4.28.2014

Joan Walsh Anglund Weekend


I've been asked to help put out some news about a very special event coming up. On September 19th and 20th, 2014, there will be a Joan Walsh Anglund Weekend in Lexington, Kentucky. Joan Walsh Anglund, her granddaughter, Emily Anglund and Mary Engelbreit will be present at all events! 

Events for this weekend start with a opening reception on Friday. On Saturday: a morning gathering at the Lexington Downtown Public Library, a luncheon at the Greentree Tea Room, an afternoon gathering at the Lexington Downtown Public Library Theatre and a dinner at the Greentree Tea Room. JWA souvenirs will also be available.

If you are a fan of Joan, you are not alone. Many of us grew up reading her books or reading them to our children. Her books have been published all over the world in many different languages. She has had many famous fans also, such as Queen Elizabeth, Jackie Onassis, Carol Burnett and the Emperor of Japan. 

To get more details about this weekend, search for Joan Walsh Anglund Weekend on Facebook. But don't wait, space is limited and a reservation must be put in by Memorial Day, May 26th.







The picture of Joan above is from the jacket flap of A Friend is Someone Who Cares, 1958, published by Harcourt, Brace and World, New York.


I love this photograph of Joan from her website that shares some information about Joan and her lengthy career.


Here is a picture of Joan today, with her "famous" granddaughter, Emily.


This picture shows Joan with MaryDiane McCord Hanna, organizer of the Joan Walsh Anglund Weekend. Joan is still a lovely woman at the age of 88. I can
only hope to age as well as her!

To view my previous posts on Joan Walsh Anglund:

3.11.2014

Sounds I Remember


Today's vintage children's book is actually a vintage language school book
with a variety of illustrations by different artists.


Illustration by George Buckett


Illustration by Cornelio Martinez




Illustrations by Margaret Soucheck Cranstoun



Illustration by Aliki



Illustrations by Tim and Greg Hildebrandt


Illustration by Vic Herman


Illustration by Cornelio Martinez

Sounds I Remember
By Bill Martin Jr.
In Collaboration with
Peggy Brogan
Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1970

3.02.2014

The Big Book of Animal Stories, Janusz Grabianski, Part 2

Back in October of 2011 I did a post on The Big Book of Animal Stories, illustrated by Janusz Grabianski. Here are a few more illustrations from the
book.





The Big Book of Animal Stories is a compilation of many stories such
as; The Three Little Pigs, The Fox and the Geese, The Lost Leg, The Elephant's Child, The King O' The Cats, The Hare As Nurse To The Bear Cubs, How The Coyote Made Man, The Tar Baby, The Crab and The Crane and many more.





I really like Grabianski's painterly style, such a lovely book. To view my previous post on this book and to read about Grabianski, click here.

2.24.2014

The Story of Ferdinand illustrated by Robert Lawson

Today's vintage children's book, Ferdinand, is a redo from 2010. My scanner was not working properly at the time and threw a pink cast on every page. This post has all new scans and most of the illustrations from the book, plus the story itself, which is very entertaining. I kept the text in it's original format so not to lose the rhythm of the story.




"There was a little bull and his name was Ferdinand."


"All the other little bulls he 
lived with would run and jump
 and butt their heads together."


"But Not Ferdinand."


"He liked to sit just quietly and smell the flowers."


"He had a favorite spot out in the pasture under a cork tree."

"It was his favorite tree and he would sit in its shade all day..."




"Sometimes his mother, who
 was a cow, would worry about
 him. She was afraid he would
 be lonesome all by himself."


"Why don't you run and play
with the other little bulls and
skip and butt your head?" she 
would say."

"But Ferdinand would shake
his head. "I like it better here
where I can sit just quietly and
smell the flowers."


"His mother saw that he was
not lonesome, and because
she was an understanding
mother, even though she was
a cow, she let him just sit 
there and be happy."


"As the years went by Ferdinand
grew and grew until he was
very big and strong."


"All the other bulls who had
grown up with him in the same
pasture would fight each other
all day. They would butt each
other and stick each other with
their horns. What they wanted
most of all was to be picked 
to fight at the bull fights in 
Madrid."


"One day five men came in very
funny hats to pick the biggest,
fastest, roughest bull to fight
in the bull fights in Madrid."


"All the other bulls ran around
snorting and butting, leaping
and jumping so the men would
think that they were very very
strong and fierce and pick them."


"Ferdinand knew that they
wouldn't pick him and he
didn't care. So he went out
to his favorite cork tree to 
sit down."


"He didn't look where he was
sitting and instead of sitting
on the nice cool grass in the
shade he sat on a bumble bee."


"Well, if you were a bumble
bee and a bull sat on you what
would you do? You would
sting him. And that is just what
this bee did to Ferdinand."


"Wow! Did it hurt! Ferdinand
jumped up with a snort. He
ran around puffing and snorting,
butting and pawing the ground
as if he were crazy."


"The five men saw him and they
all shouted with joy. Here was
the largest and fiercest bull of
all. Just the one for the bull
fights in Madrid!"


"So they took him away for the
bull fight day in a cart."


"What a day it was! Flags were
flying, bands were playing. . . "


"and all the lovely ladies had
flowers in their hair."


"They had a parade into the bull ring."


"First came the Banderilleros
with long sharp pins with
ribbons on them to stick in
the bull and make him mad."


"Next came the Picadores who
rode skinny horses and they
had long spears to stick in the
bull and make him madder."


"Then came the Matador, the
proudest of all--he thought he
was very handsome, and bowed
to the ladies. He had a red cape
and a sword and was supposed
to stick the bull last of all."


"Then came the bull, and you
know who that was don't you?"
                                                      
                                                                        --FERDINAND.


"They called him Ferdinand
the Fierce and all the Banderilleros
were afraid of him and the 
Picadores were afraid of him
and the Matador was scared stiff."


"Ferdinand ran to the middle of
the ring and everyone shouted
and clapped because the
thought he was going to fight
fiercely and butt and snort
and stick his horns around."


"But not Ferdinand. When he
got to the middle of the ring
he saw flowers in all the 
lovely ladies' hair and he just
sat down quietly and smelled."


"He wouldn't fight and be fierce
no matter what they did. He
just sat and smelled. And the
Banderilleros were mad and
the Picadores were madder and
the Matador was so mad he
cried because he couldn't show
off with his cape and sword."


"So they had to take Ferdinand home."

"And for all I know he is sitting
there still, under his favorite
cork tree, smelling the flowers
just quietly."



To read about Robert Lawson go to my first post where you can also view my pink scans :> ).

The Story of Ferdinand
By Munro Leaf
Drawings by Robert Lawson
Puffin Books, 1981

First Published by The Viking Press, 1936