Dear readers,
As a parent of a young child, I spend a fair amount of time with picture books. There are the classics, of course, but our library now contains many, many that I had not heard of before I had a kid. The simple and sometimes not-so-simple story lines and the full-page art often amaze me in how engaging they can be, not only for my child (whose favorite word has long been “again!”), but for me, as well.
That’s a testament to illustrators like Maira Kalman, whose work is currently on display at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst. In this week’s story, penned by Laura Holland, we get into the mind of this artist by looking at several pieces of her work. From Holland’s description of Kalman’s book “Stay Up Late” — inspired by the lyrics of a Talking Heads song — to the image of Abraham Lincoln’s family sitting around a table, complete with children playing with a bright green ball, Kalman brings a whimsy to her work along with that backdrop of reality present in so many of the best children’s stories.
Children’s books are a non-digital window into the world of imagination for young people that offer just about everything you could want as a parent — the chance to connect with your child, to experience a story and art together and to be present in a haven from the distractions of the technological and digital world. Authors and illustrators like Kalman, and many of the others showcased by the Carle, are to be commended for their contributions.
One more note — in last week’s edition, we inadvertently left out one of photographer Carol Lollis’s photographs of the year, which we have included this week on page 18. We apologize for the omission.
— Dave Eisenstadter