Many years ago, visiting the Rare Books Collection at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., I came upon this chapbook for children. I immediately fell in love with it and its crude, fascinating woodcuts. I knew I wanted to own my copy, but how can you find another copy of a flimsy little children’s book from 1840? Well, a bunch of years later, by chance, I did. And the book is as good as I remembered.
Jane and Eliza
Newark
Printed for the Publisher
1840
Nursery Rhymes
[Early 19th century]
The History of Giles Gingerbread: A Little Boy who lived upon learning.
By Tom Trip.
Decorated with Cuts.
York: Printed by J. Kendrew, Colliergate.
Here’s my interview with Giuseppe Castellano at The Illustration Department, in which we chat about children’s books, Bosch, Giotto, Maurice Sendak, comic strips, Lane Smith, Alessandro Sanna, etc.
Available at bookstores here and there and also here: Indiebound.
“An abecedarian catalog of delights. (…) This work adroitly bridges the more-than-half-century gap between two accomplished artists.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Each page offers its own adventure; taken together, the spreads create an irresistible, deliciously subversive invitation to turn one’s back on the tiresome.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“With a nod to the fanciful, this alphabetic listing of activities invites readers’ imaginations to soar.”
— School Library Journal (starred review)
“A natural choice for storytime…Inventive and original, Ruzzier pays homage to Krauss as well as Sendak, using a style all his own.”
— Booklist
Available now in bookstores and online, including Indiebound.
Published by Atheneum/Simon & Schuster and available on Indiebound and elsewhere, or directly at your favorite bookstore.
One cannot say Fox & Chick: The Party and Other Stories went overlooked! I am happy to report that the book made it into a bunch of end-of-the-year “best” children’s books, including:
NPR Best Books of the Year
New York Times Notable Children’s Book
Boston Globe Best Book of the Year
Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
The Horn Book Magazine Fanfare Best Book of the Year
Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year
The 2018 Nerdies: Early Readers and Early Chapter Books
And I might be forgetting a few…
