Children's Books discussion
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July 2020: Picture Books from the 1930s
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The Story of Ferdinand
The Little Engine That Could
Margaret Wise Brown (we did an author/illustrator spotlight on her in May 2019) just beginning her picture books in the 1930s starting with When the Wind Blew
Dr Seuss begins to make his mark with And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street and The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins
Madeline
The Story of Babar (actually not a favorite of mine, but noteworthy for the list)
Maj Lindman with Flicka, Ricka, Dicka, and the New Dotted Dresses and Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Yellow Sled etc.
Lois Lenski and The Little Family and the debut of Mr. Small The Little Auto.
Tasha Tudor with Pumpkin Moonshine
So many favorites here! I'll be back to post reviews of the above soon but wanted to at least get the thread and list started on the 1st :-)
I'm also hoping to discover some that are new-to-me and look forward to member posts as to some of their favorites or new discoveries from the '30s.
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https://www.pinterest.com.au/tiagrafi...
(The Shirley Temple one intrigues me; I know her movies were immensely popular in the '30s and apparently her popularity spilled over into the book market.)
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From 1931 — Snippy And Snappy. Have just skimmed this so far, not bad, kind of cute but the rhymes are sometime a bit forced in my opnion.
From 1933 — The ABC Bunny, Newbery Honour, and probably my favourite by her except for her translations from the Brothers Grimm, fun, educational and great illustrations.
From 1933 — Gone Is Gone: Or The Story Of A Man Who Wanted To Do Housework. A great (and feminist) tale (but actually an adaptation of a European tale that Wanda Gág was told as a child) about an ignorant farmer who thinks that housework is oh so easy and is taught a lesson when he switches roles with his wife.
From 1936 — Tales from Grimm. Not a picture book, but this is one of the best selective translations of Grimm fairy tales I have read, and yes, I also love the detailed author’s note where Wanda Gág explains why she chose the tales she did and how she went about translating and at times adapting them. I highly recommend this book and the sequel (although More Tales from Grimm is a bit unfinished as Wanda Gág died before finishing).
From 1938 — Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Very similar to the original German text by the Grimms and I love that Wanda Gág did her Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs specifically to fight against the Disney version, which I have always despised and which Wanda Gág obviously did as well.
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Thank you. Yes, absolutely it is correct to mention authors or illustrators we have covered in previous years if they are active into the 30s.
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Thank you. Yes, absolutely it is correct to mention authors or illu..."
And Wanda Gág was actually much more active in the 1930s.
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Kathryn's list is a good one. We're about the same age and grew up with the same classics. Also appearing in the 1930s for the first time is Madeline in 1939.
Other good books include
The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes (also 1939)
Marjorie Flack also wrote her Angus series in the 1930s
Angus and the Ducks is the first, 1932
Marguerite de Angeli was active in the 1930s too, as were Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire. Those author/illustrators were more known for longer illustrated books.
One book I HATED every time the school librarian read it to us was The Five Chinese Brothers. I thought they were dopey.
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For example, everyone seems to at least be aware of Munro Leaf’s The Story of Ferdinand but do as many know about Wee Gillis?
And while I am definitely planning to read Marjorie Flak’s The Story About Ping and some of her Angus books, I am also interested in Ask Mr. Bear (from 1932) and Walter the Lazy Mouse (from 1937)
And definitely want to see if I can find some of Dorothy P. Lathrop less well known 1930s picture books
Hide and Go Seek (1938)
The Little White Goat (1933)
The Lost Merry Go Round (1938)
Bouncing Betsy (1936)
But also of course want to read The Fairy Circus and Animals of the Bible: A Picture Book.
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The Dead Bird
The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin
Little Donkey Close Your Eyes
I do think though that The Noisy Book, which is from 1939, does especially with regard to Leon Weisgard’s bold illustrations already feel more akin to the coming decade, to the 1940s (at least to and for me).
So I guess I am also wondering if those Margaret Wise Brown picture books from the 1930s that are now really only available with Modern illustrators are still really of the 1930s. Hopefully, Open Library might also have the originals, and yes, it would be interesting to compare. And I guess I really do not agree with republishing 1930s picture books with modern illustrations, that yes, the original artwork should be retained.
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I also want to try Liang and Lo, which is from 1930 and looks like it was both written and illustrated by Kurt Wiese and Ella The Elephant (from 1931 and again it looks like Kurt Wiese both wrote and illustrated here).
And yes, I do happen to find Kurt Wiese's life story rather fascinating. He was born in Germany but spent seven years living and working in China as a young adult, as a merchant (after he had been actively discouraged from trying to study art by his hometown of Minden). Finally ending up in the USA after WWI saw Kurt Wiese as a POW in Australia, he became serious about art and becoming a book illustrator (with his first critical acclaim being the illustrations for Felix Salten's classic animal tale Bambi in 1929, so I am assuming that this was for an English language translation).
And Kurt Wiese obviously also used his time spent in China as inspiration, as can be seen with his illustrations for The Five Chinese Brothers and for his Caldecott Honour books form the 1940s, Fish in the Air in 1945 and You Can Write Chinese in 1946.
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My hope is that we will be able to f..."
I kind of find it interesting but also a bit perplexing that there seem to have been considerably more tradtional picture books in Europe in the 1920s than in the USA and Canada (at least from my research) and wonder why that is seemingly often the case.
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Yes, this is one of my goals, also. Thanks for the excellent suggestions!
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Yes, that is curious.
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What an interesting biography. I know The Five Chinese Brothers was never a favorite but I did rather like The Story About Ping as a child.
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The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes (also 1939)
Marjorie Flack also wrote her Angus series in the 1930s
Angus and the Ducks is the first, 1932
Marguerite de Angeli was active in the 1930s too, as were Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire. Those author/illustrators were more known for longer illustrated books.
I LOVE The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes. It's been a favorite since childhood. I love Marjorie Flack's illustrations (I love Angus, too!) I don't recall ever coming across any other books by the author. Fascinating that he is best known for writing Porgy (yes, the musical "Porgy and Bess" was based upon it) unless there is another author of the time by the name of DuBose Heyward, which seems unlikely.
Ah, the d'Aulaires! I hadn't included them as I thought they weren't active in PBs until the 1940s so thank you for correcting that.
I loved Marguerite de Angeli's work, too. We read Yonie Wondernose and Thee, Hannah! when I was a kid. The illustrations, especially, stood out to me.
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I found it on Wikipedia.
Kathryn, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who didn't enjoy The Five Chinese Brothers. I don't remember why, except that it was silly. I love Muffin in The Noisy Book! My grandparents had a copy but by 1939 they were young adults so ours was probably my uncle's and mom's from the early 50s.
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Now Dorothy P. Lathrop is generally much better known as an illustrator (with especially her visually delightful pictures for Rachel Field's 1929 Hitty, her First Hundred Years being in my opinion absolutely aesthetically marvellous, and yes, Lathrop also won the very first Caldecott Medal in 1937 for her accompanying drawings in Helen Dean Fish's Animals of the Bible: A Picture Book). So yes, from where I am standing, Dorothy P. Lathrop's 1938 picture book Hide and Go Seek does indeed and clearly demonstrate that while her artwork might indeed be absolutely and brilliantly outstanding in every way (detailed, descriptive and with ALL of Lathrop's animal and plant illustrations shining with both realism and imagination, to produce true visual delights, true aesthetic gems), the accompanying text for Hide and Go Seek (which has indeed been written by Dorothy P. Lathrop herself) really both leaves pretty well everything to be desired and equally and clearly demonstrates that Dorothy P. Lathrop talents and strengths obviously lie in her artistic talents and definitely not in any manner in her penmanship, in her writing (both with regard to style and also thematics and contents).
For honestly, what is actually being verbally presented in Hide and Go Seek is basically just a totally frustrating and haphazardly connected melange of at times quite majorly confusing text, of words that are jumping all over the place and often really do not even make much if any common narrative sense. And as an example, since I never was able to figure out from Dorothy P. Lathrop's printed words if the individual called Barney at the beginning of Hide and Go Seek is a little boy playing hide and go seek in the woods with his friends or one of the many forest creatures depicted and expanded upon, the recurring "he" in Hide and Go Seek might have actually been anyone, and it certainly does tend to make Hide and Go Seek massively textually annoying and confusingly frustrating, with only the fact that Lathrop's artwork is so much a visual delight preventing me from ranking Hide and Go Seek with just one star. And yes, Hide and Go Seek is therefore also only recommended for the illustrations and not at all for the narrative (and since you can indeed read Hide and Go Seek free online if you join Open Library, I also would not ever recommend purchasing a copy unless you truly are someone collecting Dorothy P. Lathrop books).
I obviously have not been all that impressed thus far with Dorothy P. Lathrop's writing but yes, her artistic talents are wonderful. Not sure if I am going to try to read The Little White Goat but beause it is indeed free on Open Library, I might consider (but certainly not a priority).
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I really do have to point out that as an author, Dorothy P. Lathrop obviously (and in my humble opinion) seems to have some major issues with how to correctly employ personal pronouns in a non potentially confusing manner. For yes, I have noticed that she far too often avails herself of in particular the pronoun "he" in a fashion where a reader does not really know for sure whether the individual being described by Lathrop, whether the "he" in question is an animal or a human being, leaving very much a sense of reading annoyance and frustration and also at least to and for me, a total sense of impatience and that Dorothy P. Lathrop absolutely and indeed does not really even somewhat know proper personal pronoun usage (since in my opinion, while personal pronouns are of course supposed to take the place of nouns, they should also never be over-used and that they should be giving a given text increased textual clarity and not the opposite).
And yes and in fact totally, with The Little White Goat (a 1933 picture book both penned and illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop), the right from the onset totally confusing and confounding use of presonal pronouns (and the continuous overuse of the pronoun "he" and that I never really am able to understand if the pronoun is supposed to represent the little boy featured in the Little White Goat or some kind of an animal creature), this has bothered me so much and also bored me to such an extent that I very quickly lost my reading interest and decided to quit (as I have also just recently had to plough through another Dorothy P. Lathrop picture book where pronoun usage is at best something to consider as problematic, and well, I just do not really feel like having to endure another such piece of writing). Thus, only one star for The Little White Goat, as Dorothy P. Lathrop's writing style just leaves everything to be desired and even her accompanying artwork it not enough this time for me to consider more than one star for The Little White Goat (as obviously, Lathrop's annoying way with personal pronouns seems to also be something that is continuously recurring with and in the books she has written, she has penned herself).
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So while I from a sense of aesthetics do very much appreciate that Dorothy P. Lathrop won the very first Caldecott Medal (in 1938) for her visually stunning artwork, I also do not really think that Helen Dean Fish's Animals of the Bible: A Picture Book would be something all that appealing to and for the target audience, to and for younger children (the so-called picture book crowd) and that yes, Animals of the Bible: A Picture Book might well even be a trifle unsuitable.
And my issues with Animals of the Bible: a Picture Book are in fact not AT ALL with its Judeo-Christian themes and content but simply that the presented text Helen Dean Fish uses in Animals of the Bible: a Picture Book (basically passages from the King James version of the Bible) are in my humble opinion much too dense, much too complicated and intricate for younger children. For while I actually very much do adore the King James Bible and consider it both a personal favourite and a literary masterpiece, Animals of the Bible: a Picture Book would indeed have been very much confusing and annoyingly tedious if I had had this picture book read to me as a child (and even if I had tried to read Animals of the Bible: a Picture Book on my own as a child). Because even if the King James Bible passages found in Animals of the Bible: a Picture Book are indeed beautifully expressive and full of much literary delight and merit, they really do NOT in my opinion work all that well in a picture book, they are just too difficult and too convoluted for use with, for reading to young children (and really, Animals of the Bible: a Picture Book is therefore and in my opinion more a Bible-themed picture book for adults, as it really does kind of fail as reading or listening fare for children, for anyone below the age of around at least twelve or even thirteen or fourteen).
But even with Dorothy P. Lathrop's Caledcott Medal winning illustrations, I also tend to find some of her accompanying pictures (even though I have personally found them all visually spectacular) potentially problematic with regard to how suitable they are for younger children, since especially Lathrop's depictions of serpents (Eve with the serpent and in particular the gaping and almost frothing snake jaws of Leviathan) might well be frightening (for yes, with Animals of the Bible: a Picture Book, those two serpent illustrations would have totally freaked me out as a child). And while therefore I can and do appreciate Animals of the Bible: a Picture Book in an of itself, as a picture book, I do consider it not all that suitable for children and even not really meant for children either.
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When I started reading Wanda Gág's 1931 picture book Snippy and Snappy, it vaguely but also at the same time rather immediately and very much obviously started to strongly remind me of Aesop's Town Mouse and Country Mouse fable, namely because Snippy and Snappy's (two young field mouse siblings) adventures and misadventures in that house (as well as their potential and very palpable peril) really does (in my opinion) feel rather similar and akin to how in the Town Mouse and Country Mouse story, the curious country mouse (just like the two field mice in Snippy and Snappy) finds the fascinating but ultimately much too dangerous human house not really worth the stress and the fear.
But indeed and this having been said, I also do not really consider Snippy and Snappy as an actual and bona fide adaptation of the Town Mouse and Country Mouse story either, but more an original Wanda Gág creation that features certain thematic correspondences and as such is basically a rather typical tale favourably comparing living in the country, living in or near a field, to residing in a place of human habitation (at least for mice, at least for rodents). And therefore, Snippy and Snappy is basically a pretty much delightful little picture book story that is humorous and generally quite sweetly and engagingly penned, with Wanda Gág's poetical text also perfect for reading aloud. However, I still do tend to find that that there are indeed a few minor spots in Snippy and Snappy where Wanda Gág's rhyming sequence does seem to feel a trifle artificial and awkward and that while Gág's signature black and white artwork is like always aesthetically adept, visually descriptive and also delightfully mirroring her rollicking and motion-imbued poetry, the illustrations are also rather small and sometimes a bit blurry (but that could of course also be because I was reading Snippy and Snappy online).
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So while I from a sense of aesthetics do very much appreciate that Dorothy P. Lathrop won the very first Caldecott Medal (in 1938) for her visua..."
Here's my original review:
I was surprised to find that the illustrations are black and white drawings! It's striking though I admit I felt a little disappointed. I'm not sure if it's just the printing I have, but a few of the illustrations looked a little "blown out" like there was a bit of fading or something. For example, "Balaam's Ass", the angel looks rather fadeded in places, the wings don't have a lot of detail, etc. I'm not sure if this is intentional.
The art (it really feels like art) is quite beautiful, and it is clear that Lathrop knew animals well--they are quite realistically portrayed. This is such a contrast from many of the picture books of today that are not only very colorful but also often more fanciful in their interpretation of animals.
I'm not sure how much the art would appeal to children of today, but I could definitely appreciate the work. I am reminded of the Little House books and how Laura was always so interested in looking at the illustrations in Pa's book of animals. I imagine that especially for children of yesteryear, many of whom would never see these animals move on the big or small screen, let alone get to see them in person, it would be very exciting to see them represented in these illustrations.
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So while I from a sense of aesthetics do very much appreciate that Dorothy P. Lathrop won the very first Caldecott Medal (in 1..."
And maybe they would at times also look more at the pictures than the Bible passages.
Wait-I had NO idea the Little Engine That Could was female! That's amazing! I did not remember that at all, not even when zombie boy was vehicle boy. No wonder I like stories about fearless females! I never thought about what the train represented except belief in yourself that you can do it.
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Barkis (1938)
Herbert the Lion (1931)
Mittens (1936)
Babette (1937)
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I didn't notice until a few years ago that she was female. I wonder if the edition I read as a child was one with a male engine.
This is (was?) often used in kindergarten week one, to motivate the students to do their best. I agree with that interpretation. I absolutely do not see the other engines as anything but selfish and lazy... the little engine was capable of doing it, and so clearly for them it would have been easy.
I do see the point of the complaint. Many stories do put extra burdens on the female characters. This isn't one of them. This is indeed about a strong, brave, *good* little engine who happens to be female.
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:-)
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I'm glad you also had a positive interpretation of the story, Cheryl. It has always been one of my favorites. I agree that the main point is that the engine is strong, brave and good and these are positive qualities to have no matter one's gender identity. That said, I do really appreciate her being a "strong female" at a time when there were so few "strong female" characters like that in children's books.
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The cover art looks so familiar to me so I'm thinking maybe these are books read to me as a child, but I don't remember them particularly.
I'll check them out on Open Library and see what I think.
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I definitely find the illustrations better than the text, but before I review, I should reread them and a bit more slowly.
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Kathryn wrote: "Doing a little happy dance here as the library system is now allowing us 15 holds (instead of the limited 5 during the initial reopening phases). I'm hoping to get in some of these books next week."ooh nice! Congratulations! I think we're stuck at 10 holds.
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Ah, darn. Hope your district is able to safely expand soon.
Kathryn wrote: "QNPoohBear wrote: "ooh nice! Congratulations! I think we're stuck at 10 holds"Ah, darn. Hope your district is able to safely expand soon."
It doesn't matter. The library is only 15 minutes away. We popped by today to pick up the two books I had for niece and nephew. Now I can add more books to my hold list. We don't have district libraries here-we have one system for the whole state. It's awesome except for now when some libraries aren't open yet and I want a book that was due back 2 days ago and hasn't been returned!
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Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Big Surprise finds the three boys eager to give a wonderful surprise to Mother when she returns from a trip. They get the idea to give her a chair but have no money so they ask the tradesmen in town if they can do some work for them in exchange for the material and craftsmanship needed to create the chair. I love their giving nature and eagerness to do real work. It's also wonderful for children today to see how furniture was once made only by hand.
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka, and the New Dotted Dresses is also charming. Here the three girls eagerly wear the lovely new dresses Mother has just finished making for them. They go outside and Mother reminds them to keep their dresses clean... but when the girls meet a little old woman in need of help with her heavy load, they remember Mother has always told them to be helpful to others. Risking smudges on their dresses they carry the old woman's burden for her back to her farmhouse... then the lure of the farm animals is so great, and the woman's need of rest so apparent, that the girls soon help out with the farm chores. (I love that these are healthy, active girls enjoying fresh air and physical activity.) Of course, the dresses get dirty but Mother is understanding when the girls explain the reason why. I love Mother's practical advice when the girls suggest going back to help at the farm again: yes, they must always be helpful to others... but that next time maybe they could wear their overalls ;-)
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In any case, I agree that they're lovely books and timeless in their appeal, even if some modern children need to read them through the lens of 'historical fiction.'
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Good question! I have found myself that publication dates are often rather haphazard and have for example noticed 1930s dates at Open Library and more recent ones for the same book elsewhere. And for example with Margaret Wise Brown, many if not the majority of her 1930s picture books are now only available with current illustrations (in other words the books have been republished with different and modern illustrations).
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I think you are asking about the Maj Lindman books? I believe the first few were published in the late 1930s and more of the series in the 1940s based on what I'm remembering from the copyright pages. However, when I consulted Wikipedia I found that the books were first published in Sweden in the 1920s (!) and continued until the 1960s (!) So, I'm not sure how helpful that is for your purposes of updating GR but, here is the info:
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr is the name of fictional triplets depicted in a series of children's books by author/illustrator Maj Lindman (1886-1972).[1] The triplets, all boys with blond hair, live in Sweden and have light-hearted misadventures. The series of books was created in the 1920s in Sweden and then printed in English in the United States from the 1930s. Lindman also started a series of books featuring three sisters, Flicka, Ricka, Dicka, with similar themes. A 1936 New York Times review of the book Snipp Snapp Snurr and the Yellow Sled cited the Snipp, Snapp, Snurr series as "popular with the little children"
Flicka Ricka Dicka is the name of fictional triplets depicted in a series of children's books by author/illustrator Maj Lindman.[1] The triplets, all girls with blond hair, live in Sweden and have light hearted misadventures. The series of books were first created in the 1920s in Sweden and then printed in English in the United States from the 1930s.
The series of books continued until about 1960. Some of Lindman's stories were included in a series of compilations called "The Best of Children's Books"
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The Library of Congress catalog lists the following datesSnipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Buttered Bread 1934
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Gingerbread 1932 (old catalog) 1936 (newer catalog)
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Yellow Sled 1936
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Big Surprise 1937
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Big Farm 1946
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr Learn to Swim 1954
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Reindeer 1957
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr & The Seven Dogs 1959
The LoC lists the following publication dates for Flicka, Dicka and RickaFlicka, Ricka, Dicka, and the New Dotted Dresses 1939
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Girl Next Door 1940
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Three Kittens 1941
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and Their New Friend 1942
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Strawberries 1944
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Little Dog 1946
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka & Their New Skates 1950
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Big Red Hen 1960
Both series were reprinted in the 1990s.
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Flicka, Ricka, Dicka, and the New Dotted Dresses 1939
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Girl Next Door(one of my favorites) but I don't have it on hand to check the copyright page (online it says 1958)
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Thank you for posting the dates on the Lindman books. There's also Flicka, Ricka, Dicka Go to Market (one of my favorites) but I don't have it on hand to check the copyright page (online it says 1958)
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Children's Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Little Wooden Doll (other topics)The Little Wooden Doll (other topics)
The Little Wooden Doll (other topics)
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Buttered Bread (other topics)
Holiday Time (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Maj Lindman (other topics)Maj Lindman (other topics)
Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire (other topics)
Marguerite de Angeli (other topics)
Marjorie Flack (other topics)
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My hope is that we will be able to find many of these online so that those of us without easy access to library materials during the COVID-19 situation will still be able to participate using such sources as Open Library, International Children's Digital Library, Library of Congress (any others I'm not aware of?)
There's no "required reading list" so members are free to read whatever PBs from the 1930s strike their fancy and share their reviews here. Note that the Caldecott Medal was first awarded in 1938 so those of you who were aboard for our Caldecott discussions here in the PB Club in years past will find a bit of overlap in the latter part of the 1930s.
In addition to exploring the books themselves, I am eager to learn more about what, exactly, changed in the world of publishing between the 1920s and 1930s. Surely children themselves didn't change too much in so short a time. Did production and manufacturing change to allow more picture books to be printed at reasonable costs (as much of this was during the Great Depression in the US it is surprising that the market developed so much in these years). I'm hoping to get into some research later this month but share if you have insights to this.