The Complete Listing of All Public Children’s Literature Statues in the United States
Write a title to your blog post like that you are just SETTING YOURSELF UP for trouble. But I like trouble. I eat it for breakfast. Or, at the very least, gnaw on it idly at lunch.
In the past I’ve noted each appearance of a statue pertaining to children’s literature when it crops up, but I’ve never been particularly systematic. That ends today! This post, which I shall continually update with your points and suggestion, shall serve as a place to find all statues pertaining to books for kids residing in the continental U.S. where they can be viewed regularly. Those are the parameters. Should someone ever wish to do a road trip in which they visit of them (meaningful glance) I would love to see a map indicating the location of each of these. I will also note the sculptor whenever I am able but I warn you that I am lazy and haven’t been able to track them all down. Here are the results:
Alphabetical by Book Title / Nursery Rhyme
Book: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Location: Central Park, New York City, NY
We all know this classic Alice statue that kids somehow manage to climb all over without killing themselves in the process (a miracle in and of itself). My heart, however, belongs to a much lesser known statue featuring Alice & Co. in the nearby Levin playground.
Book: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Location: Levin Playground, Central Park, New York City, NY
It has a monkey spitting water at you. What more do you need?
Book: Alice’s Through the Looking Glass
Location: The White Marsh branch of the Baltimore County Public Library, MD
Sculptor: William F. Duffy
Boy, I would love to see this someday. Isn’t it gorgeous? Sadly that’s as big a photo of it as I was able to find. You can read the artist’s thoughts on their creation here.
Book: Blueberries for Sal
Location: Boothbay Harbor, ME
Sculptor: Nancy Schön
Remember the name “Nancy Schön” because it’s going to come up more than once here. In 2008 she was commissioned by the Board of Directors of the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens to make a sculpture of Little Bear from the book Blueberries for Sal by the author Robert McCloskey. The result is this cute little feller who is surrounded by actual honest-to-goodness blueberry bushes. You can read more about it and see Ms. Schön’s process here.
Book: The Dinosaur Who Lived in My Backyard
Location: Stagecoach Park, Evergreen, CO
Sculptor: Greg Wasil
Based on a book by B.G. Hennessey, I always assumed that Bob here was based on Bill Joyce’s Dinosaur Bob. Not the case! Check out more info on Bob here.
Books: Everything by Dr. Seuss
Location: The Dr. Seuss National Memorial at The Quadrangle in Springfield, MA
Can you believe that this is just a small sample of the statues you’ll find in this remarkable place? To learn more about it, go here.
Book: Lentil
Location: Hamilton, OH
Sculptor: Nancy Schön
In 2010 Ms. Schön was honored by The Eric Carle Museum for her work in the field.
Book: Make Way for Ducklings
Location: Boston Public Garden, Boston, MA
Sculptor: Nancy Schön
Probably her most famous work, and certainly quite lovely. It’s great to see how they get dressed up at different times of the year.
Title: Mary Had a Little Lamb
Location: Meetinghouse Hill Rd, Sterling, MA
You can find some info on the lamb here. And, naturally, there is the controversy that surrounds it.
Title: Mother Goose and other nursery rhymes
Location: Storyland, New Orleans, LA
NPR reported when Storyland took a hit after Hurricane Katrina. All told, it seems to be operating as per usual at this time. And you wouldn’t necessarily know it from the outside, but if you go in you’re likely to find . . .
Book: Epossumondas (yes, I’m mucking with the alphabetical order here a tad)
Location: Storyland, New Orleans, LA
Makes sense. Author Coleen Salley was a famed New Orleans denizen after all. Odd we haven’t any Bill Joyce in that town.
Book: Pollyanna
Location: Littleton, NH
Sculptor: Emile Birch
Okay. So I am officially in love with Littleton, NH. And after reading this little piece about their town, you will too.
Title: Ramona Quimby
Location: Gresham Regional Library of Gresham, OR
Sculptor: Lee Hunt
The first of MANY Ramonas to come.
Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins & Ribsy
Location: Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden, Grant Park, Portland, OR
Sculptor: Lee Hunt
The most famous Ramona statues are the ones found in this lovely park. I’ve visited them once or twice and they’re spectacular. Very well loved and tended.
Ramona Quimby
Location: St. Paul Central Library, St. Paul, MN
Actually, I’m pretty sure I have one too many statues here. As I recall the St. Paul Library only has two Ramona busts. Whence the third? Help me out here, readers.
Book: Runaway Bunny
Location: Westerly, RI
This little bunny suffered some serious vandalism recently, but I believe everything’s been cleaned up nicely by this point. Feel free to pay him a visit.
Book: Santa Calls
Location: The National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, Abilene, TX
Book: The Secret Garden
Location: Botanical Gardens, Central Park, New York City, NY
Yes, Virginia. There really is a Secret Garden statue and tribute to Frances Hodgson Burnett hidden away in Central Park. Though these two are supposedly Mary and Dickon, I’m a bit skeptical. Dickon maybe. Mary? Not so sure. The plaque that you’ll read on the ground, however, makes it pretty clear what this is supposed to be.
Title: The Tortoise and the Hare
Location: Copley Square, Boston, MA
Sculptor: Nancy Schön
Actually the artist has a great series of Aesop’s Fables in sculpture. Check ‘em out here.
Book: The Ugly Duckling
Location: Central Park, New York City, NY
Though Mr. Hans Christian Andersen gets all the attention, it’s the little duckling I love. I’ve done storytelling in front of this statue and it is bracing stuff.
Book: Where the Red Fern Grows
Location: Idaho Falls Public Library, Idaho Falls, ID
Sculptor: Marilyn Hansen
One of the best library statues I’ve seen. More information on it can be found here. And what’s amazing to me is that it’s not the only statue from that book in the world.
Book: Where the Red Fern Grows
Location: Sequoyah Park, Tahlequah, OK
There’s even a Red Fern Festival to accompany it.
Book: Whistle for Willie
Location: Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY
Sculptor: Otto Neals
Yep. That’s Ezra Jack Keats’ Peter from The Snowy Day, Whistle for Willie, and so much more. Herein lies the very last children’s literature related location I need to get to before I someday leave NYC. But it’s Brooklyn. SO far away . . . You can read more about the statue here.
Book: Winnie-the-Pooh
Location: Newton Free Library of Newton, MA
Sculptor: Nancy Schön
As the story goes, Eeyore was established in 1991. But he looked so sad that Pooh was made in the memory of Sarah Oliver who had written the mayor asking for Eeyore to have a friend.
Book: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Location: Oz Park, Chicago, IL
Sculptor: John Kearney
In the past their plaques have been stolen, but at least the statues themselves have remained intact.
I know this can’t possibly be complete, so let me have ‘em. What other public American sculptures can you name?
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Thank you, Betsy! That was lovely.
