The Tale of Lazy Lizard Canyon... etc.

I've said before that asking a bibliozealot to choose a favorite book is like asking her to choose a favorite child.  And although I have dozens and dozens of "absolute, 100%, very, very favorite books", I think I'm ready to back-peddle on that statement.  I do have a favorite book.  This post isn't about that though... a thorough post on that is coming...

This post is about a title by the same illustrator: Doris Burn.  I have made a point to collect all the books that were written and illustrated by Doris Burn (there are only three and two are out of print).  But she has illustrated a half dozen books in addition to these.  A fellow Washingtonian, Doris Burn won my heart with Andrew Henry's Meadow years ago. Then I stumbled on my precious, precious favorite which she illustrated We Were Tired of Living in a House.  I'm not linking it because I don't want my unwitting readers to accidentally buy the new, awful version of that book... more on this later.

Last year, I acquired The Summerfolk and loved it.  This year, I finally got my hands on the missing part of the trifecta— I'll offer pictures before commentary:

The first thing I noticed about the book was the departure from her earlier style of simple black and white sketching.  In this title, Burn uses a brown pencil wash which is actually quite fitting for the Old West themed story.

The story itself didn't immediately grab me in the way her other titles have.  This is written in a true, olden time fashion.  Unlike modern cowboy books, Doris doesn't shy away from whiskey, guns or brawls.  She tells it like it is to which many contemporary parents will probably stick up their noses.  The tale is of two feuding families ultimately brought together by a romantic, non-fighting son and a pretty lil' Miss.  This isn't something I would read to my 6 and under set, but my 8 and 10 year old boys found it to be amusing, while I found the writing... the STORYTELLING to be indeed very deliberate and authentic.  I don't think you will find much in children's picture books these days about the authentic Old West... fun, stylized versions, yes... but the nitty, gritty, dag-nabbit, root-tootin mess that it often was?!  Not likely.  So this book is nice to fill in that area.  

That said, it wasn't an area that I felt essential to get into and I wouldn't call this title a MUST-HAVE for anyone other than die-hard Doris Burn lovers like myself...

If You Want to See a Whale

I was eagerly waiting to get my hands on this book.  When Julie Fogliano paired her first story And Then It's Spring with illustrator Erin Stead... it was a match made in Heaven and one of my very favorite books of last year.  I loved it so much that I did what I almost never do for children's books: paid full price for it just to call it mine and see it sitting pretty in my springtime basket. So when If You Want to See a Whale came up, I snatched it up at the library and dove right in.

I had to read it twice. I wasn't in the right mindset at first and I found myself getting lost in the lyrical side of it, wondering what the heck relevance this book had to a young reader. The pictures were gorgeous of course, and the text placement well thought out and the paper quality excellent... but I missed the magic boat initially.  So I read it again without my analytical, book critic glasses on.  It occurred to me that from the perspective of a young child, this book was a pure slice of lovely. Who cares if it was slightly off-center with where-is-this-going logic?!  I had to look at it the way I have to look at the genius of the incomparable A Hole Is to Dig for example.

      If you want to see a whale you shouldn't watch the clouds, some floating by some hanging down in the sky, that's spread out side to side or the certain sun that's shining because if you start to look straight up you just might miss a whale.

I read an interview of Fogliano recently where she remarked that she loved working with Erin Stead because Stead often knew what she was trying to express better than she did. And I think this point is especially evocative in this story. The illustrations make the magic; they connect the sometimes disparate sentences.  Don't get me wrong; the writing is great, and the cadence is well done... you just have to snuggle up with someone little and love it with them and for them to really appreciate it.

The NEXT Top Ten Alphabet Books

I can't help it; there are so many good ones!  Whether it's lovely alphabet books that tell a story or clever ones that explore a concept or theme, the genre is loaded with many books that are much better than any disconnected alphabet books that may exist. So, here is my Top 10 NEXT best Alphabet Books... to be taken as a follow-up to the first titles that made the cut.


 Alligators All Around by Maurice Sendak is one title I can't believe I forgot on the first list! Maurice Sendak at his best and I really love the size of this book. This is an important piece of psychological consideration authors and publishers have to make.

ABC Bunny by Wanda Gag. Here is a sweet, simple story (decked out in Gag's wonderfully folksy illustrations) that just happens to be an alphabet book.

