Welcome, winter. Your late dawns and chilled breath make me lazy, but I love you nonetheless. —Terri Guillemets
Paddington, one of my favorite bears, and I are dropping in to wish you a “Happy Winter!” Stay warm and safe!
About the Image: “Paddington with Snowball,” the image above, is featured on a winter card my Love Notes friend Gina B sent last Christmas. Paddington is adapted from the original, illustrated by Peggy Fortnum. I have been looking forward to sharing him for a whole year! 😀
The Very Hungry Caterpillar story is about hope. You, like the little caterpillar, will grow up, unfold your wings and fly off into the future. –Eric Carle
Beloved children’s book author and illustrator, Eric Carle, passed away May 23 at 91 years of age, but I learned of his passing just this morning. I spent today’s joy break revisiting Carle’s books and illustrations and thinking about moments I spent with my little one reading and rereading his books. I even listened to the recording of my son “reading” Brown, Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (1967) that I mentioned in a 2018 post (linked below).
It’s sad that we lost Carle, but it heartens me to know that he will live on and on through his works and in the memories of generations who were mesmerized by his colorful books.
If you’d like just a little more of Eric Carle, here are two more posts which feature Carle’s work:
Take a moment to (re)visit Carle’s work this weekend and have joy!
Students in my course are encouraged to shape their blogs in the way that serves their blogging purposes, but there are obviously some skills they must exercise to become strong non-fiction writers. To that end, we do some workshopping and writing exercises in class that help them stretch their writing muscles. Some of these exercises are developed into blog posts. Some are submitted to literary journals. Some remain in the students’ writing journals while they continue to work with them.
One of the exercises required students to reflect on a significant quote. In today’s post Markus of Mark’s Art Stew talks about a quote from C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, “The Magician’s Nephew”, and its recent impact on his life. Be sure to read his post and follow his blog. He offers a little something for everyone.
About the Image: The image above is one of the [far too] many pieces of sunflower photo-art hiding in my files. I might have to compile them into a book or start a sunflower blog. 😉
I hope you’re prepared for some super cuteness this evening. The postcards below were sent for Children’s Book Illustration swaps 49 and 50 on swap-bot. I had never heard of “Gumnut” or “Wattle” Babies, and then suddenly I was introduced to them when not one or two, but three postcards featuring May Gibbs’ Australian Bush Babies made it to my mailbox within days of each other.
CBI 50: Original watercolor for The Gum Blossom Ballet from Snuggle Pot and Cuddlepie, 1918. Illustration by May Gibbs (1877-1969)
This first card came from Yvonne and Jeana, who sent the Bunyip and Magic Pudding Maxicards I shared earlier this year. The card features the “Gum Blossom Ballet,” from the book Snugglepot and Cuddlepie by May Gibbs.
Snugglepot and Cuddlepie are:
two adventurous little gumnut foster brothers who long to see a Human. Snugglepot, the leader, and the gentle Cuddlepie are good friends with Mr Lizard and Little Ragged Blossom and together go on many heroic adventures.
And what are gumnuts?
[Gumnuts are] the first of the bush babies, the inquisitive Nuts are full of fun and mischief. They love all the Bush Folk, but are a little afraid of lizards and snakes. Mrs Kookaburra is most fond of them as they make her laugh. In the hot sun they hang their heavy heads over the swaying leaves and sleep. –from May Gibbs website
I “met” Jess, another Australian swapper, earlier this year. Like Yvonne and Jeana, she also adds unique postcards to my CBI collection. She sent two Wattle Babies postcards.
BLC CBI 49: Original watercolor for frontispiece of Wattle Babies, 1918. Illustration by May Gibbs
The cheerful Wattle Babies are the most good-natured of all the Bush Babies. Their bright yellow clothes brighten the bush on a Winter’s day. In Spring they love to go boating and swimming with their frog friends and have fun playing hide and seek with the baby birds. —-from May Gibbs website
BLC CBI 50: “Wattle Babies.” Illustration by May Gibbs
These are some pretty impressive watercolors!
Gibbs (1877-1969) was an English-Australian children’s author, illustrator, and cartoonist. She was best known for her “bush babies” or flower fairies. Her works have entertained the children of Australia for more than a century.
Gibbs willed her works to the Northcott Society and Cerebral Palsy Alliance. As a result she has helped thousands of children and their families. You can learn more about May Gibbs, her work, and charities here: May Gibbs.
