there are to pages dedicated just to talking about the illustrations.  This is rare and something I have never seen before.  But I have never seen a book like this before either.  Okay I am going to give it my best to try and tell you a little bit about the illustrations.

“Experimenting with various black and white media I arrived at a combination of pen and ink and scratchboard as best suited to my purpose.” Taken from the book.

I cannot begin to count all the different illustrations that were created for this book!  They are so detailed and intricate!  This really must have been a labor of love, and I am sure at times frustration!  J  Another important detail to note is that Ms. Burton created the illustrations the same size that is published in the book.  She left nothing to chance. 



Just a BEAUTIFUL BOOK!  Please take the time to find it and look at it!

Final Thoughts:

1. Would this be a book I would pick up again? For the illustrations-YOU BET!!!!

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, WA

Friday, July 22, 2011

Dr. Suess I had never heard of before! Take a look!


1948 Caldecott Honor: McElligot’s Pool

By Dr. Seuss

Rather than try and summarize Dr. Seuss’s life I thought I would share some websites I found that would be great to visit.



This last website is wonderful for kids!  If you have a Dr. Seuss Fan then I recommend you visit this site.  There are games, activities, and pintables’.  Great fun!

Book Summary

A young boy, Marco, goes fishing in McElligot’s Pool.  The local farmer tells Marco that there is no reason for him to fish in the pool and that he will not catch a fish.  But Marco has faith!  He goes on to explain how, perhaps, just maybe he might catch something!

If you have a young child who can argue his way out of anything this is a story you can relate to!  I found it darling and touching!  Great example of never giving up and standing up for what you believe in!

Illustrations

“The illustrations are shaded colored pencil rather than the later pen and ink which defined his style.” From wikipedia

If you are a fan of Dr. Seuss this book will not let you down.  The Illustrations look similar to all the other Seuss Books you have grown up with.  I had never even heard of this book before, had you?  I am surprised by that.  We have all heard of Dr. Seuss and we pretty familiar with The Caldecott Honor so why is this book not a top seller?  Another interesting observation is that while doing my research for this book all the images I was able to pull up, not one of them had the “sticker.”  What sticker you ask?  The shiny silver Caldecott Sticker!  Why?   These are questions I still have.  If you know the answer to any of them please let me know!

Okay now back to the illustrations:

As mentioned above, this book was done with Colored Pencils.  Thru the entire book there are colorful pages as well as black and white.  Again I have a question, were the original ones black and white or is the book just produced that way?  The illustrations fill the large book and have a fun whimsy way about them!  I really enjoyed looking at them.  I found them fun and engaging.  There is so much imagination at work in this book.

If you have young children and you want to teach them the lesson of never giving up and believing in what they feel, this is the book for you!  If you read this book please let me know what you think!

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, WA

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Stone Soup........No Thanks


1948 Caldecott Honor: Stone Soup

By Marcia Brown

Marcia BrownMarcia Brown is the first and only author-illustrator to be awarded the Caldecott medal three times and to receive six Caldecott Honor Book citations. These numerous accolades attest to Marcia Brown's distinction as one of Americas's most revered creators of children's books.In 1918 Marcia Brown was born in Rochester, New York, the youngest of three girls. Because her father was a minister, the family lived in many towns. As a child, Marcia drew whenever possible, even in her book margins at school, and by the time she was twelve, she knew that she wanted to illustrate books. In 1946, with the publication of her first book, The Little Carousel, Charles Scribner's Sons Books of Young Readers launched Marcia Brown's career in children's books. Since she has published over twenty books with Scribners, including Cinderella (1955), Once A Mouse... (1962) and Shadow (1982), which all won Caldecott medals. Her prints have been displayed at the New School for Social Research, Carnegie Institute, Brooklyn Museum, and several galleries. The Library of Congress includes her work in their permanent collection. Marcia Brown is the recipient of the 1992 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, presented every three years to an author or illustrator whose books are published in the United States and who has, over a period of years , made a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.


Book Summary

A tired group of 3 soldiers find themselves in a small village.  Times are hard for all and no one is willing to open up to the soldiers, no food no bed.  But not to be outwitted the soldiers find a way to trick the simple villagers into bringing out food to complete the stone soup.

