Vintage Collectible Art - in Books!

The "hunt" is the best part of the BOOKISH business I share with my daughter at The Brick Basement in Fullerton, CA.  (Hopefully I'll be able to sell some of our finds online - more on that in the near future).

I'm especially excited about some books I found recently from the set  BEST IN CHILDREN'S BOOKS, because they are from my own childhood - my mom read aloud to us from the books in the set we had growing up.  Our volumes didn't have the book covers, so it's doubly fun to see the books with their original covers intact!

The 42 volume set, published between 1957 and 1961 by Nelson Doubleday.  Each volume highlighted a mix of classics, original new stories, poetry, and non-fiction from many notable authors.  They also showcased art from some of the better know illustrators and artists of that time.

Here are a few favorite illustrations from the books I have:

Hans Christian Andersen's The Steadfast Tin Soldier
illustrated by Idellete Bordigoni (from volume #37)

Margery Williams' The Velveteen Rabbit
illustrated by Maruice Sendak (from volume #35)

Volume #33 (1960) was full of vintage treasures:

Favorite Mother Goose Rhymes
illustrated by Adrienne Adams

Sophocles the Hyena by Jim Moran
illustrated by Andy Warhol (yes, you read that correctly)

A Dime's Worth for Free by Marion Holland
illustrated by Richard Scarry

Volume #31 (1960) is especially poignant, because of some very collectible art by the late Maurice Sendak that I'll show you in my next post;  but I'll end today's with these illustrations by the Petershams...

The Picnic Basket by Margery Clark
illustrated by Maud and Miska Petersham

Not to be missed:  Volumes 1 and 18, with artwork by the D'Aulaires; Volume 20, with Jean de Brunhoff's Babar; Volume 40 has Dorothy and Oz by L. Frank Baum, with illustrations by Richard Scarry; and other volumes throughout the series that include art by Leonard Weisgard, Don Freeman, Paul Galdone, Barbara Cooney, and Peter Spier, to name a few.
Go here for a complete list of the 42 volumes and their author/illustrators.

Bright Week Treasures With My Grandson...

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. 

But for children, play is serious learning. 

Play is really the work of childhood.” 

- Fred Rogers

"Somebunny" is learning to be careful with precious things...his small 18-month old hands love holding, digging, clapping, and "being gentle".  I love this age!

Yesterday I got out a few Easter decorations for my grandson that his mommy used to play with.

I also took out a book to blog about...next year my grandson will be ready to sit and listen to The Paintbrush Bunny, (published in 1976 as The Easter Egg Artists) by Adrienne Adams.

The story is about Orson Abbott, a young bunny - "These Abbotts are rabbits. The rabbit Abbotts make the designs on Easter eggs." 

Orson learns the importance of hard work by doing what he loves...when he shows an interest in being an artist, his parents let him develop his own style. He starts painting practically everything in sight!  

By the end of the book he surpasses his parents' talent, designing his own line of comedic Easter eggs.  

His mother calls him an "Easter Egg Artist", and Orson helps his parents paint over 1200 eggs - just in time for Easter.

I've had fun displaying the book in my cloche with a cute father and son bunny I found - could it be Orson and Mr. Abbott?  Do you have any special treasures you bring out every Easter?

A BALLOON RACE FOR VALENTINE'S DAY

Feelings of nostalgia rise (along with the hot-air balloons on the cover of this book) every time I look at this fun recommendation that I'm re-posting from last year: 

The Great Valentine's Day Balloon Race

Published in 1980, it is one of Adrienne Adams' stories involving The Easter Egg Artists (1976), about a Rabbit family by the name of Abbott.  They have a son named Orson (get it? "Orson Abbott"/Our son Rabbit.)

In this particular tale, the Abbotts return for another adventure: Orson is determined to enter the Valentine's Day balloon race, but first, he must figure out how to build a hot-air balloon....with help from his parents and his neighbor, a bunny named "Bonnie".

They know how to make a balloon fly..."You just fill it with
something lighter than air, and it must go up."  They even tie
a big clothes basket to the bottom of the balloon to ride in...
Father goes first, but does not have a successful flight.

After the mishap, Orson figures out they need to make some
changes, so the whole family works on the balloon -
Bonnie, too.

Spreading the balloon on the ground, they puff it up
with a big electric fan.

They finally get it up and flying.  Orson names it
"Bonnies Valentine".  But the balloon needs some color....

After decorating it with some red hearts and flowers, it's
all ready to go! You'll have to read the story to find out
if they've got the know-how to win the race!

Any boy or girl would love this picture book (and will learn something about the science of hot-air balloons at the same time). Adrienne Adams' clear, colorful art is a perfect accompaniment to the fun adventure - for Valentine's Day or any day!!

source

Adrienne Adams was a very prolific illustrator of children's books.  I especially love her stylized work of the 1960's. Her Snow White and Rose Red (1964) and Twelve Dancing Princesses (1966) - both Brothers Grimm fairytales - were childhood favorites of mine (click the titles to see her illustrations).  Another of my childhood favorites (published in 1968) is Mouse House, illustrated by Adams and written by Rumer Godden (they also teamed together for Holly and Ivy, 1958.)

You can read more about Adams and see some of her other books here and here.

You can read my previous Valentine's Day posts here.

Something else for Valentine's Day:  February 14th (here before you know it!) is also "International Book Giving Day"!  Consider "Leaving a Book, Giving a Book, or Donating a Book" for a child, a friend, a school - anyone! 

Go here for details.  Remember,

A Book is a Gift you can open again and again

-Garrison Keillor

WHAT'S ON MY SPRING BOOKSHELF?

Spring is here, and Easter is near! Yesterday was the first official day of Spring. To celebrate, I got out some special books just for you. Any of these picture books make great Spring reading, and would be perfect for a child's Easter basket (watch for my next post: ideas for making book-themed Easter baskets). 

Right click on the titles for descriptions of each book.  I've listed them from left to right on the shelf...

1- What Do You Hear, Angel? Elizabeth Crispina Johnson/Masha Lobastov.
2- The Three Little Pigs, Paul Galdone  
3- Home for a Bunny, Margaret Wise Brown/Garth Williams
4- The Paintbrush Bunny, Adrienne Adams
5- The Hidden Garden, Jane G. Meyer/Masha Lobostav
6- Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present, Charlotte Zolotow/Maruice Sendak
7- Because You are My Baby, Jennifer Ward/Sylvia Long 
8- Easter Eggs For Anya, Virginia Kroll/Sally Wern Comport

Do you have a favorite Spring-themed book?  I'd love to know what it is!