Tag: classics

In an Old House in Paris

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When I was little I loved Madeline. She was French; she had an adorable hat; she wasn’t afraid of tigers; she got her appendix out. What more could a girl want?

So of course I was psyched to see this interview with the author John Bemelmans Marciano of Madeline’s latest adventure, Madeline at The White House. He’s also the grandson of Ludwig Bemelmans,  author and creator of the Madeline books. What a fantastic lineage! Marciano talks about taking up the Madeline series:

“Q: Taking on the Madeline series is a big job, were you nervous continuing the series and how did you go about it?
A: Most definitely. At first, I tried to search for a style that was consciously different from my grandfather, artwise, but as I’ve gone on I’ve returned more to the look of the originals, and realized that in ways that are important, my own style comes out. What’s most important is that the spirit and honesty of the originals are kept going.”

I love that mention of the “spirit and honesty of the originals” continuing for a new generation. I’m sure that’s very hard for an artist to maintain while also making sure to utilize their own creativity. But it’s also a reason why these characters are so beloved and lasting.

Also really cute–this video of Marciano reading his book at the White House Easter Egg Roll last year:

This makes me want to break out my old Madeline books!

Out of the Alley

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Sad news in the bookstore world:

“Nothing seemed especially different about Bookman’s Alley. It still can be found in a low-slung brick building behind Sherman Avenue that, with “Harry Potter”-like surrealism, looks smaller than it is, stretching room to room to room long after that seemed possible. Carlson’s Nordic blues still twinkled, a white curtain of hair still hung from his head and a Southwestern-style blanket draped on the back of his chair. Indeed, Carlson appeared so cheerfully ensconced in his legendary bookstore, so hopelessly surrounded by its near geological layers of books and tote bags of books and boxes of books and odd miscellanea (top hats, scrimshaw, Abraham Lincoln bookends) that even an April closing seemed like wishful thinking.

Nevertheless, the store is closing.”

It’s understandable that the owner, Roger Carlson, would want to retire. But it’s a loss for the Evanston literary community. When Walt was living in Chicago, we’d go to Bookman’s Alley when I’d visit for the weekend and could get lost in there for a few hours. It’s a special place and I wish Carlson the best.

Hat tip to Walt for this one!

(image: Bookman’s Alley by Jesse Garrison)

The Crossover Question

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With books like The Hunger Games dominating the bestseller lists and The Fault in Our Stars being reviewed by Slate and the New York Times, there’s no question about how popular children’s and young adult literature has become for readers of all ages.

At the Globe and Mail, Jeet Heer has an interesting post about why these reading groups seem to be merging. He looks at Victorian literature, which bridged that age gap as well, and finds a focus on reading as a family activity:

“What accounts for the curious populist reading culture of the Victorians, which assumed that kids could read Moby-Dick and adults could enjoy Little Women? Partly, there was the enduring power of the family. This was an era when many people read together under the roof of domesticity, complete with recitals and theatrical performances based on books. Given that families shared novels, books were assumed to have a multigenerational audience.

But beyond the role of family life, which we see echoed in President Obama reading with his daughters, there was the unstated but widely held idea that reading is a democratic act, open to anyone who applies effort. Every child aspires to learn more, so she can push herself through difficult texts. Conversely, every adult was once a child and can, through reading, recapture some of the wonder and purity of earlier life.”

I find this as a very interesting connection, and one I very much hope to be true. I liked being able to share books with my parents when I was young. Once, on vacation, my mom and I swapped our beach books–she read The Outsiders and I read Sophie’s World. It was great to be able to have conversations about both books that we ended up really enjoying.

I would add that this crossover of adult and children’s lit also comes from there being a greater acceptance of content in children’s books. It’s not all just Sweet Valley High or The Hardy Boys anymore. Children’s and YA writers are allowed to take greater writerly risks now. (Just pick up The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing if you want proof of what YA writing can be. Stunning.) Boundaries are being pushed, and adult readers are increasingly realizing that there are some arresting, engaging stories over at the YA section.

