yankeeancestry (2536 ) View Listings | Report Mar-26-08 11:03 PDT 1 of 17
Now, if it was Blueberries for Sal, that would have been something.
I always thought this book was nice enough, and having experienced some of those better Maine coast days [as opposed to being fogged in for a solid week], it was evocative for me reading/telling it to my daughter. But his less detailed art work, after Sal, just didn't seem all that noteworthy.
Was this like a Hollywood make-up award for something?
re other artist: How "big", if at all, is Robert Lawson these days?
zlinda (1707 ) View Listings | Report Mar-26-08 11:37 PDT 2 of 17
I don't think this was a make-up award. 1957 was an era of prescribed readers (think Dick & Jane, et. at.), and also some unrest from John Hersey's "Why Johnny Can't Read' article in Life Mag, I'm sure the noise reverberating through the ears of elementary school educators everywhere.
In this environment, in 1957 two landmark early readers were published, The Cat In The Hat and Little Bear, books outside of the prescribed learn-to-read curriculum. That these two were ignored for Caldecott mention by the selection body of librarians, and a more conservative book selected, is understandable given the context.
The Cat In The Hat in particular did not strike the fancy of the teaching public for many, many years (due in part to the authority bending Cat), while Little Bear's Visit deservedly winning a Caldecott Honor in 1962 could be some make-up for Little Bear's omission.
zlinda (1707 ) View Listings | Report Mar-26-08 11:48 PDT 3 of 17
How "big", if at all, is Robert Lawson these days?
Quite. Lawson won both a Caldecott Medal for his illustrations, and a Newbery Medal for his writing, along with Honor awards in both categories.
In the contemporary children's book space, the two 'A+' collectibles are Sendak and Seuss. Just below the top two, is the 'A' tier, including Crockett Johnson, H.A. Rey, Chris Van Allsburg, and so forth. Lawson & McCloskey would be just below that 2nd tier, and only because their works have not crossed over into pop culture quite as much as the creations of the above.
zlinda (1707 ) View Listings | Report Mar-26-08 11:56 PDT 4 of 17
yankeeancestry: You might find
this list of most valuable children's book illustrators useful. Stan compiled the list from our database. Please consider it directionally accurate.