See you tomorrow…
CBI 57: La vie des mini-héros. Illustration by Oliver Tallec.
From time to time the mini hero must stop being a mini hero.
Isn’t this an adorable postcard?
The postcard, featuring a mini hero, came from Valériane (LuneDePapier on swap-bot) of Brittany, France. She rightly assumed I would love the postcard because of the humor.
La vie des mini-héros [Life as a Mini Hero] was authored by French illustrator Olivier Tallec. The books are designed for preschoolers:
Clad in bright suits that bespeak their daring deeds, these mini heroes live their daily lives assailed by all sorts of difficulty and disaster. Whether jumping rope on the playground, eating towers of ice-cream, or hanging upside-down from the ceiling, they are never short of plans and prospects! Sometimes, it’s true, they have to pause, which may be the greatest challenge of all. –Google Books.
Tallec has illustrated more than 50 books, including the gorgeously illustrated This is a Poem That Heals a Fish. [The link leads to a Brain Pickings article filled with images from the book].
You can find out more about Tallec’s work through this brief interview: Interview with Olivier Tallec.
Until tomorrow…
I haven’t done a post featuring children’s book illustration (CBI) postcards in a long time, so I decided to dedicate three posts this week to CBI postcards. I have more than 60 to share; I won’t get caught up this week, but I’ll do what I can.
Today’s offering…Dikkie Dik! Both cards below were sent for Children’s Book Illustration Postcard swaps on swap-bot. The cards came from Dutch swappers, Marianne and Marleen.
CBI Swap 30: Dikkie Dik. Illustration by Jet Boeke, 2017
Dikkie Dik is a series of Dutch children’s books featuring a naughty orange cat named Dikkie Dik. The cat originally appeared on the Dutch version of Sesame Street (SS). According to Marianne, who remembers fondly the stories from SS, the books are “cute with big illustrations and very little text.”
BLC CBI Swap 57. Dikkie Dik. Illustration by Jet Boeke.
The Dikkie Dik books are illustrated by Jet Boeke and written by Arthur van Norden. Though the series began in 1978 as stories told to children on Sesame Street, the books soon made their way to bookstores. There are now hundreds of Dikkie Dik stories to enjoy.
Dikkie Dik Postage Placeholder. Illustration by Jet Boeke
Dikkie Dik doesn’t look so naughty to me, but looks can be deceiving. I guess, I’ll have to read some of the stories to know for sure.
It’s been several months since I last shared children’s book illustration [CBI] postcards, so I have a lot of catching up to do. I assigned partners for the public and group swaps #44 [on swap-bot] a few days ago, but with the exception of the special posting of the sunflower from one of the #30 swaps, I’m only up to #24 on the blog. So much for not falling behind.
Instead of picking up where I left off chronologically, I decided to share the four “bear” cards from the Brown Bear collaboration of writer Bill Martin, Jr. and illustrator Eric Carle.
All were sent to me by Geraldine [Nannydino on swap-bot], one of the swappers who faithfully joins the CBI swaps. The postcards she selects for me always, always, always result from a careful reading of my profile, but it was [still] so thoughtful of her to send me every one of the bear book covers for four separate swaps. It freed me to send these blank Carle cards in my own collection to someone else. After all, postcards filled with ink, stamps, and postal markings are way more interesting than blank postcards.
Here are Carle’s bear illustrations–sent for swaps #33, 36, 38, 41.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? is the first book in the Brown Bear series; it was originally published in 1967. The cover above is from the 1992 edition.
The duo came together again more than two decades after Brown Bear to collaborate on Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? The book, published in 1991, was designed to help toddlers identify animals and their sounds.
Published in 2003, Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? focuses on the world of endangered animals.
Published in 2007 Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? is the final book in the Brown Bear collaboration. In this one Baby Bear learns about North American animals while on his quest to find Mama.
Baby Bear holds a special place in my heart because I have a wonderful recording of my son “reading” it when he was about 18 months old. My mommy heart swoons each time I hear his tiny toddler voice rhythmically repeating the lines from the book. The Carle illustrations were among his favorites. And they are still among mine.
If you’re interested in the unique way Carle creates his illustrations, follow the link in my sunflower post.
Until tomorrow…
I’m back with more children’s book illustration postcards, finally. The eight postcards below are familiar favorites from around the world.
