Haruyo le 井江春代 I

 

If you only take the glory of the poppy (below) from this post I will be happy. This is the work of Haruyo Lee (1923-2011)  ありのマック was published in 1964 and has superb collaged illustrations of an ants life. 

       

Toyoko Igarashi II

A surprisingly garish cover (above) for a book of sensitive street studies that take the reader on a wordless tour of the streets of a town, 'Shops and Stores of Japan'おみせ' by Toyoko Igarashi, published in 1980. I studied silent books for my MA and found them to be an incredibly dextrous tool for igniting the imagination and conversation/ narrative skills of the reader/s. This book is fascinating in its detailed realistic studies, a real treasure.

Toyoko Igarashi I

えんにち (Let’s Visit Fete) published in1973 illustrated by Toyoko Igarashi is the first of two silent books that take you on an outing to see and discuss what you can see and what is happening and the endless possibilities of narrative for a snapshot of time. A conversation piece that allows the spoken word to be the building blocks of imagination and thoughtful interaction with books. 

 

Yuki Katsura 桂ゆき

Yuki Katsura 桂ゆき "Pichiko-chan no Kekon" 1971, written by Hajime Kijima 木島始. Yuki Katsura (1913 – 1991) was an artist who worked across many genres and media,  This book has been illustrated using stencils.

John J Reiss II

John J Reiss, 'Shapes All Around' published in 1976, is a wonderful graphic work that reminds me so much of fuzzy felt box design and has wonderful colour combinations. 

Ralph Steadman III

 

The Tale of Driver Grope, written by Richard Ingrams and illustrated by Ralph Steadman published in 1969.

This book is one of those wonderful finds, it reminds me of Borka by John Burningham of 1963, it has a fantastic chunky expressionist style with bold black lines containing expressive brushy areas of colour and unfortunately familiar characters. 

Ludwig Bemelmans III

 

Ludwig Bemelmans, 'Welcome Home', published in 1960. This book is based on a poem by Beverley Bogort,

The clever fox evades the holiday hounds of the gallant hunt using his cunning skill and the story ends with the fox safely snuggled up at home with his family as his yearly tradition has been successful.I am really enjoying finding the rarer books of Ludwig Bemelmans his style is instantly recognisable and it is fun to see the stories he created other than the Madeline series.

Ludwig Bemelmans I

 

Most people know of Ludwig Bemelmans (1898–1962) because of his immensely successful and stunning Madeline series. But I have been researching his lesser-known works, so I am starting by sharing; 'Parsley', 1955, this story is about the wood in the forest being chopped down for human use so there is no shelter or protection for the animals. 

Ludwig Bemelmans was born in Meran, Austria (now Merano, Italy) and migrated to the United States in 1914 when just 16, on Christmas Eve, his wayward father forgot to collect him, due to family connections he had letters of introduction which secured him jobs in many of the city's hotels. Having gained citizenship he later joined the army but was never sent to Europe. He had always drawn sketches and caricatures and in 1926 he secured a brief job as a caricaturist and then later as a painter, illustrator, and writer for both children and adults. His first children's book was published in 1936

He was awarded a Caldecott Medal from the American Library Association in 1954. 

          

R. J. Davidson

'I Have A Turtle', A Whitman Tiny Tot Tale, written by Kathy Bing,  illustrated by R. J Davidson published in 1966. Is a delightfully simple story, with clear joyful illustrations.