Interior illustration by Louis Darling, from "Beezus and Ramona" by Beverly Cleary, first published in 1955.
Speaking as an English major who spent a lot of time reading a lot of great literature, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that Beverly Cleary is the greatest author in all of American l…
Interior illustration by Louis Darling, from "Beezus and Ramona" by Beverly Cleary, first published in 1955.
I mentioned that we've been reading the Beverly Cleary books to Tsia. They're the first real "chapter" books (as opposed to picture books) in which she's been interested, and when I say interested I mean captivated. Before this she was frightened by the rat in Charlotte's Web, and my beloved Paddington Bear is still a bit old for her. But Ramona! Well, the girl couldn't be more enthralling, could she? And the books are as good as I remember them. Maybe even better. I can't stand to miss a chapter, so when it’s Todd’s turn to read, he reads to both of us. This fall we obsessively made our way through every Ramona story, and then we exhausted most of the Henry Huggins books as well. But Ms. Clearly is right when she says that children want to read "books about kids like us;" Tsia is definitely more interested in the stories about girls than boys (although Ribsy is pretty cool, too). Right now we're hoping that Ellen Tebbits will repair her friendship with Austine, and suddenly ballet classes sound appealing, when two weeks ago she responded with a big "NO!" upon being asked if she was interested. (Ellen and her friend Austine take ballet classes together.) We've been borrowing Ms. Cleary's books from the public library, and I've been surprised to see that the newer copies of the books have "updated" illustrations. I still visualize Ramona as drawn by Louis Darling, the original illustrator of many of the books. From what I can gather, Mr. Darling died quite young, and several other illustrators were hired for later books. But it’s the Darling illustrations that have stayed with me, and I’m sorry that they’re being replaced. I really don’t think the newer illustrations do the books justice. When I think of Ramona, I still see her with her printed dresses, fuzzy cardigans and oxford shoes with floppy bobby socks. I completely agree with this blogger, who says that Mr. Darling’s illustrations are appealing to children and adults, in part, because of their nostalgia. They were also just beautifully composed and compelling in the way they captured the expressions and personalities of their characters. Call me whiney, complain-y and old fashioned, but I really do think the illustrations are an integral part of the books. Todd’s parents recently sent us his copies of the books which they had saved for him, signed by Ms. Clearly herself. I’ve enjoyed paging through them to reminisce, and I’m putting them away until Tsia is old enough to read and enjoy these copies herself. I’m sure our first reading of the books was just one of many for her. But I hope that future printings of Ms. Cleary’s books will include those original illustrations so that more children can enjoy them as well.
Ellen Tebbits by Beverly Cleary, illustrated by Louis Darling, published by Dell Yearling, 1979. This paperback copy is in good condition. The binding is solid, and the pages are intact and clean. The cover is good, there is some shelf wear and darkening overall.
Anyone who grew up in the 70's probably knows about the books of Beverly Cleary, especially stuff like Ramona The Pest and Runaway Ralph. But the thing I loved and still love about those books was the art of Louis Darling. While trying to do a bit web reserch on the guy, I was amazed at how little information I could find. I'd consider him a big influence as far as my artwork goes. His stuff always had a sense of movement and fun. I was always impressed by how simple yet detailed his art was. And his expressions could not be beat. It's sad that publishers are replacing Darling's artwork with new "modern" art to keep the book up to date. They're missing the point. The thing I loved about the books were their sense of nostagia. Even as a kid reading them in the 1970's, I knew they where about a time and a place long gone. But I didn't mind, and I doubt kids today would either.
There’s fierce competition out there, but I think Emily Hughes is the most exciting new artist making picture books today. Her first book Wild came out in 2013 and became an instant classic. …
adventures with fiber and life
Childhood Memory #7: The Library Walking to the books - How many miles did I log going back and forth? ********** One of Louis Darling's wonderful drawings; this one from Beezus and Ramona I thought I was done posting haiku during this poetry challenge, but then I discovered that author Beverly Cleary is 95 today! As a child, I lived a little less than half a mile from the library, which was then at the north edge of downtown, right next to the courthouse. The library loomed large in my childhood: it was my safe haven, it was my gateway to the world, it was one of a very few places where I felt cherished, safe, and totally free to be myself. I was a weekly visitor at any time of the year. During the summer, it was not unusual for me to make three or four trips a week to the library, sometimes two in the same day, usually on foot. I may have been nine when I first discovered Beverly Cleary. Whether I found her on my own or whether Mrs. Judd, the archetypal librarian of my childhood, steered me Cleary's way, I cannot recall, but I do remember the first Cleary book I ever read. It was Ellen Tebbits, the story of a third grader who found her best friend in a janitorial closet where they were both hiding while they changed in and out of their dance clothes. (Read the book if you want to know why Ellen and Austine, her friend, were hiding.) One book by Cleary and I was hooked. Otis Spofford (the wonderful bullfight chapter!), Beezus and Ramona (the applesauce!), and all the rest then available soon followed. Cleary's early works were illustrated by Louis Darling, whose detailed pen and ink drawings fascinated me almost as much as Cleary's words did. I missed out (the first time) on the rash of Ramona books Cleary wrote in the late 70s and early 80s. As luck would have it, after we moved back to Delaware, the girl next door one day brought over a sack of books she had "outgrown" and thought my boys might like to read. I was thrilled beyond words to find the bag was full of Beverly Cleary novels (including my beloved Ellen Tebbits), and thus I had the glorious opportunity to catch up on many of Cleary's later works that I had missed the first time around. I still have the twelve volumes we got that day and still dip into them frequently. I can never thank Bethany, then the girl next door and now a cherished friend, enough for that grocery sack of wonder. In the 1990s, Cleary wrote two autobiographies, A Girl From Yamhill and On My Own Two Feet. These portray her childhood and adulthood up through the publication of Henry Huggins, her first book. Cleary wrote with clarity and honesty about her struggles to get an education and lead her own life despite constrained finances and the constant disapproval and opposition of her mother, themes which resonated deeply with me. They are as easy to read as her novels and I have returned to them more than once as well. There is a wonderful line in the movie Hook (a favorite of mine), in which Captain Hook (the Captain Hook of Peter Pan fame) proclaims "What would the world be without Captain Hook?" What would be it be indeed? That line rings true for all of the great characters of children's literature. What would the world be without Jo, Stuart, Charlotte, Laura, Harry, Dorothy, Jane, Pauline, Petrova, and Posie, Alice, Meg and Charles Wallace, Sara, Sam, Milo and Tock, Stanley, and Caddie? (Can you name the characters and the books?) What would the world be without Beezus and Ramona? Happy birthday, Beverly Cleary!