 The Z Was Zapped by Chris Van Allsburg.  The man who thrives in the "books noir" category has given us a clever little treat detailing the demise of all the letters of the alphabet.  Whether the B gets bitten or the K gets kidnapped, this is a fun book for kids just past the toddler stage.


 On Market Street by Arnold Lobel.  There is nothing super clever about the text in this book, it's the illustrations that make it shine.  Watching the man get smothered by his purchases on market street will be sure to evoke giggles from all.

 The Alphabet Tree by Leo Lionni.  Now this is an unusual alphabet book.  Rather it's a story about phonics and literacy and team-building.  Don't expect the typical "A is for..." Instead it's a learning adventure, good for slow-to-start readers perhaps.

 The Alphabet Game by Trina Schart Hyman.  No story here, just pictures filled with words beginning with each letter of the alphabet.  I am a fan of Schart-Hyman's work in the fairy tale genre and this came as a refreshing addition to her opus. It's another small book for small hands... I love those.

 Anno's Alphabet.  Who doesn't love Anno?!  Each page spread features a letter and an accompanying picture of something starting with that letter.  It works the brain though too; there are hidden images in the border... lovely all around.

 The Hidden Alphabet by Laura Vacarro Seeger.  A truly clever book. Each letter contains the shape somehow of objects beginning with that letter.  A fun exercise for kids to figure out what it's trying to detail.  Check out the product video on Amazon.

 Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks From A to Z.  The classic.  All homes should have this in their baby basket.  It's one of the best, simple and most engaging books for toddlers ever.  Get it now.

 ABC3D by Marion Bataille.  I love this book even though I won't own it.  See, it's a pop-up and we have a volatile relationship with pop-ups here in this house.  But I see it's tremendous benefits especially for kids who may struggle with dyslexia or other learning issues.  It offers a tangible, tactile presence of the letter and that is valuable for many, many learners.

Little Free Library

It's finished! Last month, I begged my husband to build me a little library to put in our front yard. He has exceeded my expectations... and I am delighted that we are now home to our city's first Free Little Library.

Check out these images from our grand opening!

Unspoken: Pick of the Week

I picked up Unspoken: A Story From the Underground Railroad thinking it was pre-Civil War but it is clearly in the midst of it.  It's a wordless book (a genre of which I'm an admiring fan) and the pictures are muted pencil drawings throughout.  Unlike other Civil War stories, this doesn't highlight either tragedy or heroism really... it just sort of shows a simple piece of reality in some "safe houses" where a little girl finds a runaway slave and acts to secretly help the person in small ways. The Confederate soldiers come by and the family has nothing to say...

A lovely book, best shared in a bigger context of the Underground Railroad, and other more complete Civil War studies.

Katie Morag

Do you know Katie Morag? We were just introduced last year when a dear godmother sent my son Katie Morag Delivers the Mail.  It was followed up this year with Katie Morag and the Big Boy Cousins. My (carrot-topped) son is now six years old and he pretends to be offended to receive books starring a female protagonist. But he's still the first one to curl up next to me when I pull them out! As it is, the series of books are very popular in the U.K. and don't seem to be as widely known here. Pity though, because they are lots of fun. Right away I was drawn to three things:

*It's about islanders. Ever since living on Whidbey Island, I've developed a deep appreciation for island stories. There's something about being an islander that is very different than living on the mainland and I like to catch parts of that in stories like Katie Morag or such...

*It stars a red-head. Call it the Pippi Longstocking syndrome, but since I have two redheads of my own now, I'm always drawn to gingers... who tend to be spitfires.

*It's based in Scotland! Who doesn't love a good Scottish brogue? You can almost hear it in the characters in these stories...