Classic Pooh from Marianne in the Netherlands:
Swap 21: Winnie-the-Pooh, A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard
You already know how I feel about Pooh. The cool thing about the Pooh card is I have the Classic Pooh postcard collection it comes from, so when I received the postcard, it felt like one that I sent into the world returned to me.
Mr. Men from Lihior in Israel:
BLC Swap 21: Mr. Mischief’s New Year, Mr. Men Annual (1987)
My son has a sizable collection of the Mr. Men and Little Miss books that I can’t seem to part with. I’m pretty sure I enjoyed reading them to him more than he enjoyed hearing them. As a toddler, he was a bit “creeped out” by Mr. Nosey.
Tootles from Susan in St. Paul, Minnesota:
Swap 22: “Frolic.” From Tootle by Gertrude Crampton. Illustrated by Tibor Gergely, 1945
Tootle is a Little Golden Book, originally published in 1945, and though I’m familiar with the collection, I’m not sure I’ve seen this one before. Here’s a description of the book from Penguin Random House:
In this classic Little Golden Book from 1945, Tootle is a young locomotive who loves to chase butterflies through the meadow. But he must learn to stay on the tracks no matter what—if he ever hopes to achieve his dream of being a Flyer between New York and Chicago!
Continuing with children’s books published in the 1940s, “A Baby Puffin” from Geraldine in Canada:
BLC Swap 22: ABC, 1943. Cover illustration by Dorothy Chapman
A Janosch illustration from Katrin in Germany:
Swap 23: “And good luck.” Janosch
According to Katrin, the colorful books are very popular in Gemany. This one took a few too many “mail tattoos” as it winged its way to me, but the postage and cute Janosch stickers on back made up for the marks on front. [Click an image for a closer look].
Check out the photo essay on Janosch and his books here: Children’s Book Author Janosch at 85.
“Baby” Alice from Jeni in Indianapolis, Indiana:
BLC Swap 23: The Macmillan Alice. “The cover of The Nursery Alice, first published in 1890, was designed and coloured by Emily Gertrude Thomson.”
I’m “holding my typing keys” and trying not to write much about this card. I have a nice collection of Alice in Wonderland postcards that I’m planning to blog about soon.
There’s a quote on the back of the card from Lewis Carroll’s diary, dated February 15, 1881:
I wrote to Macmillan to suggest a new idea: a ‘Nursery Edition’ of Alice with pictures printed in colour.
Another Pooh card from Marianne:
Winnie-the-Pooh.
It took some abuse in travel, but Pooh and Tigger were untouched.
Little Plum, another Puffin cover, from Geraldine in Canada:
BLC Swap 24: Little Plum, Cover illustration by Jean Primrose
I haven’t read Little Plum, but its description reminds me of childhood friends and that “one doll” that was never a first choice:
When Gem moves into The House Next Door, Nona and Belinda think she’s stuck up and vow to have nothing to do with her. But the beautiful Japanese doll in her window soon attracts their attention. They name her Little Plum because of the plum blossom decorating her clothes – but unlike Nona’s Japanese dolls, Miss Happiness and Miss Flower, Little Plum seems sad, unloved and uncared for. Will the three girls – and the three dolls – ever become friends? —Pan Macmillan
That’s it for today. Students and papers call…
Have a happy week!
Since today begins Black History Month in the United States and since I’d planned to blog about children’s book illustration postcards today, I was curious about whether I have any children’s books postcards featuring the work of African American illustrators. I went through every postcard in my collection and, as suspected, I do not have any illustrations by African American artists. Then, I “googled” and found nothing.
Considering the high number of popular African American children’s authors and illustrators, I find this odd. [Insert appropriate emoji here].
I’ll keep looking…
For now, let’s enjoy the eight children’s book illustration postcards I received for Children’s Book Illustration Postcards swaps 17-20.
From Pikkis in Finland, I received an illustration from the Finnish fairy tale Goldfish, written by Raul Roine and illustrated by Rudulph Koivu.
Swap 17: From “Goldfish” by Raul Roine. Illustrated by Rudolf Koivu
I’m not familiar with this tale; that might be because, as Pikkis points out, the fairy tale hasn’t been translated in English.
The postcard below came all the way from New Zealand.
BLC Swap 17: The Honour of the House by E.M. Channon
CindyST sent an “old fashion” book cover because she loves retro covers and illustrated books.
Lihior, of Israel, sent another postcard from the fairy tale collection that gave me The Frog King postcard featured in the previous Children’s Book Illustrations blog post
Swap 18: Hansel and Gretel. Illustrated by Aurélie Blanz
I was pleased that I could see the name of the illustrator, Aurélie Blanz, on this card. It was nice to “discover” and explore Blanz’s brilliant work. I found another artist to love.