Also, I think YA and children’s writers manage to balance pushing boundaries with telling a compelling story. Young readers don’t necessarily want to see literary gimmicks. They want a compelling story with compelling characters. As a result, writers can play with genre but still need to have a grounding in the literary basics, which all readers can appreciate.

A Terrific, Radiant Anniversary

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This October, Charlotte’s Web is turning 60. I’m guessing that kids reading it today are still charmed by Wilbur, Charlotte, Fern, and the rest of the cast. It has a wonderfully timeless feel, and this trailer to celebrate the upcoming anniversary got me teary:

Might have to reread this one before the anniversary! It’s been a long time.

PS–I hate spiders. I can’t even look at pictures of them. But Charlotte is okay by me.

A History in Pictures

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Writing and illustrating picture books is hard. To execute it well, you have to have the succinctness of a poet, an understanding about how children see and want to see the world, and an artistic vision. How do you guys do it?

To help me wrap my brain around it, the Atlantic has a very cool article about the history of picture books all over the world. The article is almost a review of Children’s Picturebooks: The Art of Visual Storytelling, by Martin Salisbury and Morag Styles, which sounds fascinating. I especially liked this quote by Maurice Sendak about Randolph Caldecott, who basically invented the picture book as we know it:

“Caldecott’s work heralds the beginning of the modern picture book. He devised an ingenious juxtaposition of picture and word, a counter pint that never happened before. Words are left out — but the picture says it. Pictures are left out — but the words say it. In short, it is the invention of the picture book.”

Make sure to check out the whole article. Lots of great images as well!

Next Time, I’m Tessering to New York

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The cover version I had would have also worked on a Trapper Keeper.

If, like me, you were unable to attend the recent celebration of A Wrinkle in Time‘s fiftieth anniversary (did your invitation get lost in the mail, too?), have no fear! You can read all about the evening’s events at Publisher’s Weekly and The Horn Book. It sounds like it was a truly special and exciting event. One moment I liked, from PW:

“[Rebecca] Stead said: “My son made me lunch today.” Then she pointed to Meg as her favorite character in Wrinkle: “[Meg] gave me access to the internal life of a girl like me,” Stead said. She added that it was through Meg’s vulnerability and “self-doubting” that she was able to address her own private feelings that girls don’t always share with one another at that age. Meeting Meg was Stead’s way of “having that conversation.””

This is one of my favorite aspects of A Wrinkle in Time. Meg isn’t the perfect protagonist, ready to save the universe. She’s frustrated with herself and her surroundings; she’s quick to anger; she doesn’t always know how to express herself. But she does save the universe. It can be a huge relief for young readers to know that you don’t have to be perfect to accomplish great tasks.

At Horn Book, Lolly Robinson brings up an interesting point about the book’s lasting appeal:

“What I found most interesting about the panel discussion was the way all of them managed to praise the book’s emotional appeal to kids while hinting that it might not stand up to in-depth critical appraisal. I found this refreshing, and it’s a good lesson for all of us. Nothing will ever sway my devotion to Meg and her family, but it has taken me almost 20 years to get over the feeling of let-down I had when I re-read this book as adult and found it lacking in a literary sense.”

I haven’t reread A Wrinkle in Time in a while, but this makes me wonder if I’d find it lacking as well if I read it now. Part of me thinks I wouldn’t. I don’t remember being blown away by the style initially. What I enjoyed as a reader was the strength of characters, the inclusion of physics and math as natural part of the story, and the excitement of traveling through time and space. (And really, who doesn’t want to travel through time and space? This is part of why I now watchDoctor Who!) I don’t think I’d put it to a real, critical test, but I’d hope that I could walk away with a similar kind of satisfaction I had when I was young. Even so, I think Robinson is good to point out that no matter what, so many readers are devoted to this book. There’s a great emotional attachment there that’s transcended generation.

Might have to add this classic to my to-read list again!