MetaFilter posts tagged with ChildrensBooks

"I am a former child,'' she said, ''and I haven't forgotten a thing.''

ocherdraco — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:35:52 -0800

Ursula Nordstrom—the "Maxwell Perkins of the Tot Department"—was, from 1940 to 1973, head of the Department of Books for Boys and Girls at the New York publisher Harper & Row, and until 1979 had her own imprint there, Ursula Nordstrom Books. A legendary editor known to her authors as UN, she published the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Margaret Wise Brown, Shel Silverstein, Maurice Sendak (whom she is credited with discovering) and, to not a little controversy, E. B. White (previously). One of "the last generation of devoted letter writers," she wrote nearly 100,000 during her five decade career at Harper, of which 300 of the most amusing, acerbic, and illuminating are collected in Dear Genius by Leonard S. Marcus, the first hundred pages of which can be read at the Harper website. My favorite UN letter: to Maurice Sendak, when he was in a moment of despair, she wrote, "You may not be Tolstoy, but Tolstoy wasn't Sendak, either."

Real or Photoshop? It's real! (mostly ...)

woodblock100 — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 06:34:29 -0800

If you have kids, you almost certainly have at least one of the 'I Spy' books, or something from the 'Can You See What I See?' series on your home bookshelf. Created by artist/photographer Walter Wick, the books have page after page of images filled with astonishing amounts of detail, including any number of objects for the kids to find. Wick's website has dozens of pages taking us behind the scenes, showing us how many of these wonderful photos were created, many involving the construction of incredibly detailed models that are used for just a single shot. The Impossible Columns is perhaps my favourite.

Et quand au paradis il arriva...

vacapinta — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:18:44 -0800

Eskimo Grasshoppers - French Children's books of the 1930's and 1940's.
Also, Cornebuse et Cie (1945). Also, Animaux domestiques articulés (1941). Also, Histoire de Perlette (1936) Also, gymnastique scolaire (1933).
And finally Baba Yaga (1932)

Eleanor Cameron vs. Roald Dahl

ocherdraco — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:38:52 -0800

From October 1972 to October 1973 a controversy over Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory simmered in the pages of The Horn Book. It began with an article, "McLuhan, Youth, and Literature", by Eleanor Cameron, author of the Mushroom Planet series for children and of The Green and Burning Tree: On the Writing and Enjoyment of Children's Books. Spread out over the October, December, and February issues, it tied the ideas of Marshall McLuhan (The Medium is the Massage) to the confection of Charlie, calling it "one of the most tasteless books ever written for children":

"The more I think about Charlie and the character of Willy Wonka and his factory, the more I am reminded of McLuhan’s coolness, the basic nature of his observations, and the kinds of things that excite him. Certainly there are several interesting parallels between the point of view of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and McLuhan’s 'theatrical view of experience as a production or stunt,' as well as his enthusiastic conviction that every ill of mankind can easily be solved by subservience to the senses."

What followed was a knock-down, drag-out, letter-writing brouhaha, refereed by Horn Book editor Paul Heins, with librarians, parents, teachers, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Roald Dahl himself joining in, and it was one of the main causes of the book's revision that year. The whole saga: October 6, 1972: Roald Dahl hears of the impending publication of Cameron's article, and writes to Paul Heins. Eleanor Cameron's article appears, in three parts: October, December, and February. February 1973: An anonymous reader protests the first part of Cameron's article; Paul Heins is aghast. The Horn Book prints Dahl's response. The first raft of letters include a report of "spirited fifth and sixth graders respond[ing] with considerable heat and light" to the idea of "the death of the book." April 1973: Paul Heins points out that much of the controversy is at critical cross purposes and provides "an attempt to clarify the situation — to sort out the different kinds of premises on which the various arguments are based." Eleanor Cameron returns, and writes not only about the sad situation of the Oompa-Loompas' "role as conveniences and devices to be used for Wonka’s purposes," but also of the unsatisfying nature of Charlie's fate. More letters; this time with Ursula K. Le Guin throwing herself in Cameron's camp. June and August 1973: The letters continue:

"By no means are children incapable of making strong literary judgments. They do it all the time and it’s about time we began to listen to them. They have chosen Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and, like it or not, they will keep him no matter what adult literary arbiters have to say."
"Eleanor Cameron’s reply to Dahl was perfect and important. Her point that people, who are concerned about children’s literature and reading, 'must think about a book as well as have feelings about it' if we are to consider what they say as criticism, is too often glossed over in children’s literature courses."

October 1973: The last word, from Doris Bass, at Dahl's publisher Knopf, on the revisions to Charlie that were partly inspired by the Horn Book imbroglio.

Digital Paint, Classical Skills

cal71 — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:37:10 -0800

William Low children's author and illustrator of a variety of books, describes his process and his methods (YouTube videos 1, 2 ...more from his publisher), and talks about his beautiful new book, Machines Go To Work. For those who like old train stations (previously), check out Low's Old Penn Station. For other wonderful children's book illustrations, digitally produced and not, check out the Society of American Illustrator's exhibit this fall.

