Thirteen

by Remy Charlip, Jerry Joyner

Originally published in 1975 to critical acclaim, Thirteen continues to redefine the picture book experience. In this most unusual picture book, 13 separate stories simultaneously unfold over 13 double-page spreads. Each is a flight of fancy seen from a child's eye, where little things are large enough to shine with drama and wonder. Full-color illustrations. An ALA Notable Book and New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Art

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Abraham 'Remy' Charlip (born January 10, 1929) was an American artist, writer, choreographer, theatre director, designer, and teacher.

He studied art at Straubenmuller Textile High School in Manhattan and fine arts at Cooper Union in New York, graduating in 1949.

In the 1960s, Charlip created a unique form of choreography, which he called "air mail dances". He sent a set of drawings to a dance company, and the dancers ordered the positions and created transitions and context.

He performed with John Cage, was a founding member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company for which he also designed sets and costumes, directed plays for the Judson Poet's Theater, co-founded the Paper Bag Players, and served as head of the Children's Theater and Literature Department at Sarah Lawrence College.

He won two Village Voice Obie Awards, three New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year citations, and was awarded a six-month residency in Kyoto from the Japan/U.S. Commission on the Arts. He wrote and/or illustrated more than 30 children's books and passed away in San Francisco, California, on August 14, 2012.

Reviews

[Manybooks]

Now I can and do very well understand (and even appreciate) that some (and perhaps even many readers) will likely consider Remy Charlip's and Jerry Joyner's 1976 Boston Globe-Horn Book award-winning and for all intents and purposes wordless picture book Thirteen both very much imaginative and interesting. And indeed, many of the depicted illustrations are certainly evocatively entertaining and visually stunning (even if aesthetically, the colour schemes used are too pastel-coloured and hued for my tastes and that I for one do always tend to prefer stronger lines and considerably less wishy-washiness).

However, and this is a very heavy-duty and weighty conditional, when I have to actually (and with a bit of shyness and a feeling of intellectual inadequacy) ask a local bookseller how I am supposed to read and understand Thirteen and then even after having finally figured out that each of many illustrations presented on the given pages of Thirteen are to be followed by continuing picture sequences on the subsequent spreads (with us actually somehow and supposedly reading thirteen books, or thirteen specific and separate storylines at one time, yikes) I still continue to have more than minor issues with tracking and comprehension, well, that kind of reading has always tended to both majorly frustrate and annoy (read alienate) me, not to mention that I do get very easily distracted and basically have found that Thirteen just gives me a massive headache and makes me feel incapable and stupid, not a particularly positive feeling with which to leave a wordless children's picture book (with which to leave ANY children's book for someone with advanced graduate degrees in literature).

And truth be told, my in many ways completely and one hundred percent negative and frustrated reaction to Thirteen would have most likely been equally and similarly thus as both an adult and a child reader, since being a for the most part rather completely word-and text oriented peruser, book illustrations without words, or rather book illustrations without an adequate and sufficient amount of explanatory textual, written narrative, really have always had the tendency to massively confuse and befuddle me (and the entire set-up of Thirteen, especially with having to so often flip back and forth for the multiple wordless story threads depicted on each of the presented and featured pages, it just really basically and utterly, totally rubs me the wrong way and does make me feel like a pretty much a total reading and viewing failure, although I indeed very much realise and appreciate that others have obviously found Thirteen fun and imaginative, but the concept is simply and totally NOT AT ALL for me, is absolutely not my cup of enjoyment and yes, makes me feel both a bit angry and freezingly cold).

[Sarah Sammis]

If I had to point to one early childhood favorite who sparked a passion for books, art and poetry, the answer is easy: Remy Charlip. The other day I stumbled upon one of the books from my childhood that I had somehow missed, Thirteen by Remy Charlip and illustrated by Jerry Joyner.

Thirteen is thirteen stories told in one hundred and sixty-nine pictures. There are some with words but mostly it's just pictures. The stories are related but how they relates takes a page or so to figure out. It's one to read forwards and backwards as everything clicks into place.

The artwork is in the style of Arm in Arm, my all time favorite Charlip book. The soft pastel shapes blend and mix and change from one thing to another, while others tell apparently straightforward silent stories. One is just a two word comic of the prince endlessly trying on the remaining slipper as the woman replies, "Doesn't fit." All these things come to conclusions that either require a leap of faith or a sense of humor.

