The New York Review Children's Collection:
The New York Review Children’s Collection began in 2003 in an attempt to reward readers who have long wished for the return of their favorite titles and to introduce those books to a new generation of readers. The line publishes picture books for preschoolers through to chapter books and novels for older children. Praised for their elegant design and sturdy bindings, these books set a new standard for the definition of a “classic.”
-nyrb.com
Unwrapping...
Authored and illustrated by:
Ingri & Edgar Parin d'Aulaire
Ages 3-7
Unwrapping some fabulous illustrations for you...
This book was first published in 1976 and the copyright was renewed in 2004.
"Fox-ie!" cried a shrill voice. "The little dog with a head like a fox and a tail like a cinnamon roll woke up with a start. "
And thus begins the charming tale of a wonderful little dog who seems always to be hungry. She is teased by her master with a tasty bone that she salivates over and wants so badly. He dangled the bone in front of her but it is tied to a string and she is unable to obtain it. This frustrates her to no end and try as she might he will not give it over to her. Finally he stuffs the bone into his back pocket and skips off down the street forgetting all about his famished little dog's needs.
Foxi decides to track him and secure her bone so she follows after him. Unfortunately she ends up lost amidst crowds of busy, scurrying people. She encounters a haughty, pompous black poodle who definitely thinks she is undignified, and a loud, noisy marching band that grates on her nerves and causes her to whine, wail, turn round and round, and howl at the top of her lungs.
Poor Foxie is beside herself, confused and cannot find her way back home. Darkness and rain sets in adding to her misery. She huddles in a doorway too exhausted and exasperated to carry on. A kind man finds her when he opens his door and takes her in and gives her shelter and plenty of food.
Foxie encounters a big, inhospitable striped tomcat and an amicable rooster who also reside with the man in his home. The man creates a musical troupe with his motley crew of animals. The cat plays the piano by pawing the keys, the rooster stretches his neck and crows with all his might and the man plays his flute. Foxie joins in howling in response to the music simulating a "singing" dog to round off the performance.
Is this the life that Foxie is destined for? Does she miss her old master even though he was uncaring and unkind to her? Will she be reunited with her previous owner ever or will she be content to be a participant in an animal circus and perform on stage for all the curious onlookers?
The illustrations are wonderful. They could tell the story visually all on their own. They empower the text and bring the reader into the narrative so brilliantly. I know all age levels will love this story. I highly recommend the book.
About the authors...
The work of Ingri and Edgar D'Aulaire has needed no introduction - their beautiful picture books have delighted countless children ever since. Ingri Mortenson and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire met in Munich where both were studying art in the 1920's. Ingri had grown up in Norway; Edgar, the son of a noted portrait painter, was born in Switzerland and had lived in Paris and Florence. Shortly after their marriage, they moved to the United States and began to create the picture books that have established their reputation for unique craftsmanship. Their books were known for their vivid lasting color. a result of the pain-staking process of stone lithography used for all their American history biographies. This was an old world craft in which they were both expert, which involved actually tracing their images on large slabs of Bavarian limestone. Throughout their long careers, Ingri and Edgar worked as a team on both art and text. Their research took them to the actual places of their biographies, including the countries of Italy, Portugal and Spain when they were researching Columbus; to the hills of Virginia while they researched Washington; and to the wilds of Kentucky and Illinois for Abraham Lincoln, winner of the Caldecott Medal. The fact that they spoke 5 languages fluently served them well in their European travels and in their research of original documents. Since their deaths in the 1980's, Ingri and Edgar's books and works have been kept alive by their two sons Ola and Nils.
Read on and read always!
It's a wrap.
Contact me at storywrapsblog@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment