picture try

I am trying to figure out how to add pictures to the blog!  Bear with me!  If this worked you are looking at the 1939 Caldecott Winner! 

1938 Honor: Four and Twenty Blackbirds

4 and 20 Blackbirds: Old Nursery Rhymes

Collected by Helen Dean Fish (sound familiar, she also wrote Animals of the Bible, the 1938 Winner)

Illustrated by Robert Lawson

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).

Book Summary

                This is a collection of classis nursery rhymes that were passed orally to children.  Helen Dean Fish comments that she wanted to get them on paper because there was no collection in a book like this one.

Okay now the real summary:

Classis Nursery Rhymes!!  What can you say, how sad, how evil, how scary!  I would not read many of these to my children.  Funny how times change!  They are supposed to teach lessons but man did they show the negative side of breaking the rules!  Fun to read as an adult, not so much for a child!

Illustrations: 

Art Medium: pen and ink

What do I think?  This book has black and green ink along with the white space that is created.  They pictures seem to have a bit of whimsy to them.  The human characters appear realistic with a bit of silly.  There was one in particular that I enjoyed it was Number 7 (you my number!) called Poor Lady Dumpling.

Poor Lady Dumpling,

Poor Lady Dumpling,

She grew so fat and big

She couldn’t ride in coach or cars

Or even in a gig.

So round she had to trot,

Till on a summer’s day

The sun came out so hot,

She melted all away.

The illustration of this poem made me laugh and still does!  There is a lady with a big huge dress on and the bottom of the dress seems to melt into the ground!  Then she is holding this very small umbrella that really is of no use, it looks like the size used for a Barbie doll.  Then she has chin after chin after chin!  The thought used when illustrating this rhyme!  Funny stuff!

So in summary the illustrations are well done, they bring life to the rhymes in the book but I don’t think they are outstanding.  (Again, just my personal opinion.)

Final Thoughts:
1. Would this be a book I would pick up again?  Probably Not
2. Would I recommend it to others to search out and take a look at?  Not really 
3. Would I spend my hard earned money on the book?  Already did!  J Should you? No just borrow mine!
Want more information?  Here you go!
Here is a website with some images of his work.

http://www.bpib.com/illustrat/lawson.htm

1938 Caldecott Honor: Seven Simeons

Seven Simeons (1938 Caldecott Honors Winner)

Written and illustrated by Boris Artsybaxheff

Boris Artzybasheff (25 May 1899 - 16 July 1965) was a Ukrainian-born illustrator active in the United States, notable for his strongly worked and often surreal designs. During his lifetime, however, Artzybasheff was probably known best for his magazine art. He illustrated the major American magazines Life, Fortune, and Time (including more than 200 Time Magazine covers over a 24-year span between 1941 and 1965^[1]).  After 1940, he devoted himself to commercial art, including advertisements for Xerox, Shell Oil, Pan Am, Casco Power Tools, Alcoa Steamship lines, Parke-Davis, Avco Manufacturing, Scotch Tape, Wickwire Spencer Steele, Vultee Aircraft, World Airways, and Parker Pens.  (these facts from wikipedia)

Story Summary

                A King finds seven brothers with magic powers working in the fields of his kingdom.  The King uses the powers to get what he wants, a bride. The in return the King allows the seven brothers to return to work in the fields.

Okay now the real summary:

A Rich Spoiled King who thinks he is Gods Gift to his Kingdom, wants to find a Bride that is equally as wonderful as he is.  He learns about a Bride but she is a great distance away (ten years to get there and ten years to get back).  So the King gives up.  Then one day the King discovered seven brothers with magic powers.  The King learns what the powers are and then uses the seven brothers to get the Bride in the far away kingdom that can now be reached in a week’s time.  The Bride is kidnapped by the seven brothers and then she is okay with it.  The King and Bride get married, and in reward the King grants permission for the seven brothers to return to their field to work.

Not sure if this is a message I want to share with children but, I did find the story entertaining while I read it!