And of course there are the illustrations. They are reminiscent of Barbara Cooney in some ways, just perfect for this setting of a feisty, little girl who lives on an island off of Scotland. Mairi Hedderwick is a talented author/illustrator and I love how easily she depicts the simple island life. The stories are simple fun, they aren't action packed adventures with high adrenaline or anything... just plain, easy going goodness. Hedderwick makes sure that she doesn't romanticize the pastoral, island life too much though and she includes stories of different changes and things that happen. There are some adults who want to call these stories very socially PC nowadays: some non stereotypical roles fit into the stories: Granny Island always wears overalls and she's very handy too. The father can be seen doing the dishes in an apron at one point. And apparently there was a Grandpa Island at one point but they are not married and I've yet to find anything objectionable with that rarely-mentioned situation. The books even include some adult humor, not anything objectionable but little things that the children won't catch. There is one interesting thing to note about these stories:

Hedderwick has unwittingly become part of a censorship struggle as she commonly depicts Katie's mother breastfeeding the baby. I personally love this ("Train 'em young!") when it's done tastefully but there is one image in Katie Morag and the Tiresome Ted in which the entire breast is exposed because the baby is looking back at his sister. (Here is the picture with the image blurred.) Some libraries have refused to stock the book because of this and Hedderwick's editors were really skittish to want to leave it unedited. She has since said that she makes sure mother's breast is now covered completely just to avoid the struggle with editors. I haven't seen all the books so I'll just take her word for it.

Still, if you are looking for something a little bit different and a little bit fun... Katie Morag might be just the ticket.

Top Ten Best Disney Alternatives

Well everybody has an opinion on Disney, I may as well chime in with my two cents. In a nutshell: I love classic Disney movies. I also appreciate the occasional recent movie from the company as well.  What I don't love is the current huge, bloated, over-commericalized Disney industry. I have other complaints from an artistic and ethical standpoint also, but I've not the energy to lay all that out there.  Generally speaking, I am disheartened by the commercialization of children. I want my daughter to love princesses sure. But do they have to always come with a trademark symbol after their name?!

So, here we have it then. My top ten alternatives to the Disney Empire. Keep in mind that many of the original fairy tales were actually written for adults, so the themes can get very dark, graphic or mature.  The books I have here are much more faithful to the original fairy tale (or myth or history) than the movies Walt and his contemporaries have made and may have some of those darker elements. Even if you are a Disney lover, reading these books would be an interesting lesson in "compare and contrast" for children of multiple ages.

1. Snow White illustrated by Charles Santore. Rich, traditional illustrations make this a great choice, and my boys especially love what they call "the big head dwarves." But I do confess to having a soft spot also for the version by Paul Heins because Trina Schart Hyman adds the detail of a Marian image on one wall... plus the princess seems to age a little more congruently in her story.






2. Cinderella by K.Y. Craft definitely takes the cake here. Craft's vibrant and ornate style is especially suited to this fairy tale. Barbara McClintock's version of the story gets an honorable mention for a fun story and a young George Washington looking prince!






3. Aladdin And The Enchanted Lamp will substitute nicely for the letdown of Disney's version; if you aren't familiar with the story, you will be surprised at the liberties taken and unnecessary changes the movie made. Aladdin and the Magic Lamp by James Kunstler also looks promising (not having read it myself) as well as this version adapted by Eric Kimmel (of whom I am generally a great fan).


4. Hercules by Robert Burleigh is my favorite picture book alternative to the Disney movie.  Though this story only details the final of the twelve labors, it's just the right size for younger children. While James Riordan's book The Twelve Labors of Hercules is extremely well done and faithful to original story, it is fairly long and pretty graphic. There is the question of whether or not some of those images need picture representation at all. However, if we want to leave the book category altogether, I don't think you'll find a better retelling of the Hercules tale than that done by Jim Weiss.

5. Rapunzel by Alix Berenzy is my favorite adaptation of the Brothers Grimm tale. This one is far more popular but I think the author got a little sloppy with how Rapunzel got pregnant. In the original tale, and in Berenzy's work, the symbol of her laying her hand in the prince's seems to be what suffices for marriage vows. Then the story tastefully goes on with the prince finding Rapunzel at long last with their twins. At least with this there is no question of Rapunzel's virtue being held intact.  The version of Rapunzel done by Barbara Rogasky (illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman) is also a winner and deals with the marriage situation artfully through omission. Rogasky actually states when the twins come in that Rapunzel and the prince were married by then and it's done in a way that children won't be asking "Wait, when did that happen?!"

6. Beauty and the Beast by Max Eilenberg is my favorite. The illustrations by Angela Barrett are just right: full, captivating, moody, and evocative. This particular version isn't 100% accurate to the tale, but it is still full and rich and  the very minor embellishments just add to the beauty in my opinion. There are two other good options out there as well: the one by Jan Brett is clean, fairly simple and of course features the always lovely Brett artwork. And then the book by Marianna Mayer is pretty neat too. My only aversion to this one is that the illustrations of the beast (done by Mercer Mayer) are truly frightening. His eyes pop out in a very sort of disturbing way... but maybe it's just me.

