Photographs hold a great deal of power and I have really enjoyed seeing the photographs of Charles Dodgson (also known as Lewis Caroll). It was neat to see a true image of Alice and to see a little of her personality in the picture. The same goes for seeing photographs of the famous author George McDonald and his family. It makes me think about how as much as I love artwork in children’s books, there seems to be a lack of photography as a form of art in picture books. I can think of nonfiction picture book I had as a child that was illustrated through photography. Maybe one reason for this lack of photographs in books has to do with the specificity that a photograph holds. Maybe, in a pen and ink drawing there’s room for more imagination on the child’s part. Maybe photographs don’t sell as well in books and aren’t as appealing to children. Either way I think if photographs were the artwork used to illustrate children’s books an even broader amount of art could be used for children’s books.

Book 4: Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

Madeline is as captivating today as it was to me at the age of eight. One can’t help but be mesmerized by the little red haired girl who is so unique from the identical two rows of girls she accompanies. The order and neatness of every page, with the sometimes dissimilar action of Madeline is pleasing to look at. The rhyming and rhythm of the lines are fun to read. The way they rhyme and still hold so much meaning and clarity is truly artistic and professionally done. The text is so enjoyable, but the book truly wouldn’t be what it is without the amazing illustrations. One of my favorite aspect of the illustrations is the famous Parisian landmarks Bemelmans sets as the background of some scenes. They add depth to the artwork and make the reader want to come back to them and find out what and where they are. Thankfully the final page lists the monuments and buildings of each page for the reader to be aware of.

Identity

In class we’ve been discussing how Identity is a major theme in Children’s Literature. In following this idea I wanted to make an incomplete list of Children’s books, classics and newer that focus on the theme of identity. This list offers a wide array of books appropriate for different ages, and some, such as Harry Potter, may not be appropriate to read to the class as a whole. Books that can’t be read in class may be recommended to students as outside reading.

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
Holes by Louis Sachar

These are only a few of the books for children which focus on identity. I thought of them because they were some of my favorites growing up, or, I discovered them recently and fell I love. Dear Reader, can you think of a book from your childhood or recent past that focuses on the theme of identity?

Alice's Adventures

Little Alice fell down a hole
And took such a time to reach the floor.

She finally landed in a room with many doors from which to choose
Alice drank from a bottle and shrank then ate cake and up she grows and grows.

Eventually our heroine makes it out and further in, to wonderland
She meets a mouse, offends the birds and is left all alone to stand.

The Duchess is her next acquaintance and my how she sneezes
Her baby grunts and it’s suddenly a pig which pleases.

Since Alice no longer has to hold and coddle it
She chats with the grinning feline for a bit.

“We’re all mad here” says the Cheshire cat
So Alice goes to tea with the mad man that dons a hat.

Once she escapes from that insane tea time
She finds the garden which appeared so sublime.

Upon arriving, she finds the madness remains
She learns from the past and her mind strains

To recall all the wonder is a dream
And the characters the pack of cards they seem.

Book 3: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

Despereaux is different. The mice all over the castle whisper about how he was born with his eyes open, “he’s just not right!” they say. He isn’t like the other mice. Instead of constantly sniffing for crumbs, Despereaux reads books about a knight that rescues a princess and listens to the King play his guitar to Despereaux’s beloved, the Princes Pea.
The book’s central themes are love, forgiveness, and dark versus light. Throughout the book, DiCamill0 emphasizes the concept of love and its power. Love spurns our tiny hero to go into the darkness that is the dungeon and face death (in the form of rats) for the one he loves. While much of the book is dark and frightening, DiCamill0 makes it bearable by speaking directly to the reader about what may happen next. Her style makes to book even more enjoyable and unique.

Thoughts on Fantasy

I love the fantasy genre (most of the time at least). In Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” Trilogy as the reader, I escaped into Middle Earth to fight orcs and live among the elves. There’s something beautiful about escaping into an impossible world that is nothing other than the result of someone’s imagination. It’s amazing how by bringing the reader into their world, the author can show the reader the ideas or concepts he’s trying to convey. In the well known series, “The Chronicles of Narnia”, C.S. Lewis uses a different world in a different universe to create a story parallel to that of the biblical story of the salvation of man through Christ. Instead of Jesus, the Christ figure is the Great Lion, Aslan. Lewis offers a new perspective and new way to understand the Message of the Church. There are a lot of reasons to love fantasy. It’s enjoyable because it is an escape but still has familiar themes and values we can relate to.

Ed Emberly is a well known author and illustrator of children’s books. His drawing books are famous for his one of a kind technique and creativity involved in every lesson. Emberly has illustrated and written several children’s books, but his drawing books remain the most popular and beloved. There is a unique way he makes the creation of any artwork simple for a child. He breaks down the creation by starting with a square, or a few lines, and slowly adding triangles and dots and half circles…before you know it you’ve drawn a train, or a giraffe, or Frankenstein. Emberly’s books vary in the topic of artwork. Some of his book titles include: “The Drawing Book of Weirdo’s”, “The Drawing Book of Faces”, “The Drawing Book of Animals”, and many others. As a child my favorite Ed Emberly book was the “Great Thumbprint Drawing Book”. It was so inspiring to see all the amazing creations that could be made with a thumbprint and pen, and it was a blast to recreate those in the book and attempt my own. Emberly contributed a great deal to the children’s book industry and his drawing books will continue to be loved and used by generations of fans.