BLC Swap 18: Illustrator Fiep Westendorp
The postcard above, from Sammoning in the Netherlands, features an illustration by Fiep Westendorp, known for Jip en Janneke, Pluk van de Pettenflat and others. Every year, “kids go door-to-door to sell card sets and [matching] stamps” for Kinderpostzegels–to support educational and children’s charities.
It’s always nice when a bear shows up in my mailbox.
Swap 19: Little Polar Bear by Hans de Beer
Lars, the “little polar bear” came from Sissi, also in the Netherlands.
BLC Swap 19: The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
The postcard above, from HelenGB in Canada, features the cover of the first Frederick Warne edition of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, 1902.
Alice in Wonderland postcards are a special treat because I love all the different artistic interpretations of the story [I won’t mention that I have a whole box of Alice postcards that I have trouble sharing].
Inger sent this one from Sarpsborg, which is in the south-east part of Norway.
Swap 20: “The cat only grinned when it saw Alice. It looked goodnatured, she thought: still it had very long claws and a great many teeth.” Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Illustrated by Sir John Tenneil
Her postcard also featured children’s book illustration postage:
And finally, Marinda in the United States sent an illustration from one of the sweetest tales I read to my little one when he was a baby, Guess How Much I Love You.
BLC Swap 20: Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney, Illustrator Anita Jeram
As always, an eclectic selection, but a feast for the eyes and warm fuzzies for the heart!
As promised, I’m back with more children’s book illustration postcards–swaps 6-10. The postcards below are from various parts of the world and include some of my favorite characters and/or themes–teddy bears, Classic Pooh, Moomin, and Alice in Wonderland. I was very pleased to be introduced to Rosalie and Truffle (the pink pig and the brown boar–see public swap #7). Amazon’s description:
Love at first sight does exist! Rosalie and Truffle fall in love when they meet under an apple tree. But their well-meaning friends and relatives discourage them from meeting again. As time goes by, and Rosalie and Truffle improve their lifestyles with yoga and dancing, they realize that neither material growth nor physical perfection guarantees happiness. At last they return to the apple tree and reunite.
Rosalie and Truffle, Truffle and Rosalie is an endearing story of love and trust, with wonderful illustrations. And the story is narrated from both points of view: flip the book over to read the story from the other perspective. This is a charming gift book, perfect for Valentine’s Day or for any special occasion.
Aside from their story of self-discovery and love, they remind me of strawberry and chocolate ice cream. Yum!
BLC PC #6: From Swededreams (USA): Happy Birthday, Kirsten. From the American Girls Series. Kirsten and her friends traded scraps of cloth so everyone could make a colorful design on a square of white muslin. The designs they made from the bits of cloth slowly grew in their hands the way wild violence bloomed on the prairie. Hallmark.
Public PC #6: From Mollypop (USA)–From Pleasant Lands 1936. Illustrators: A. Gladys Peck and Eleanor Osborn Eadie
BLC PC#7: From Eloise (Mexico)–The Family from One End Street, 2004. Cover illustration by Eve Garnett. Puffin.
Public PC #7: From Am-Sophie (Germany): Rosalie and Truffle by Katja Reider. Illustration by Jutta Bucker
BLC PC #8: From Ladybug (Canada)–The Tiny Seed, 1987, by Eric Carle.
Public PC #8: From Milkiss (Korea)–Moomin Characters
BLC PC#9: From Sarah (USA)–Heidi by Johanna Spyri, 1956. Cover illustration by Cecil Leslie. Puffin.
Public PC #9: From Jennifer (USA). From Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Illustration by George Soper. “At this the whole pack rose up into the air, and came flying down upon her.”
BLC PC #10: From AmyD (USA)–Classic Pooh, “HMS Piglet,” A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard
Public PC #10: From Widelo123 (USA)–From the cover of Hello, Mallory. Baby-sitters Club #14, 1991.
Many of the participants in this “new” series of children’s book illustration swaps also participated when Marjan hosted the swaps. They are so appreciative of the swaps’ return and that makes hosting them extra pleasurable. Thanks, Marjan, for laying a strong foundation; thanks swappers, for joining in and spreading postcard happiness!
I’ll be back in a couple of weeks with swap #11.
Until then…enjoy these!
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