Illustrations:  Beautiful and detailed, crisp and accurate.  I LOVED the details on the clothing garments that were worn by the characters in the story.  Small intricate flowers and swirls add to the pants, shirts and all other cloth.  I also loved how there was a “peek” picture on the right hand page.  What is this?  A small (often one item) picture that would highlight a point in the story that has happened or is to come.   There was not an empty spot to be found.  Lines, dashes, dots, but everything is so much order!  Amazing that it was done by hand!  Not overdone, just done right!

“Most of his book illustrations favored the crisp line and careful composition that are so distinctively his.” http://www.bpib.com/artzybas.htm

Hey look I used the word crisp too! Maybe I know a bit about this stuff?!?! 

Final Thoughts:
1. Would this be a book I would pick up again?  For the art-yup! For the story-if you want a laugh sure!
2. Would I recommend it to others to search out and take a look at?  Yup.  The drawings are beautiful. 
3. Would I spend my hard earned money on the book?  Already did!  J Should you? No just borrow mine!
Want more information?  Here you go!
Here is a website with some images of his work.

http://www.bpib.com/artzybas.htm

Good Morning!

Hello All!
This week has been a great one!  I have recieved many books from the public library and have begun looking over them and reseraching the illustrators.  I did order a few books from amazon and they of course are the 1938 Honors Books.  Because I just LOVE when things are done in order I am waiting for those books to arrive so I can add them to the blog in the correct place.  Yup that's how I roll!  he he  The books should be here soon. 

Also I was able to locate a book that gives me the acceptance speeche from each winner. 
Caldecott Medal Books: 1938-1957
with the Artists' Acceptance Papers & Related Material chiefly from the Horn Book Magazine
What a find!  Thanks to the Pierce County Library! 

Okay, here is what I am reading next!
1938 Caldecott Honor Books (these two I am wating to be delivered)
1. Four and Twenty Blackbirds (author Helen Dean Fish, Illustrator Robert Lawson)
2. Seven Simeons: A Russian Tale (author/illustrator Boris Artzybasheff)

1939 Caldecott Winner
Mei Li by Thomas Handorth

1939 Caldecott Honor Books
1. Andy and the Lion (author/illustrator James Daugherty)
2. Barkis (author/illustrator Clare Turlay Newberry)
3. The Forest Pool (author/illustrator Laura Adams Armer)
4. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (author/illustrator Wanda Gag
5. Wee Gillis (author Munro Leaf, illustrator Robert Lawson)

Caldecott Award Winners

Excitment!

Hello all I just finished my first review, please take a look.  Yup I said I would blog on the weekends but I am just to excited right now!  LOL, or I am addicted to work!  Not sure which!  Anyway enjoy!

1938 Caldecott Winner

Book Title: Animals of the Bible: A Picture Book

Author: (forward by Helen Dean Fish) selected text from the King James Bible

Illustrator: Dorothy P. Lathrop

About the Illustrator:

                Born: April 16, 1891

                Began Illustrating in 1919

                www.bpib.com/lathrop.htm

About the Illustrations:

                Black and White Drawings (I searched and searched for what medium was used, I could not locate it.  Not sure if the drawings were pencil, charcoal or other.)

Book Notes:

                72 pages long

                Table of Contents included  (I note this because most picture books don’t include a Table of Contents, they are not long enough and are usually on one topic, no table of contents needed.)

My Review:

                Wow!  What an interesting book!  The text was difficult at times to read, but the Bible often is.  There were selected texts that had anything to do with animals.  Each text had a title, the body of the text and then the Bible citation at the end.  With that said, there is not much else to say.  The Bible text is just that, there is no editing when it comes to the original text. So let’s keep going!

                Okay now for the art!  The black and white drawings are so detailed.  The TIME!!!  Holy cow the TIME it took to do over 30 drawings for the book.  This was obviously a collection of work that had been done over a long period of time.  I can only begin to speculate the hours spent on all the art pieces in the book.   Each drawing was detailed right down to the fur and feathers of the animals.   The book I got was the 17^th Printing and the pages were starting to fade, I would really enjoy seeing these drawings as bright as intended.

