Celebrate Cricket: 30 Years of Stories and Art

by Marianne Carus (Editor)

A lively anthology of well-loved stories scattered throughout with slices of history told through reminiscences from the many famous authors and illustrators who have contributed to CRICKET magazine, including David Wiesner, Shirley Hughes, Jane Yolen, Eric Kimmel, and Eve Bunting. CRICKET?s editor-in-chief, Marianne Carus, launched the magazine in 1973 with literary critic Clifton Fadiman as senior editor and Trina Schart Hyman as art director. During the early years of the magazine, the board of directors included such luminary figures in children?s literature as Lloyd Alexander, Newbery and National Book Award Winner; Eleanor Cameron, National Book Award Winner; Sheila Egoff, Professor of children?s literature; Virginia Haviland, head of children?s literature at the Library of Congress; Paul Heins, Editor of the Horn Book Magazine; and Nobel Prize Winner Isaac Bashevis Singer.
The book is illustrated throughout in black white and contains 24 pages of color reproductions of CRICKET cover art.


TABLE OF CONTENTS



Let?s Celebrate Cricket Marianne Carus

Letter Isaac Bashevis Singer

Meet Your Author Isaac Bashevis Singer

The Fools of Chelm an the Stupid Carp Isaac Bashevis Singer

Genesis (poem) Lee Bennett Hopkins

Clifton Fadiman and the Beginnings of Cricket Anne Fadiman

The Birth of Cricket Eleanor Cameron

Old Cricket?s Family Album Lloyd Alexander

A Hungry Reader Lloyd Alexander

A Gift from Gertrude Stein Lloyd Alexander

I?m Not

Genres: Childrens

272 pages, Hardcover

First published August 12, 2003

Reviews

[Cheryl Gatling]

I saw this book in the window of our local used book store, and I went in just to get it. I told the man at the counter that I had loved Cricket Magazine as a child. He said he had never heard of it.

I realize now, reading the book, that my family had gotten in at the beginning. We subscribed to Cricket from the very first issue. (My mom probably had advanced notification because she was a schoolteacher.) My sister and I (we would have been ten and eight) read and re-read every issue, cover to cover, and we saved them all. I couldn't say where they are now, but we saved them for years. I even remember that we had a Cricket record, with narrators reading some of the stories and poems from the magazine (the audiobook version before audiobooks really became a thing).

Reading this book brought back many happy memories. This book reproduces some of the stories, poems, and artwork from the magazine. But most of it is the people who made the magazine reminiscing about what good times they had, and how they got involved in Cricket, and how great Cricket was, and how it influenced their lives. I'm happy to know some of this backstory, which I didn't know about (and probably wouldn't have cared about) as a child, but the stories are still my favorite thing.

[Dan Blackley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to read cricket magazine when I was a kid and it was one of my favorite magazines, so I was very excited when I saw this book for sale to use bookstore. Unfortunately, it talks about how the magazines formed and doesn’t have as many illustrations or actual stories in the book itself.

[Karyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Cricket! This inside perspective was awesome. I have an even greater appreciation for this amazing magazine.

[Jessi Waugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should not be reviewing this, because I don’t even know if I’ve ever read Cricket Magazine. I also don’t know why I checked this book out; I am a mystery unto myself. I read several of the stories with my kids - they were surprisingly adult. They are also surprisingly well written, like “A Fish for Finn.” The artwork is beautiful, and the book left me interested in reading more from cricket.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this - made me want to read the cricket magazine.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading the older stories-a few brought back some memories of childhood. It was also nice to read what authors think about the magazine.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reminiscences get a little repetitive, and perhaps the selections could have been improved, but overall it's good.

[John Randolph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of teary moments remembering Cricket and rereading some great short stories.