Will success spoil Nate the Great?

rikschell — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 17:48:55 -0800

It happened to Clifford. It happened to Little Bear. It happened to Harold and his Purple Crayon, and Curious George. Now, Moe Greene productions presents, Nate the Great. I don't want to begrudge my favorite children's book authors a fat paycheck, BUT... Is it about the product, or is it about the kids? The classic books remain, but is the brand enriched or is it watered down by "merch?" Whatever happened to teaching kids to read? Some people have their own ideas.

Storytime with Neil Gaiman

Artw — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:03:07 -0800

Neil Gaiman's latest work, The Graveyard Book, is a kind of undead Jungle Book, with a man-child being raised by various ghosts and ghouls rather than animals. He's been the whole thing a chapter at a time on each stop of his American promotional tour, and posting the videos online (and blogging about it of course), which means that with tonights reading the entire thing will be available online.

Take a looky.

the littlest brussels sprout — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 08:21:11 -0800

Lookybook lets you browse full versions of children's picture books, like The Other Side by Hungarian-born illustrator Istvan Banyai, or Alphabeasts by Wallace Edwards.

Horton Sees A Hooter

jonson — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:17:12 -0800

My Beautiful Mommy is a children's book for children whose mothers suddenly come home from the doctor with giant hooters, or significant amounts of fat suddenly missing. A bold new market in childrens publishing awaits.

The Marines Will Like My Shooting. And They Are Going to Like Me.

jonson — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 18:22:33 -0800

Do You Know What I'm Going To Do Next Saturday? is a Flickr set of the pages from Helen Palmer Geisel's (Dr. Seuss's first wife) now out of print children's book that gained notoreity for its depiction of children doing fun & very dangerous things like joining the marines, playing with guns & fighting American Gladiator style.

Renato Alarcão

grapefruitmoon — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 22:32:31 -0800

Renato Alarcão [flash] is a Brazillian children's book illustrator with brilliant sketchbooks. [More Inside]

Moomins Galore

mygothlaundry — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 07:58:09 -0800

Moomins! The Moomins, created in 1945 by artist and writer Tove Jansson in this story, went on to become a series of books beloved by children in the 60s and 70s and then a British TV show in the early 80s. The Moomins’ fame is so all pervading in Finland that they have their own amusement park and museum but they somehow have never gained as much of a foothold in the US. Why are the Moomins so popular? Some of the books are surprisingly philosophical and even dark and some of the characters are downright seditious; the Moomins, for all their humor and love, are often a little bleak. Tove Jansson, who modeled many of her characters on people in her life, was as talented an artist as she was a writer; here, for your delectation, are her illustrations for The Hobbit. Previously on Metafilter.

BustoBot, a modern pop-up book.

monju_bosatsu — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 17:38:07 -0800

BustoBot, a modern pop-up book.

Asterix vs President Moron

jonson — Fri, 25 Nov 2005 23:53:05 -0800

Asterix gets political. After over four decades of defending his lone holdout village from Roman attack, French children's book icon Asterix is taking on America in the latest novel. The village is besieged by an alien army whose leader is named Hubs, (a thinly veiled anagram of the U.S. President). The aliens invade seeking non-existent weapons of mass destruction.

Curious George Escapes the Nazis

mediareport — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 06:58:20 -0800

Curious George Escapes the Nazis. A true story from a neat little exhibit about the life and work of H.A. and Margret Rey, German Jews who fled Paris on bicycle (with the unpublished Curious George manuscript as one of their few possessions) hours before the Nazis arrived. Lots of info, including Curious George's first appearance, Hans' famous book on astronomy, notes on the couple's lesser-known work and more.

Space art in children's books

Slithy_Tove — Fri, 26 Sep 2003 21:31:45 -0800

Let's go on a rocket trip to the Moon! A collection of space art in children's books, 1883 to 1974. These books, and their evocative art, instilled in a generation the romance and wonder of space flight. I grew up in the 1950's, and as a kid I could pour over this book and its illustrations for hours, dreaming.
via A Voyage to Arcturus

Fab Children's Author

ashbury — Mon, 14 Apr 2003 09:23:31 -0800

Colin Thompson writes and draws children's picture books. These books are a sheer joy to read, both for adults and children, as they feature an interesting storyline and fantastically detailed pictures. You can buy his prints from his site or you could take the plunge and buy this one for U$4800.

Soviet Children's Books and more

hama7 — Wed, 09 Apr 2003 06:47:50 -0800

Children's books of the Early Soviet Era [more]

Children's Books Online: The Rosetta Project

Pinwheel — Mon, 31 Mar 2003 07:01:30 -0800

Children's Books Online: The Rosetta Project is an incredible online resource for 19th century children's books. From the site: "The Rosetta Project's collections currently contain about 2,000 antique children's books which were published in the 19th and early 20th century. We shall be putting these combined collections on line as funding permits. Our current goal of putting 2,000 volumes on line will create an online library of aproximately 65,000 html pages. However, as we are still collecting books from around the world, we expect the Rosetta Project online library to eventually reach millions of html pages." (via coudal.)

litlnemo — Sun, 03 Jun 2001 21:03:50 -0800

Aslan gets a makeover? (NYTimes link, reg. required, sorry.) Apparently Harper-Collins and the C.S. Lewis estate see a Harry Potter-style merchandising bonanza in the Narnian Chronicles -- if they de-emphasize that pesky Christianity, that is, and write a few more Narnia books, and produce some plush toys of the Narnian characters. I feel queasy.