                Things I did note about the style of illustrations.  I thought it was interesting that to accompany the Bible that black and white drawings were used.  I mean think about it, black and white=good vs. evil!!???  Right????  The drawings also had a very clear edge/border to them.  Nothing went beyond that point.  Why do I note this?  When it comes to illustrations everything has a reason.  Here the message was, stay in the box!  Don’t even think about putting a smudge outside of it!  What a reflection of the text and the times.  Hitler was on the rise and no one wanted to stand up to him and say differently.  Again, stay in the box!

                Along with what was just said, once you get inside the illustration boxes the images are soft and curved.  This to me reflects that things are easy going, peaceful…..as long as you stay in the box!!  Another thing I noted was that the people that were included in the illustrations were often very bright!  Not a lot of over detailing here.  But then, Angels need to show bright and white.  They are the good right?  In contrast, when Ms. Lathrop went to draw a snake or serpent the detail was overwhelming!  Each scale was drawn the background of the drawing black!  Dark, Dark, Dark!  Evil, Evil, Evil!!! 

                In conclusion, I do believe that Ms. Lathrop did a beautiful job of bringing life to the text.  Would this be a book I would pick up again?  Not sure.  Would I recommend it to others to search out and take a look at?  Yup.  The drawings are beautiful.  Would I spend my hard earned money on the book?  Nope, not one I think I need to have in my personal collection.

Okay-you have now read review number one!  Tell me what you think?   What did you like?  Is there something I left out that you would like to learn more about?  Would you like to get a copy of the book? 

I would like to also say that this review is my own personal reflection.

1938 History Facts

1938 History Facts

Okay, so the first year the Caldecott Medal was awarded was in 1938.  To understand literature, you must understand what is happening in the world at that time.  So to begin I will post some history facts for the year.  This helps me to put the book and illustrations into context.  I also find it interesting!  Yeah I told you I was a dork!! LOL

U.S. President: Franklin D. Roosevelt

Time Magazines “Man of the Year”:  Adolf Hitler

The top moneymaking movie of the year was Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
January:  The March of Dimes is established and the first ski tow in America begins to operate in Vermont.
February: Adolf Hitler abolishes the War Ministry and creates the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (High Command of the Armed Forces), giving him direct control of the German military.

March: Oil is discovered in Saudi Arabia and The Hobbit was published in the United States.

June: Action Comics #1 is published, which is the first publication featuring the comic book character Superman.

July: The steam locomotive Mallard sets the world speed record for steam by reaching 126 mph.  Howard Hughes sets a new record by completing a 91 hour airplane flight around the world.

The last reunion of the Blue and Gray commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.

August:  The Looney Tunes animated short Porky & Daffy is released.

September: The Munich Pact, which effectively turned over Czechoslovakia to Nazi Germany, was signed by Great Britain, France, Italy, and Germany. Later, a Gallup poll showed that most Americans approved of this act of appeasement.

October: Winston Churchill, in a broadcast address to the United States, condemns the Munich Agreement as a defeat and calls upon America and western Europe to prepare for armed resistance against Hitler.

The minimum wage is established by law in the United States.

Orson Welles's radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds is broadcast, causing panic in various parts of the United States.

Great Depression: In an effort to try restore investor confidence, the New York Stock unveils a 15-point program aimed to upgrade protection for the investing public.

November:  Horse Racing: Seabiscuit defeats War Admiral by four lengths in their famous match race at Pamlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.

I got all this information from Wikipedia.

Okay now that we have some background set up I will be collecting copies of the 1938 books to take a look at them. 

There are three total. 

The Caldecott Medal was awarded to:

Animals of the Bible, A Picture Book, illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop and text selected by Helen Dean Fish

The Caldecott Honor Medals were awarded to:

Four and Twenty Blackbirds, illustrated by Robert Lawson, author Helen Dean Fish

Seven Simeons: A Russian Tale, illustrated by Boris Artzybasheff, author Boris Artzybasheff

If you want to read along with me I would love it!  I am getting copies of these books from Pierce County Library.  I think they only have a few, so if you live in Pierce County we may be competing for the same book!  LOL  if you live else where check your local library and see if you can get copies!

I plan on posting on the weekends!  That will give me time to read the books and do some more research!  So until next weekend!