The ABC of It : why children's books matter

Title:

Author:

Marcus, Leonard S., 1950- author.

ISBN:

9781517908010

Physical Description:

vii, 231 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 25 cm

Subject Term:

Children's literature -- History and criticism.

Illustrated children's books -- History and criticism.

Art and society.

Summary:

"Original artwork and materials explore children's literature and its impact in society and culture over time. A favorite childhood book can leave a lasting impression, but as adults we tend to shelve such memories. For fourteen months beginning in June 2013, more than half a million visitors to the New York Public Library viewed an exhibition about the role that children's books play in world culture and in our lives. After the exhibition closed, attendees clamored for a catalog of The ABC of It as well as for children's literature historian Leonard S. Marcus's insightful, wry commentary about the objects on display. Now with this book, a collaboration between the University of Minnesota's Kerlan Collection of Children's Literature and Leonard Marcus, the nostalgia and vision of that exhibit can be experienced anywhere. The story of the origins of children's literature is a tale with memorable characters and deeds, from Hans Christian Andersen and Lewis Carroll to E. B. White and Madeleine L'Engle, who safeguarded a place for wonder in a world increasingly dominated by mechanistic styles of thought, to artists like Beatrix Potter and Maurice Sendak who devoted their extraordinary talents to revealing to children not only the exhilarating beauty of life but also its bracing intensity. Philosophers like John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau and educators such as Johann Comenius and John Dewey were path-finding interpreters of the phenomenon of childhood, inspiring major strands of bookmaking and storytelling for the young.

Librarians devised rigorous standards for evaluating children's books and effective ways of putting good books into children's hands, and educators proposed radically different ideas about what those books should include. Eventually, publishers came to embrace juvenile publishing as a core activity, and pioneering collectors of children's book art, manuscripts, correspondence, and ephemera appeared--the University of Minnesota's Dr. Irvin Kerlan being a superb example. Without the foresight and persistence of these collectors, much of this story would have been lost forever. Regarding children's literature as both a rich repository of collective memory and a powerful engine of cultural change is more important today than ever" --

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Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Stillwater Public Library	398.809 MAR	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Original artwork and materials explore children's literature and its impact in society and culture over time

A favorite childhood book can leave a lasting impression, but as adults we tend to shelve such memories. For fourteen months beginning in June 2013, more than half a million visitors to the New York Public Library viewed an exhibition about the role that children's books play in world culture and in our lives. After the exhibition closed, attendees clamored for a catalog of The ABC of It as well as for children's literature historian Leonard S. Marcus's insightful, wry commentary about the objects on display. Now with this book, a collaboration between the University of Minnesota's Kerlan Collection of Children's Literature and Leonard Marcus, the nostalgia and vision of that exhibit can be experienced anywhere.

The story of the origins of children's literature is a tale with memorable characters and deeds, from Hans Christian Andersen and Lewis Carroll to E. B. White and Madeleine L'Engle, who safeguarded a place for wonder in a world increasingly dominated by mechanistic styles of thought, to artists like Beatrix Potter and Maurice Sendak who devoted their extraordinary talents to revealing to children not only the exhilarating beauty of life but also its bracing intensity. Philosophers like John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau and educators such as Johann Comenius and John Dewey were path-finding interpreters of the phenomenon of childhood, inspiring major strands of bookmaking and storytelling for the young. Librarians devised rigorous standards for evaluating children's books and effective ways of putting good books into children's hands, and educators proposed radically different ideas about what those books should include. Eventually, publishers came to embrace juvenile publishing as a core activity, and pioneering collectors of children's book art, manuscripts, correspondence, and ephemera appeared--the University of Minnesota's Dr. Irvin Kerlan being a superb example. Without the foresight and persistence of these collectors, much of this story would have been lost forever.

Regarding children's literature as both a rich repository of collective memory and a powerful engine of cultural change is more important today than ever.

Author Notes

Leonard S. Marcus is one of the world's leading authorities on children's books and illustration. Among his many books are Minders of Make-Believe and Margaret Wise Brown: Awakened by the Moon . A frequent contributor to the New York Times Book Review , he is on the faculty of New York University and the School of Visual Arts.