7. Pocahontas by the D'Aulaires is the only really solid alternative to the mediocre Disney movie. The movie itself was fairly informative but it of course avoided some of the uglier sides of the story (e.g. how the English treated her tribe). Reportedly, Disney turned down the offer of Native Americans who wanted to help the company produce a more accurate movie, but that's just hearsay. But at least we have one great biography by the excellent Ingri and Edgar D'Aulaire. Their fun and appealing art is always a treat for children. I have seen a couple other books on Pocahontas but none stick out in my mind as pushing past mediocrity.  I think it's time for someone to produce a beautiful and lavish book on this fascinating princess!

8. The Little Mermaid is the reason I wanted to write this post. Like any other little girl, I loved the Disney version of Little Mermaid. When I grew up and finally read the original tale, I was shocked at how dumbed down the cartoon version was... and how the ultimate ending of sacrifice and references to the eternal life were entirely omitted. But hey, Disney is in it for happy endings and I get that. The original tale is kind of an ambivalent ending: mermaid doesn't get her prince, but she will get the chance to earn her afterlife. The versions available are tricky... I wanted to find something that still guarded the modesty of the mermaids without it being obvious or kitschy (e.g. clam shell bras). That unfortunately ruled out some beautiful versions of the story, most notably that done by Charles Santore (there is a new version available for pre-order on this one). I also was looking for something that preserved as much of the original language of the story as possible since it is just so extraordinary. This combination, tasteful illustrations and excellent text, was hard to come by. Robert Sabuda has a pop-up book (and I'm certain that 'hardcover' price will change in time) coming out later this year that could be excellent. Initial pictures of the pop-outs are incredible but I don't know how the text will be yet. So I eventually settled on the the version the adaptation by Anthea Bell and illustrated by Chihiro Iwasaki. The story is simplified somewhat so the text isn't as wonderful as Santore's, and I was a little disappointed that the sea witch didn't seem very evil but I really appreciate the watery, ethereal illustrations by Iwasaki. Even if they aren't traditionally rich and bold, the simple sketch and watercolor technique is very fitting for this particular tale.

9. FA Mulan: The Story of a Woman Warrior by Robert San Souci is a very well done story about the Chinese folk hero, Mulan. This book is the actual one Disney used for the basis of their movies. And I have to admit, the movie version of this tale isn't too far out there or ridiculous at all! For a later-released Disney flick, it was surprisingly well done all said and done.  Anyway, as usual though, the book is better!  And the illustrations here by Jean & Mou-Sien Tseng are, like Iwasaki's Little Mermaid, the perfect fit for this story. They are bright, ornate and faithful. China's Bravest Girl is another title you can look up in your library if this one is missing...

10. The Sleeping Beauty by Trina Schart Hyman is a narrow winner for this story. I also really love this version illustrated by K.Y. Craft.  But in the luxurious pictures in Craft's book, the good fairy's good body is fairly suggestively shown once (hey I've got four boys who don't need that titillation!) and the witch in the tale is incredibly scary looking. In Hyman's book, she gets major points for having the most handsome prince of all the fairy tale books I've ever seen. I admit this is just personal preference, but I really have no use for effeminate looking men in tights who've never needed a razor.  Craft's Prince Charming comes with facial hair and looks manly and rugged and like someone who could definitely defend a princess from a dragon!

Where Pictures Fail Stories

Several years ago, we went on a campout with our three boys (at the time) and were delighted to have a professional storyteller there who enchanted us all with a few great tales.  I don't remember much about what the actual stories were, but I do remember looking around at the faces of everyone listening... children and adults in rapt, wide-eyed attention. And a tiny seed burst through my wintry soil where the idea was frozen that picture books are the best medium for everything. Had that storyteller been reading us a tale, even one with fantastic pictures, the effect would've been quite different and the moment much more prosaic, in a librarian's 10-am-story-hour sort of way.