There’s fierce competition out there, but I think Emily Hughes is the most exciting new artist making picture books today. Her first book Wild came out in 2013 and became an instant classic. …
Interior illustration by Louis Darling, from "Ramona the Pest" by Beverly Cleary, first published in 1968.
Last Sunday we packed the kids and our bikes up and headed to Portland to the Beverly Cleary walk tour. I think I was more excited than my kids to immerse myself in the world of Ramona and her fictional stomping grounds. The Ramona books were some of my favorites growing up not only for the endlessly entertaining antics of Ramona and Beezus themselves, but also because the series is set in the rainy Northwest. As a child it was easy to imagine Ramona's world because it was so similar to my own. Imagine my delight then as Ella has discovered Ramona for herself and gobbles the books up faster than we can make it to the library to check out more! Our self guided tour began at the Hollywood branch library in Portland where a helpful librarian gave us a map and encouraged us along in our endeavour. We set out on our bikes and peddled around the beautiful old neighborhoods that make up the Hollywood district. I had seen a photo earlier on the Internet of Beverly Cleary's childhood house and since it was painted a brick red it was not hard to find tucked in amongst the streets. We stopped to admire the statues of Ramona, Beezus and Ribsby in Grant park - which the kids declared were "creepy", played and ate our lunch. After lunch we finished our tour which wound us past the elementary and high schools which Cleary attended. As we finished our ride the rain began, so ducking in a cozy coffee shop to warm up was the perfect ending for our day. As we left Portland to head back home to Salem we made a point of driving down Klicitat Street to try and find Ramona's house. We found a gracious bungalow that we thought might likely be hers and curiosities were satisfied. All in all we had a wonderful time! If you're interested in checking out this tour for yourself go here to find some info. Please note that the map is part fiction and part real and quite a bit of imagination must be used to make this tour extra special - but that's what makes it so fun and charming! p.s. If you are looking into either buying or checking out the Ramona series I would encourage you to check out the original pencil illustrations done by Louis Darling some of which I've posted here. I think they are amazing!
An apple to author Bonnie Becker for writing some of the finest first pages of teacher fiction!: Ms. Plum had the best class in Sprin...
Interior illustration by Louis Darling, from "Ellen Tebbits" by Beverly Cleary, first published in 1951.
I love autumn. I love the crisp air and the fiery foliage and even the ridiculousness of all the Halloween decor, the black arched-back cats and hollow-e...
Anyone who grew up in the 70's probably knows about the books of Beverly Cleary, especially stuff like Ramona The Pest and Runaway Ralph. But the thing I loved and still love about those books was the art of Louis Darling. While trying to do a bit web reserch on the guy, I was amazed at how little information I could find. I'd consider him a big influence as far as my artwork goes. His stuff always had a sense of movement and fun. I was always impressed by how simple yet detailed his art was. And his expressions could not be beat. It's sad that publishers are replacing Darling's artwork with new "modern" art to keep the book up to date. They're missing the point. The thing I loved about the books were their sense of nostagia. Even as a kid reading them in the 1970's, I knew they where about a time and a place long gone. But I didn't mind, and I doubt kids today would either.
A Child's Garden Of Verses Robert Louis Stevenson Illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa 1981 Reprint Edition Hardcover, Large Size Classic Poetry combined with 1950s Adorable Colored illustrations make this darling copy of A Child's Garden Of Verses a real keeper! So so cute. Classic Gyo Fujikawa illustrations will steal your heart, illustrating some of the world's best known and beloved children's poetry by Robert Louis Stevenson. This is a Reprint of the 1957 classic in good condition. There are some small tears on a few pages, see photos. Original owner's name inscribed within. Not library circulated, private collection.