Fans of David Wiesner or Brian Selznick should check out Remy Charlip's books.

[Thomas]

My daughter just found this book on our shelf and fell in love with it. The city turning to jungle was and still is my favorite.

[Sam Ackerman]

Cult classic conceptual, basically psychedelic, children’s picture book featuring 13 parallel stories. Very clever and should be totally engrossing for the right type of kid.

[Dolly]

Strange collection of pictures that transition from scene to scene showing progression in each of the thirteen two-page-spread depictions. The images are fascinating and the changes are very surreal and creative, but the effect overall is lost on me.

This book was selected as one of the books for the March 2018 - Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Picture Book Winners 1975-1982 discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.

[Mathew]

Charlip has been an inspiration to many illustrators and children's authors, including Lauren Carlin and Lane Smith and, thanks to the New York Review Children's Collection, this collaboration with Joyner has found itself reprinted.

The number thirteen is a reference to the number of double-page spreads within the picturebook and the thirteen cumulative stories that take place within these pages: a form that I am sure Macaulay built on in the outstanding Black and White.

Possibly one of those first postmodern texts which play with the picture book as a form, it encourages the reader to turn pages backwards and forwards in order to follow the wordless stories throughout. It is as playful as it is sophisticated and it blasts open all concepts of what a picture book is and can be.

[Kat]

What a great idea! 13 scenes on a page, 13 spreads of transformation for those scenes. At first I was overwhelmed by all the changes on each page but then I switched to reading the book differently- instead of trying to take in all 13 scenes in each page flip, I chose one scene to focus on and flipped through all the pages just to see that one progression. Then I’d go back to the beginning and choose another scene to flip through. It was almost like a flip book animation in that way and very entertaining. It’s a fun idea to try to recreate with friends I think. It can be collaborative if you draw something and your friend has to transform it then it goes back to you to transform that and so on. I only didn’t give it 5 stars because 13 scenes felt like a lot for me. I think it might’ve been more digestible if there were less? Very playful, imaginative, and inspiring like all of Remy Charlip’s books.

[Lara]

I loved this book as a kid and I love it still. It has poignant little stories, beautiful watercolor pictures, and the most perfect tiny alphabet book all wrapped up in a lovely circle of a tale. I could just keep reading it forever. I hope I can share it with my granddaughter and that she will love it, too.

[Tom]

An interesting idea for a children's book: telling 13 stories (mostly in the form of pictures) simultaneously across 26 pages. Of course, each story may be read on its own, but if each narrative can be held simultaneously in a child's head over the course of the book, then a little Modernist has been born!

[Kelly]

Absolutely freaking brilliant. I spent a lot of time on this book, going from beginning to end and starting over again. There is so much to see, but there is even more to nuances to see in the in the illustrations.

[Maughn Gregory]

What a lucky used-bookstore find! A mint-condition edition of this classic from the inimitable Remy Charlip. Each scenario that unfolds in its corner of the thirteen double-page imaginary is a philosophical puzzle waiting to be enjoyed!

[Kristin Nelson]

Some of the 13 little stories I liked; others I didn't. My favorite was the pyramid. I am probably not an artsy enough person to appreciate this book.

[Katherine Jones]

This is clever, beautifully painted, playful and engaging. A great Christmas gift! For anyone.

[Brian]

This is a delightful little book.

[Shannon Julien]

Everyone should take some time to enjoy this!

[Jackie Law]

So good! So omany layers!!! I'm glad I finally read it (after buying it about 20 years ago) before sending to my great niece for her 13th birthday!!!

https://lunawings.blogspot.com/2021/0...

[Zoë]

THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. LOOK WHAT CREATIVITY AND ORIGINALITY AND WONDER AND SKILL CAN DO. instantly a classic

[Magda]

Had this when I was very small.

[Sarah]

I need to find this book again - mind-blowing in a way children (and adults) can understand and get meaning from.

[Siomara]

This book was great. I recommend you read the journey between a father and his son getting kicked out of their own town.

[Peacegal]

Wow! Very unusual and memorable.

[Jeani]

I didn't get it.

[Cheryl]

I can see why some think this brilliant. It gave me a headache, both real and metaphorical.

[Kate Buechler]

... interesting