I've been thinking a lot about this: no matter much I absolutely love picture books... not all things should be in pictures.  I'm not talking about the obvious, like cartoon depictions of the Holocaust or anything of that nature; that should be a given.  I'm thinking about some things that are so fantastical, yet so noble, they deserve to be lived out in our minds only.  Or simply tales that are suited for telling, not showing! I know it seems inconceivable almost to admit that.  But this idea started percolating in my head after I read what is hands down the most complete picture book about Hercules done by Robert Byrd. The Twelve Labors of Hercules details it all.  The blood, the guts, the glory. The thing is... I don't think those things all should be shown in picture.  What Hercules teaches children, and indeed all mankind, is mostly about a lesson of perseverance.  (To be completely fair, the story gets weird at the end;the Greeks weren't in the business of moral formation with their tales... they were simply passing on folklore.)  Think of some of the famous Greek monsters he and others (e.g. Ulysses) encountered: Cerberus (a three-headed dog from Hell) or Scylla (a six-headed man-eating monster) for example.

I think the mind of the child in some psychological way, knows its own limits of fear development. What I mean is that if a child never SEES Scylla or Cerberus, the imaginings alone are enough to awe him into a healthy sort of fear.  But once a picture book makes those monsters incarnate with a printed picture... it gets burned into their minds.  A movie takes the damage even further of course.  (We recently studied the Donner Party's ill-fated crossing of the mountains and my 10 and 8 year olds were properly disturbed after hearing how cannibalism happened... but then we started watching a documentary-with live actor enactments- and though nothing direct was shown, the discussion of it, and the actors' crazed look in his eye and the pan of entrails in the background horrified my children into tears and nightmares for the next couple nights.  We quickly turned the movie off but the damage was done and my guilt is residual.)

I guess what I'm getting at is that I'm sort of glad not all that many myths get put into picture books.  I love the stories of course, and there's no contesting that some of the books out there are breathtakingly beautiful.  But I will not make it a goal of mine to deliberately collect such books.  There is a very real, and perhaps under-recognized difference between books and stories.  Some things really ought to be left in the story realm.  Professional storytellers really do have a noble profession! The telling of tales from the mind is really an art form.  I think that while we feast regularly on picture books here, it's important to pull out some of our dusty old collections of fairy tales (think Andrew Lang's colored fairy books) and myths (I know of no better than the assortment from William Russell.) if we weren't born of the spontaneous story-telling ilk (i.e. Irish). If you do want to impress your kids however, think of a famous tale you know and simply change out the names and details to make it your own and tell it at bedtime straight from the heart, in a pace that it deserves.

“Storytellers are the most powerful people on earth. They might not be the best paid-- but they are the most powerful. Storytellers have the power to move the human heart-- and there is no greater power on earth.” 

― Laurie H. Hutzler

Stella!!!

"Do you think there are sharks in the sea?" asked Sam. "Have you ever seen one?"
"Just a little one," said Stella, "with an eyepatch."

If you know not Stella, it's time to introduce yourself.  She's a lovely little ginger spitfire who treks all around with her wee brother Sam at her heels. The stories don't have much of a plot; they exist to give a peek into the world of young children. Sam asks lots of questions about life. Stella allows you to listen in on her answers.  Their dialogue is fantastic.

"Look," said Sam, "some clouds just landed in that field."

"Those aren't clouds, Sam. They're sheep."

"Aren't sheep dangerous?" asked Sam. 

"About as dangerous as woolly blankets," said Stella.

  I've read every Stella book so far and having a little carrot-top daughter myself (who comes complete with her own toddling brother!) I was compelled to purchase the treasury of Marie-Louise Gay's works on her as an upcoming gift for the little lass.

Stella!: A Treasury is one of those great compilations that does NOT sacrifice the individual stories either through abridgment or picture size/quality. Stella, Queen of the Snow; Stella, Fairy of the Forest; Stella, Princess of the Sky and When Stella Was Very, Very Small are all there. And this is a good thing since a couple of those titles in hardback are already out of print. What an insult! Skip the hunt for individual titles and get this anthology! There is apparently a Stella and Sam cartoon on Canada's Disney channel and it looks like the animation is spot on... (It's really neat to read about the author detailing how this came to be here.) and there are some downloads coming soon on the author's website that look like they could be a lot of fun.  In addition to Stella, Gay has a few titles with Sam as the hero now as well as some other items. Any way you have her, Stella is good for the child in any of us.