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The Kate Greenaway Book
The Kate Greenaway Book
Hardcover
First published October 21, 1976
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 8, 2022
☆☆½
First, a little context about this read and its rating: I read The Kate Greenaway Book as part of a Patreon community's summer reading challenge, to fulfil the prompt read a work by an author who shares your name or initials, though my choice consequently also fulfilled read a book you chose by illustrator, and - once I discovered this particular collection I found I could also tick off choose a book based entirely on the cover - a definite point in its favour since it featured this wonderful felinescape:
I'd never actively engaged with the work of Kate Greenaway before, but I almost certainly had passive prior experience of her illustration style, since she was so influential and prolific in her time. The rating is an average across the various works included in the collection (several of which were only illustrated by Greenaway, and written by someone else), along with the accompanying annotation by Bryan Holme.
The biographical content I found quite dense, and lacking in flow and structure, though excerpts from Greenaway's own letters do provide more personality and context. I've always preferred fairy tales to nursery rhymes, but the inclusion of sheet music along with the illustrated verse was welcome. I also quite enjoyed the sections taken from Greenaway's Language of Flowers and Book of Games. I hesitate to use the word childish, given the word's generally-negative connotations, but I mean more that the playfulness and silliness of youth is embraced and celebrated in her work. That said, I prefer a more modern, less condescending tone in children's literature, and found the very-Victorian moralising somewhat grating.
By far my favourite work included in this collection is Robert Browning's poem The Pied Piper of Hamlin. Some of Greenaway's illustrations are included in colour (becoming thus immediately warmer and more inviting), and all transport the reader to that unfortunate German town to bear witness to its inevitable tragedy. By contrast, the lack of racial sensitivity in Brett Harte's The Queen of the Pirate Isle renders it practically unreadable, for all that it was written in 1886, and I was unsettled by the weirdly-morbid reflections of the POV character at the end, though the blending of a real event with the imagination and playtime of a group of children was at least thought-provoking.
Overall, a very mixed bag. Some objectively-lovely illustrations, but most of them rendered in black and white, to their overall detriment, and they lack the appeal (for me, personally) of Beatrix Potter, to whom Greenaway is often compared. I suppose I prefer animals to people in artwork! Full marks for the front cover at least, and its associated poem, which I shall leave you with...
The Cats Have Come To Tea
WHAT did she see–oh, what did she see,
As she stood leaning against the tree?
Why all the Cats had come to tea.
What a fine turn out–from round about,
All the houses had let them out,
And here they were with scamper and shout.
"Mew–mew–mew!" was all they could say,
And, "We hope we find you well to-day."
Oh, what should she do–oh, what should she do?
What a lot of milk they would get through;
For here they were with "Mew–mew–mew!"
She didn't know–oh, she didn't know,
If bread and butter they'd like or no;
They might want little mice, oh! oh! oh!
Dear me–oh, dear me,
All the cats had come to tea.
First, a little context about this read and its rating: I read The Kate Greenaway Book as part of a Patreon community's summer reading challenge, to fulfil the prompt read a work by an author who shares your name or initials, though my choice consequently also fulfilled read a book you chose by illustrator, and - once I discovered this particular collection I found I could also tick off choose a book based entirely on the cover - a definite point in its favour since it featured this wonderful felinescape:
I'd never actively engaged with the work of Kate Greenaway before, but I almost certainly had passive prior experience of her illustration style, since she was so influential and prolific in her time. The rating is an average across the various works included in the collection (several of which were only illustrated by Greenaway, and written by someone else), along with the accompanying annotation by Bryan Holme.
The biographical content I found quite dense, and lacking in flow and structure, though excerpts from Greenaway's own letters do provide more personality and context. I've always preferred fairy tales to nursery rhymes, but the inclusion of sheet music along with the illustrated verse was welcome. I also quite enjoyed the sections taken from Greenaway's Language of Flowers and Book of Games. I hesitate to use the word childish, given the word's generally-negative connotations, but I mean more that the playfulness and silliness of youth is embraced and celebrated in her work. That said, I prefer a more modern, less condescending tone in children's literature, and found the very-Victorian moralising somewhat grating.
By far my favourite work included in this collection is Robert Browning's poem The Pied Piper of Hamlin. Some of Greenaway's illustrations are included in colour (becoming thus immediately warmer and more inviting), and all transport the reader to that unfortunate German town to bear witness to its inevitable tragedy. By contrast, the lack of racial sensitivity in Brett Harte's The Queen of the Pirate Isle renders it practically unreadable, for all that it was written in 1886, and I was unsettled by the weirdly-morbid reflections of the POV character at the end, though the blending of a real event with the imagination and playtime of a group of children was at least thought-provoking.
Overall, a very mixed bag. Some objectively-lovely illustrations, but most of them rendered in black and white, to their overall detriment, and they lack the appeal (for me, personally) of Beatrix Potter, to whom Greenaway is often compared. I suppose I prefer animals to people in artwork! Full marks for the front cover at least, and its associated poem, which I shall leave you with...
The Cats Have Come To Tea
WHAT did she see–oh, what did she see,
As she stood leaning against the tree?
Why all the Cats had come to tea.
What a fine turn out–from round about,
All the houses had let them out,
And here they were with scamper and shout.
"Mew–mew–mew!" was all they could say,
And, "We hope we find you well to-day."
Oh, what should she do–oh, what should she do?
What a lot of milk they would get through;
For here they were with "Mew–mew–mew!"
She didn't know–oh, she didn't know,
If bread and butter they'd like or no;
They might want little mice, oh! oh! oh!
Dear me–oh, dear me,
All the cats had come to tea.
May 19, 2022
This was a different kind of book, copyright 1976. It's all about famous children's artist, Kate Greenaway, which probably a lot of people living now have never heard of. I knew of her as a little girl. She was responsible for a "new era" of children's books, beginning in 1878. She was famous first for her art, and then for her verse. Kate Greenaway gave children's books, " a true dignity and importance. Children were regarded as real, intelligent human beings, worthy of the very best draftsmanship, imagination, and publishing integrity".
She was born March 17, 1846 in Hoxton, London. She began reading at six. She was primarily interested in drawing people and flowers. In 1857 she began a ten year training as an artist, most of it being at the National Art Training School in the South Kensington Museum, later known as the Royal College of Art. She sold her first art in 1868. She did a lot of free-lance work; including greeting cards.
Her first book was entitled, "Under the Window", and the first edition of 20,000 copies sold out immediately in 1878. In 1894 and 1896 she even published in "The Ladies Home Journal". She died in 1901.
Her books are still different than any other, with the possible exception of Beatrix Potter. They are all listed at the end of the book, including those publications she contributed to.
She was born March 17, 1846 in Hoxton, London. She began reading at six. She was primarily interested in drawing people and flowers. In 1857 she began a ten year training as an artist, most of it being at the National Art Training School in the South Kensington Museum, later known as the Royal College of Art. She sold her first art in 1868. She did a lot of free-lance work; including greeting cards.
Her first book was entitled, "Under the Window", and the first edition of 20,000 copies sold out immediately in 1878. In 1894 and 1896 she even published in "The Ladies Home Journal". She died in 1901.
Her books are still different than any other, with the possible exception of Beatrix Potter. They are all listed at the end of the book, including those publications she contributed to.
January 21, 2026
Library bk sale for the win! Her illustrations are whimsical & so fun to learn about her genius. Esp love the music in the bk & the letter art
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews