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

• January 8 – WWII: Food rationing begins in Great Britain.

February

• February 7 – RKO release Walt Disney's second full-length animated film, Pinocchio.
• February 10 – Tom and Jerry make their debut in Puss Gets the Boot. However it is not until 1941 that their current names are adopted.

 March

• March 2 – Cartoon character Elmer Fudd makes his debut in the animated short Elmer's Candid Camera.
• March 31 – WWII: Commerce raiding hilfskreuzer Atlantis, leaves the Wadden Sea for what will become the longest warship cruise of the war. (622 days without in-port replenishment or repair)^[1]

April

• April 7 – Booker T. Washington becomes the first African American to be depicted on a United States postage stamp.

 May

• May 10 – WWII:
• Battle of France begins – German forces invade Low Countries.
• Iceland is invaded by the United Kingdom.
• With the resignation of Neville Chamberlain, Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

May 13 – Winston 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."

• May 15 – The very first McDonald's restaurant opens in San Bernardino, California.
• May 16 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, addressing a joint session of Congress, asks for an extraordinary credit of approximately $900 million to finance construction of at least 50,000 airplanes per year.
• May 20 – Holocaust: The Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and death camp opens in Poland.

June

• June 3 – The Holocaust: Franz Rademacher proposes the Madagascar Plan.
• June 4 – WWII: Winston Churchill tells the British House of Commons, "We shall not flag or fail. We shall fight on the beaches... on the landing grounds... in the fields and the streets.... We shall never surrender."
• June 10 – WWII: Italy declares war on France and the United Kingdom.
• June 10 – WWII: Canada declares war on Italy.
• June 10 – WWII: Norway surrenders to German forces.
• June 13 – WWII: Paris is declared an open city.
• June 14 – WWII: The French government flees to Bordeaux and Paris falls under German occupation.
• June 14 – WWII: A group of 728 Polish political prisoners from Tarnów become the first residents of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

July

• July 1 – The first Tacoma Narrows Bridge opens for business, built with an 8-foot (2.4 m) girder and 190 feet (58 m) above the water, as the third longest suspension bridge in the world.
• July 10 – WWII: The Battle of Britain begins
• July 14 – WWII: Winston Churchill, in a worldwide broadcast, proclaims the intention of Great Britain to fight alone against Germany whatever the outcome: "We shall seek no terms. We shall tolerate no parley. We may show mercy. We shall ask none."
• July 27 – Bugs Bunny makes his debut in the Oscar-nominated cartoon short, A Wild Hare.

August

• August 24 – Howard Florey and a team including Ernst Chain and Norman Heatley at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, publish their laboratory results showing the in vivo bactericidal action of penicillin. They have also purified the drug.^[4][5]

 September

• September 2 – WWII: An agreement between America and Great Britain is announced to the effect that 50 U.S. destroyers needed for escort work will be transferred to Great Britain. In return, America gains 99-year leases on British bases in the North Atlantic, West Indies and Bermuda.
• September 7 – WWII: The Blitz – Nazi Germany begins to rain bombs on London (the first of 57 consecutive nights of strategic bombing).
• September 12 – In Lascaux, France, 17,000-year-old cave paintings are discovered by a group of young Frenchmen hiking through Southern France. The paintings depict animals and date to the Stone Age.

 October

• October 9 - John Lennon is born.
• October 16 – The draft registration of approximately 16 million men begins in the United States.

 November

• November 5 – United States presidential election, 1940: Democrat incumbent Franklin D. Roosevelt defeats Republican challenger Wendell Willkie and becomes the United States' first and only third-term president.
• November 7 – In Tacoma, Washington, the 600-foot (180 m)-long center span of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (known as Galloping Gertie) collapses.
• November 11 – Armistice Day Blizzard: An unexpected blizzard kills 144 in the Midwestern United States.
• November 13 – Walt Disney's Fantasia is released. It is the first box office failure for Disney, though it eventually recoups its cost years later, and becomes one of the most highly regarded of Disney's films.

 December

• December 8 – The Chicago Bears, in what will become the most one-sided victory in National Football League history, defeat the Washington Redskins 73–0 in the 1940 NFL Championship Game.
• December 14 – Plutonium is first isolated chemically in the laboratory.
• December 17 – President Roosevelt, at his regular press conference, first sets forth the outline of his plan to send aid to Great Britain that will become known as Lend-Lease.
• December 24 – Mahatma Gandhi, Indian spiritual non-violence leader writes his second letter to Adolf Hitler addressing him "My friend", requesting him to stop the war Germany had begun.
• December 29 – Franklin D. Roosevelt, in a fireside chat to the nation, declares that the United States must become "the great arsenal of democracy."
• December 29 – WWII: "Second Great Fire of London" – Luftwaffe carries out a massive incendiary bombing raid, starting 1,500 fires. Many famous buildings, including the Guildhall and Trinity House, are either damaged or destroyed.
• December 30 – California's first modern freeway, the future State Route 110, opens to traffic in Pasadena, California, as the Arroyo Seco Parkway (now the Pasadena Freeway).

Animal Lovers!!! I have the book for you!

Barkis

Story and Pictures by Clare Turlay Newberry

Bio from: http://www.childrensliteraturenetwork.com/birthbios/brthpage/04apr/4-10newberry.html

Clare Turlay Newberry was born on April 10, 1903, in Enterprise, Oregon. She studied art at the University of Oregon, the California School of Fine Arts, and at La Grand Chaumiere in Paris, France. She focused on portrait painting but, in 1931, she wrote and illustrated her first book for children, Herbert the Lion. Ms. Newberry died in 1970 in San Diego, California.

