The Emperor's Oblong Pancake, Gerald Rose

Today's vintage children's book is The Emperor's Oblong Pancake with illustrations by Gerald Rose. I'm really liking this book and showing more scans that usual. I'm not familar with Gerald Rose, but I do know after viewing this book that he is a GOOD illustrator. His page spreads are interesting, offbeat, nicely balanced, with great use of color and design. His illustrations are offbeat, quirky and loosely drawn - this is a guy to study if you're interested in illustration. I find his work very inspirational. Incidentally, Gerald also worked with his wife Elizabeth on many books that she wrote.

Good stuff here already and we're just to the title page!

Some other Books illustrated by Gerald Rose:

roddyandginger

roddyandginger

the art room plant

The Emperor's Oblong Pancake

Story by Peter Hughes

Pictures by Gerald Rose

Abelard Schuman, 1961

One Wide River To Cross, Ed Emberley

Today's vintage children's book is One Wide River to Cross. I found it yesterday at a library book sale and liked it immediately. Great and groovy illustrations by Ed Emberley, looks to me like woodcuts. I like how every page is a different color, my scans show just a few of the colors, and the rainbow over the ark at the end. Emberley has a fun website that you can go to here.

One Wide River To Cross

Adapted by Barbara Emberley

Illustrated by Ed Emberley

Prentice-Hall Inc., 1966

The Man Who Lived Alone, Mary Azarian

Today's vintage children's book is The Man Who Lived Alone. The story is moving and simply told. A young boy and his sisters suffer because of a cruel father. A fire burns down their house when he is six years old and he is sent off to live with his cousins. A very happy time for him, he also learns how to be a carpenter and handyman. At age 12 he is forced by his father to go back and work on the farm. At age 14 he runs away and travels all over the U.S. When he is old enough, he moves back to the area where he was happy. He keeps contact with the people who cared for him, is resourceful and lives alone. He is happy living a life of solitude and although it is never fully explained, you understand why.

The Man Who Lived Alone

By Donald Hall

Illustrated by Mary Azarian

David R. Godine, 1984

Mary Azarian is a woodcut printmaker who lives in Vermont. Since 1968 she has been making woodcut prints out of a studio in her home. Azarian has illustrated over 50 books and won a Caldecott medal in 1999 for her illustrations in Snowflake Bentley. To read more about Mary you can go to her website here.

Azarian's illustrations in The Man Who Lived Alone are great and serve the story well. I'm a big fan of her work and have a few of her books. Woodcuts are a favorite medium of mine and I am always on the lookout at book sales.

A few other books illustrated by Mary Azarian: