and the world of children's picture books has lost another great from one of the greatest periods of children's literature.
I was introduced to "Borka: the adventures of a goose with no feathers" when I was doing my first unit in school librarianship. It won the Kate Greenaway Medal in1963 so it was hardly surprising it was on the list of required reading.I went on to use it, and many of his other books, in my teacher/ librarianship days.
I have given his books to children - most recently one to T.... across the road when his mother was expecting young H.... "There's going to be a baby..." is illustrated by his wife, Helen Oxenbury ("We're going on a bear hunt"). It was a book T's mother had not come across. As a paediatrician she now recommends it to parents.
There were other wonderful picture books that appeared around that time too such as "The tiger who came to tea" (Judith Kerr) and Mr Rabbit and the Lovely Present (Charlotte Zolotow). Ezra Jack Keats wonderful "The Snowy Day" (a Caldecott Medal winner) and "Charley, Charlotte and the Golden Canary" another Greenaway Medal book by Charles Keeping.
I loved those books. I still do. At one time I knew some of them so well I could recite them. I taught a profoundly physically disabled child called Peter who was delighted to find a character called Peter in Keats' books. I had a child who loved anything about rabbits. And of course there are still outstandingly good picture books being produced for children with wonderful illustrators like Shirley Hughes and Chris Riddell. I have fallen in love with Jen Campbell's "Franklin's Flying Bookshop" and Katie Harnett's illustrations. Julia Donaldson's "The Detective Dog" is another delight.
But, I still go back to Borka and some of the other books of that era. They are old friends. Children still want at least some of them. I can go still further back to "The story about Ping"(Marjorie Flack) , a book I treasured as a child. There are many more and Burningham was just one of many - although one of the few, like Keeping, to grab the changes in colour technology and turn them to his advantage.
It says something about really good picture books. They go on and on - just look at Peter Rabbit.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
3 comments:
In my dotage, I find myself more and more drawn to picture books. There are so many and so varied. I have recently got myself a book about William Heath Robinson, and all his work - such variety. We coud spend hours talking about all the wonderful artists who have left us these treats.
I am sorry we have lost John Burningham. Our house seemed to have more of his wife's work, but we loved them both. I can still read her "Bill and Stanley" without looking at the text.
Perhaps it is not all that surprising that the majority of literature that survives for decades is that of children's books. What we loved in childhood stays with us and we pass along to the next generation. Nothing is better than a lovely story and excellent illustrations.
I've been looking for my copies but I think they went to my brother's family - although the bear hunt is surely still here? I think Holly is at least partly right - the familiar is also comforting.
Post a Comment