My thoughts: Not sure.  I know this is a classic and that many people read it and love it.  But when I got done I was left with the thoughts of all these characters are mean.  For example, the villagers who are unwilling to share and hide all their resources AND the three soldiers who trick the villagers into giving up food.  I know that this book is used in many classrooms and that Stone Soup has been fixed for many a student but I just couldn’t let myself fall in love with it.

Illustrations

I was unable to find what medium(s) were used for this book, however I did learn that Marcia Brown enjoyed many different types of mediums.  There are other books of hers that I will be reading in the future and they look very different than the illustrations in Stone Soup!  I find this very interesting.  Today illustrators seldom do different mediums, the tend to find a passion and talent in one area and stick to that.  Nothing wrong with that, just an observation I have. 

Okay so let’s talk about what I felt with the illustrations with Stone Soup.  There is a limited color pallet.  Black, Orange , Grey and White.  Everything is realistic and easily identified.  The lines are wiggly and soft.  No harsh, dark lines.

Personally I did not get drawn in with this pictures.  Perhaps you will.

Final Thoughts:

1. Would this be a book I would pick up again? No

2. Would I recommend it to others to search out and take a look at? No

3. Would I spend my hard earned money on the book? No

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

More Info:

http://www.albany.edu/feature/marcia_brown/

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

1948 History Facts


I like to do things in order but I have been waiting on three 1947 honor winners and they seem to take a bit longer to find so I wanted to keep moving on.  I will retrun to 1947 when I get my hands on the books.

So 1948!  I found it to be somewhat of a quite year.  Tell me what you think.

1948

Facts taken from Wikipedia.

January
·         January 4Burma gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
·         January 5Warner Brothers shows the first color newsreel (Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl).

 February
·         February 1 – The Soviet Union begins to jam Voice of America broadcasts.
·         February 21 – The stock car racing series Nascar is founded by Bill France Sr. and William France, Sr.
·         February 25 – The Communist Party seizes control of Czechoslovakia, a day celebrated by that regime as "Victorious February" (Czech:"Vítězný únor"; Slovak:"Víťazný Február") until November 1989.

March
·         March 8McCollum v. Board of Education: The United States Supreme Court rules that religious instruction in public schools violates the U.S. Constitution.
·         March 17- The Hells Angels motorcycle gang is founded in California.

 April
·         April 3
o    Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is played on television in its entirety for the first time.
·         April 19Burma joins the United Nations.
·         April 30 – The Land Rover is unveiled at the Amsterdam Motor Show.

May
·         May 4Laurence Olivier's film version of Hamlet makes its world premiere in London.
·         May 26 – The U.S. Congress passes Public Law 557, which permanently establishes the Civil Air Patrol as the auxiliary of the United States Air Force.
·         May 30 – A dike along the Columbia River breaks, obliterating Vanport, Oregon within minutes: 15 people die and tens of thousands are left homeless.

June
·         June 3 – The Palomar Observatory telescope is finished in California.
·         June 11 – The first monkey astronaut, Albert I, is launched into space from White Sands, New Mexico.
·         June 20 – The U.S. Congress recesses for the remainder of 1948, after an overtime session closes at 7:00 a.m. D.C. time (to be shortly interrupted by Truman's recall from Congressional recess for July 20, 1948).
·         June 24  Cold War: The Berlin Blockade begins.

 July
·         July 15-The first London chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous is founded.
·         July 20Cold War: President Harry S. Truman issues the second peacetime military draft in the United States, amid increasing tensions with the Soviet Union (the first peacetime draft occurred in 1940 under President Roosevelt).
·         July 22 – The Dominion of Newfoundland votes to join Canada after a referendum.
·         July 26 – U.S. President Truman signs Executive Order 9981, ending racial segregation in the United States Armed Forces.

 August
·         August 15 – The Republic of Korea is established.

 September
·         September 29Laurence Olivier's Hamlet opens in the United States.

October
·         October 10R-1 missile on test becomes the first Soviet launch to enter space.

 November
·         November 2United States presidential election, 1948: Democratic incumbent Harry S. Truman defeats Republican Thomas E. Dewey and 'Dixiecrat' Strom Thurmond.
December
·         December 19 – The Cleveland Browns become the first professional football team to go undefeated in a season
·         December 26 – The last Soviet troops withdraw from North Korea
·         December 30 – The musical Kiss Me, Kate opens for the first of 1,077 performances