The Poky Little Puppy was first published in 1942. It’s written by Janette Sebring Lowrey and illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren, and it’s toted as the all-time best-selling hard-cover children’s book in the US. It was one of my father’s favorites. So this post is for you, pops. Continue reading
Since all of Edward Lear’s writing, all of it, falls under the category of nonsense, I thought that to wrap up this sadly brief foray into the Learical world, we could glance at what makes something a nonsense work. There are plenty of definitions, philosophical-academic discussions, wiki and dictionary entries that attempt to pinpoint the essence of nonsense. It’s fantastical, whimsical, fanciful. Sometimes it plays with words, championing sound over meaning. Sometimes it’s uncomfortable, sometimes it’s amusing, sometimes it’s dark. But always, it’s nonsense… Continue reading
A few days ago, I paid a visit to the Legion of Honor’s exhibit on Making the Modern Picture Book, and all imperfections aside, the books themselves were… gorgeous. The exhibit showcased the works of four authors: Walter Crane, Randolph Caldecott, Kate Greenaway, and William Nicholson. Continue reading
When I said that illustrated books aren’t necessarily just for kids, this isn’t really what I had in mind. And as for literary value, I’m not going to be the one to call Mansbach’s picture book a quality book, except perhaps in the way that it may always be a classically and universally applicable moment in humor. This book doesn’t really belong on this blog. But the other weekend… Continue reading
Little Book Review 