Lisa Von Drasek is curator of the Children's Literature Research Collections at the University of Minnesota.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

In 2013--14, the New York Public Library hosted an exhibition curated by Marcus about "the role children's books play in world culture and our lives," with materials spanning several centuries. He has since collaborated with the University of Minnesota's Kerlan Collection of Children's Literature to create a new iteration of the show and this catalogue, which pairs Marcus's original commentary with items from the Kerlan. The book explores the creation and evolution of children's literature (predominantly focusing on England and the United States), from morality lesson books to the Stratemeyer Syndicate to Harry Potter. There is discussion of comics, censorship, and art style trends. A coda contains a selection of contemporary works from the Kerlan, followed by a list for suggested reading. This catalogue is well designed, featuring crisp, full-color images of materials alongside annotations and commentary. However, while this "is not a strict history of children's books," it is glaring in what is missing: the racist past (and present) of children's literature. The racial stereotyping in The Story of Little Black Sambo is brought up, but racism isn't examined in sections about Mary Poppins or Dr. Seuss. Some works by creators of color and different cultures are represented, but there isn't mention of how disproportionately white the world of children's literature has continually been. VERDICT While this title will be nostalgia inducing for some, its unwillingness to grapple with racial inequities makes the overall effect saccharine and lessens its authenticity.--Jenna Friebel, Oak Park Public Library, IL

Choice Review

The ABC of It originated as a well-received 2013--14 exhibit at the New York Public Library. The staff of the University of Minnesota's Kerlan Collection of Children's Literature were so impressed with the exhibit that they sought and received permission to replicate it--supplementing it with materials from their collection--as a celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Kerlan Collection. Marcus, curator of the NYPL exhibit and an expert on children's books and illustrations, curated the UMN exhibit and prepared this catalogue, working from the plans of his original exhibit and using materials from UMN. The catalogue is not a history of children's literature but rather a review of how children's books reflect the changing adult view of children. Set out in three thematic sections--"Visions of Childhood," "Off the Shelf: Giving and Getting Books," and "The Art of the Picture Book"--the exhibit and this catalogue touch on many wide-ranging topics. Lavishly illustrated in color, the catalogue preserves the content off an important exhibit and at the same time features an important collection. Summing Up: Essential. All readers. --Nora J. Quinlan, Nova Southeastern University

Foreword	p. vi
Introduction	p. 1
Visions of Childhood	p. 4
Sinful or Pure? The Spiritual Child	p. 6
A Blank Slate: The Rational Child	p. 10
A Question of Class	p. 22
From Rote to Rhyme	p. 24
The Work of Play: The Progressive Child	p. 30
Kerlan Features: Goodnight Moon	p. 34
Building Citizens: The Patriotic Child	p. 42
Down the Rabbit Hole	p. 52
Kerlan Features: Alice Around the World	p. 56
In Nature's Classroom: The Romantic Child	p. 60
A Great Dane: Hans Christian Andersen	p. 70
Kerlan Features: Tenggren Tells-It-Again	p. 74
Off the Shelf: Giving and Getting Books	p. 78
Gift Books: Visual Splendor	p. 84
Kerlan Features: The Poky Little Puppy	p. 94
"Write" Off the Assembly Line	p. 98
No Dogs or Children Allowed	p. 104
Kerlan Features: Meeting Beatrix Potter	p. 106
Storyteller en la Biblioteca: Pura Belpré	p. 114
Book Week	p. 120
Lights Out: Reading Under the Covers	p. 124
Censorship: Raising a Ruckus	p. 131
The Art of the Picture Book	p. 140
A Master of Motion: Randolph Caldecott	p. 142
A Homespun Expressionist: Wanda Gág	p. 150
Kerlan Features: Millions of Cats	p. 152
The Size and Shape of Things	p. 156
The New Leonardo: Bruno Munari	p. 164
Kerlan Features: Virginia Lee Burton's Little House	p. 168
Pop Culture	p. 180
Humpty Dumpty	p. 182
Mary Poppins	p. 185
The Secret Garden	p. 186
The Wizard of Oz	p. 188
The Story of Ferdinand	p. 190
Harry Potter	p. 192
Comics Grow Up: Graphic Novels	p. 194
Kerlan Features: Baby Mouse: Queen of the World!	p. 198
Storied City: New York	p. 200
Coda: From the Kerlan	p. 210
Suggested Reading	p. 230
Acknowledgments	p. 321

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Choice Review

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