Book Summary

                 A young boy, James just turns 9 years old.  The party is over, the gifts opened and then Uncle Jimmy shows up with a large box.

“In the bottom of the box, peering anxiously up at him, sat a small, solemn, brown puppy.  His short tail began to way when he saw James, but his dark eyes remained anxious and pleading.”

Thus begins the story of James and his new gift named Barkis! 

Illustrations: LOVE these!!!!!  They are soft and realistic!  They are gentle and magical!  The illustrations are gently placed on the oversized pages of the book.  Barkis the Cocker Spanial is the main character along with a cat named Edward.  After doing some research I have discovered that Ms. Newberry was very well known for her art work with cats.  She adored animals, cats the most.  The gently touch of water color adds the soft touch, making me just want to scoop up Barkis and Edward and squeeze them!

Art Medium: She primarily worked in watercolor and Conte crayon on velour pastel paper. Her children and pets were her inspiration for her animal books, many of which are in print today. April’s Kittens, Marshmallow, and T-Bone were all Caldecott Honor books. She was praised by critics for "instilling in children a compassion and sense of responsibility for animals."

Another reason to visit the University of Oregon: More art to look at!  This is the second illustrator to have original art work kept at this location, Wanda Gag was the other.  I loved her art work as well.

Guide to Clare Turlay Newberry Papers

1910-1969

Creator:	Newberry, Clare Turlay, 1903-
Title:	Clare Turlay Newberry Papers
Dates:	1910-1969 ( inclusive )
Quantity:	.25 linear feet (1 container)
Collection Number:	Ax 681
Summary:	Collection comprises literary manuscripts and book illustrations by American artist Clare Newberry, including 242 original drawings, sketches and illustrations; three book dummies; and scrapbooks from childhood and early school days.
Repository:	University of Oregon Libraries Special Collections & University Archives 1299 University of Oregon Eugene, OR 97403-1299 USA URL: http://libweb.uoregon.edu/speccoll/index.html

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?  I did!  Well Worth it!  Darling story and pictures!  I will lend it if you are interested.
More info: 

http://www.cathappy.net/newberry.htm

Hear a Might Lion Roar!!!

Andy and the Lion

Author and Illustrator James Daugherty

Bio from: http://www.recess.ufl.edu/transcripts/2004/0607.shtml

James Daugherty was already an accomplished artist when he brought his talents to children's literature. He had studied Baroque art in Europe, painted camouflage on ships in cubist shapes for the Navy during World War I, designed posters and painted murals in post offices, high schools and movie theaters. His experience with the ships and murals led him to an expansive style with large figures and sweeping forms which was simplified and transformed in his book illustrations into lively almost animated drawings filled with humor and gusto.

His first picture book, Andy and the Lion, is a wonderful example of this. The pictures, full of lively detail and brimming with life and energy, could carry the tale alone and in fact that is the way Daugherty originally designed it. He took the 36 drawings for the book into an editor who loved them and agreed to make them into a book. The book went into production with no text at all. In 1937 the wordless picture book was not the accepted format it is today and it bothered some of the editorial staff who felt that people were not used to reading pictures without text.

They asked Daugherty to write a story to go with the pictures, but, since he had never written anything in his life except for some personal letters, he declined. One of the editors had a go at writing the story, but Daugherty didn't like it. He thought the words were superfluous. Finally, the editor called him into her office. "What are we going to do" she asked. "Here are your splendid pictures, but no story to go with them. And the rest of the staff feel that we must have a story." They were at an impasse. Finally she held up the first picture and asked Daughtery what he could say about it. "Well," he responded, "how about ...'It was a bright day with just enough wind to float a flag. Andy started down to the library'..." The editor wrote this down and held up the second one, "Okay," she said, "How about this one?" And in this fashion they worked through all 36 pictures. In a half hour they had their text and the book was complete.

Book Summary

                A young boy with a love for lions begins a fabulous lion filled adventure be checking out a book from the Library about, what else, Lions!  There is a great mix of realism and fantasy thru the entire book!

Illustrations:  Finding out that the pictures were done before the text was very eye opening to me!  Usually the pictures are made after the text is written.  These pictures truly display the story in a way that the words do not.  The first picture of the book is Andy, a young boy, curled up in a large chair with his nose stuck in a book.  For a foot rest there is a sleeping lion!  The dedication page is spectacular!  It depicts the two lions that sit outside the library in New York, you know, Lady Astor and Lord Lenox.  The tails of the two lions are crossed as if they were a gate.  You must get thru the lions in order to enter!  Love it! 

                The majority of the rest of the book is filled with snapshot images.  The text is on the left hand side and illustrations on the right.  With a few exceptions.  They are lines, sketches with black and light brown/mustard colors.  They are simple yet very thought out!  We see lions on the paper that the father is reading, for example!  Love it!  To fully appreciate the story you MUST look at the illustrations!

Art Medium: black and white line drawings

Final Thoughts:
1. Would this be a book I would pick up again?  Maybe
2. Would I recommend it to others to search out and take a look at?  Sure
3. Would I spend my hard earned money on the book?  For a small price yes!

What can you make with one line?

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