Childcraft Library, Poems and Rhymes, Volume 1

I'm turning once again to my trusty Childcraft Library which is chock full of great vintage illustrations from many beloved illustrators of the past. 

The combination of photograph and illustration is kitschy and sweet. I have to say as the mother of four that I don't recall many photographic moments like this lol. Illustration by Eloise Wilken and photo from Tell City Chair Company.

This one isn't too hard to guess. Pen and ink work by Garth Williams with his distinctive gentle animals and characters.

This one I wouldn't have guessed. My first thought was Feodor Rojankovsky as the illustrator, but it's not. Anyone care to guess?

I also wouldn't have been able to guess this one, though I love his work. The illustrator is Nicolas Mordvinoff.

Illustrator is Eraldo Carugati - anyone familiar with this artist?

Artwork by Hope Taylor from Highway, Byway and City Rhymes

Art by Vladimir Bobri

Wonderful illustration by Maurice Sendak

The distinctive work of Virginia Lee Burton

Illustrator Ezra Jack Keats

The Little Land

When at home alone I sit,

And am very tired of it,

I have just to shut my eyes

To go sailing through the skies--

To go sailing far way

To the pleasant Land of Play.

By Robert Louis Stevenson

To view previous Childcraft posts go here, here, here, here or here.

To view images from the above posts on Pinterest, go here.

Childcraft

The How and Why Library

Volume 1, Poems and Rhymes

Field Enterprises Educational Corporation

1972 Edition

Whales, Whalers and Whaling Art

This past winter I went on a reading jag. One of the books I read was by Nathaniel Philbrick called Revenge of the Whale. Although this book was adapted for young people from In The Heart of The Sea, A New York Times Best Seller, and longer version of the book. I wouldn't recommend this book for anyone younger than 13, some of the subject matter is very gruesome.

Revenge of the Whale is a true story about one of the most well known maritime disasters of the 19th century - the sinking of the Whaleship Essex by an enraged sperm whale in 1821. It was this horrific event that inspired Herman Melville to write Moby-Dick.

I've never read Moby Dick, but have seen it in movie form, one with actor Gregory Peck and the other with William Hurt. (Seeing photos from the two different movies makes me want to watch them again.)

Actor Gregory Peck, image via ferdy on films

image via The Laverytory

I think my interest in whaling days sparked when I posted a book here called Whaling Days, written by Carol Carrick and illustrated by David Frampon. 

I hope to rescan this book, was having trouble with my scanner at the time and the images are a little washed out. To view this post click here.

Beneath the Sea, illustrated by Rockwell Kent

Whales are truly majestic creatures.

To view links to the above photos and more images of Whales, Whalers and Whaling Art, go to my pinterest page.

Brian Wildsmith ABC Cards

Love these vintage ABC cards illustrated by Brian Wildsmith, one of my all time favorite scores at a rummage sale! To see the rest of the set go to my Brian Wildsmith Pinterest Board.

Fire Breathing Dragon Shaped Bridge in Da Nang, Vietnam

What is one of the coolest bridges in the world? It would have to be the Dragon Bridge in Da Nang, Vietnam. Recently unveiled, this bridge spans 1864 feet and not only looks like a dragon, it breathes fire and spouts water for special occasions. More than 2500 LED lights illuminate the dragon bridge at night. 

The Dragon Bridge was built to commemorate the 38th anniversary of the capture of Da Nang by North Vietnamese during the final days of the Vietnam War and is a wonder to behold.

image via Redesign Revolution

above images via inhabitat

Image via InDanag.com

The perfect bridge to write about in a children's picture book!

Mod Cloth and The Carrie Diaries

My Dear Readers,

I've been blogging since May 2010 and have enjoyed sharing my passion: the art and artists of vintage children's books, with you. The time has come to try and earn a bit of income from The Art of Children's Picture Books, as I can no longer justify the time without doing so. 

My first affiliation is with ModCloth. I really like their fresh and modern take on vintage inspired clothing, shoes and accessories.. Recently some of their dresses have been on The Carrie Diaries, a spinoff of Sex and the City (which I loved!).

To view an episode from the season finale of The Carrie Diaries where ModCloth clothes are worn go to: Episode 113: "Kiss Yesterday Goodbye" 

ModCloth also has a blog you can follow, The ModCloth Blog and a Style Gallery where you can upload outfit photos, view and share photos and shop different looks.

Vintage Children's Book: The Quitting Deal, Trina Schart Hyman

 The last week has been eventful, well kind of. Last Sunday I cooked Easter dinner for 18. Monday I rested. Tuesday I quit smoking. Wednesday I got sick. Since then I've been sleeping and laying around, turning into a blob. I'm starting to get bored, which I'll take as a sign of getting better. And for once getting sick was a blessing, it helped with the first few difficult days of nicotine withdrawl.

In The Quitting Deal written by Tobi Tobias and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman, mother and daughter both have habits to quit. They make a deal to quit together and to help each other.

Holy Cow! How many vintage children's books do you see with a mother smoking while nursing, not to mention with other children and pets?! This

book is from 1975, but even so... 

Trina Schart Hyman was influenced by the Brandywine era of artists such as Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac. You can see this influence in her work, but she was also very contemporary and didn't shy away from illustrations that other's might not find acceptable. 

Mother and daughter test several ideas: the holding hands cure, the talking cure, the candy cure, the comforting cure, the penny cure, the food cure and the next to last cure.

What I like about this book (besides the fact that Trina Schart Hyman illustrated it) is how the family lovingly supports each other. No blame, no guilt, no anger.

They understand for a person to truly quit an addiction, they need to do it on their own.

We don't get the requisite happy ending in this book either. Just a strong message of hope and support.

The Quitting Deal

By Tobi Tobias

Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman

The Viking Press, 1975

To read about Trina Schart Hyman:

Harper Collins Publishers

Trina Schart Hyman

Vintage Children's Book: The Wonderful Wizard of OZ, Part Two

Here we are with part two of the first edition of The Wonderful Wizard of OZ. The resource for these images is The Library of Congress in the Digitized Print Materials from The Rare Book and Special Collections Room. Anyone can access  this book and many others. The images are also available in high quality and can be printed out. That means you can print out a book in its entirety to read, use as a resource or even print out an illustration to frame. Nice!

W.W. Denslow's seahorse signature was famous. Incidentally, L. Frank Baum and Denslow had a disagreement over copyright issues, ending their work arrangement and Denslow did not illustrate any more of the Wizard of OZ books.

The Wonderful Wizard of OZ

Written by L. Frank Baum

Illustrated by W.W. Denslow

Published 1900 by G.M. Hill Co.