Picture Book Monday: Mid-Twentieth-Century Edition

[osprey_archer]

Another budget of picture books! I rarely have a full post worth of stuff to say about a picture book, but also often have a thought or two I want to share, so have decided to continue in the template of the picture book compilation posts I wrote during during Picture Book Advent.

Lentil, written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey. Young Lentil can neither sing nor whistle, but when the brass band can’t play to welcome the town’s leading citizen back home, Lentil saves the day with his harmonica. The instant this leading citizen was mentioned, I pegged him for a bad ’un, but McCloskey was writing in a different era and the guy who keeps giving the town schools and libraries and hospitals is a public-spirited good ’un even if he does name it all after himself.

Mike’s House, by Julia Sauer, illustrated by Don Freeman. Young Robert loves Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel so much that he calls the library “Mike’s house.” Hilarity ensues when Robert gets lost on a snowy day and asks a police man to help him find Mike’s house. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel was published in 1939, this book was published in 1954, my brother and I loved Mike Mulligan in the late 80s and early 90s, and now my soon-to-be-three-year-old niece loves Mike Mulligan too. Just lovely to see this chain of connection stretching for close to 90 years now.

The Sunday Outing, by Gloria Jean Pinkney, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Published later than the other books in this book but set in the same 1930s-1950sish time period. Young Ernestine loves to go to the North Philadelphia train station every Sunday to watch the trains with her Aunt Odessa Powell. (Truly a satisfying name to say.) But she’s never gotten to ride the trains and is afraid she never will, till Aunt Odessa Powell suggests that Ernestine come up with a way to save money so her family can buy her a ticket to go visit her mother’s folks in North Carolina.

Gorgeous evocative detail, as always in Pinkney’s illustrations. Love his skill at capturing the peculiar ways that children sometimes move. Also love the 1930s/40s style of it all. Did worry slightly about Ernestine crossing into Jim Crow territory all on her lonesome in the train, but decided that in Picture Book Land perhaps this would not be a problem.

Playing Possum, written by Edward Eager, illustrated by Paul Galdone. The last of the little-known Edward Eager books that I discovered through Wikipedia. A possum falls into a garbage can; the adults are appalled at the sight of this ugly dying rat, and only the little boy recognizes that it is in fact a possum, and is in fact playing possum. Underwhelming. If you’re going to read one of the lesser-known Eagers, definitely make it Mouse Manor.

Comments

[sovay]

Young Robert loves Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel so much that he calls the library “Mike’s house.” Hilarity ensues when Robert gets lost on a snowy day and asks a police man to help him find Mike’s house.

I had no idea it had generated second-order picture book! I am delighted to know this. (I read it in the early '80's.)

[osprey_archer]

I enjoyed it so much! You know a book has reached true classic stage when there are books about the original book.

[sovay]

You know a book has reached true classic stage when there are books about the original book.

I was inspired to look and indeed there is now a picture book about Make Way for Ducklings.

[genarti]

I'd forgotten all about Lentil! But now that you mention it, I did read it. Though in my memory it's getting a bit muddled up with Wee Gillis, which was a household favorite.

The Sunday Outing sounds delightful, and so does Mike's House. I too had no idea there was a second-order book about Mike Mulligan! Indirectly about, at any rate.

[osprey_archer]

I haven't read Wee Gillis! Clearly I should give it a go... oh look, it won a Caldecott Honor. Yet more reason to start a Caldecott Honor project.

[landofnowhere]

I feel like I actually remember the bit in Ramona the Pest where she asks how Mike Mulligan went to the bathroom better than the actual Mike Mulligan book (which I also read). I'm glad there's a whole secondary literature!

[osprey_archer]

I hadn't remember that Mike inspired TWO different literary tributes. Amazing.

[nnozomi]

awwww, Mike Mulligan, an old favorite. What a great idea for a picture book in homage. (It also blew my mind to find out that the same author also wrote _Life Story_, which is gorgeous in a completely different style, do you know it?)

[osprey_archer]

I'm not familiar with Life Story! Will have to look it up.

[asakiyume]

I love Jerry Pinkney's art, so I found a Youtube video of someone reading The Sunday Outing aloud so I could see all the pictures, and yeah, so nice! Love all Ernestine's dresses. And yes about the way children move--the angles of the elbows, things like that Really nice!

[osprey_archer]

Oh, yay! Glad Youtube came to the rescue. And yes, he's so good at capturing the angles of the elbows and the ways children will twist themselves up like awkward pretzels.