Mieczysław Piotrowski

 It is the eve of Chinese New Year and the Year of the horse and I so love this book cover by Polish designer and illustrator Mieczysław Piotrowski (1910-1977) that I wanted it included here. It is"Komu do śmiechu" by Marian Załucki from the Book series Biblioteka Stańczyka Published by Wydawnictwo Iskry 1970. This book is a book of poetry with line drawings inside.

Jan Brychta I

 

Jan Brychta (1938-2013) illustration for; 'Máte doma lva?' Do you have a lion at home? This is Czech film poster from 1963, I wish it was a book it looks such fun with it's benign lion. The film follows two little brothers Pepík and Honzík exploring Prague on their own. They meet a strange painter, explore the mysterious corners of the National Museum and even free cursed musicians from the underwater realm and are happy to get home to their lion, the film is directed by Pavel Hobl.

Jan Brychta was born in 1938 in Mladá Boleslav, Czechoslovakia a master Czech artist, film animator and pioneer of television graphics with a daily cartoon. When Russia invaded Czechoslovakia he his wife Lida and their two children Alex and Edita fled to London.

Rowan MacGregor II

 

Happy Valentines with two delicate tiny works from Rowan MacGregor.

André François VIIII

 

In anticipation of tomorrow, a cover designed by André François designed for Nina Epton's gift box.

Vyacheslav Legkobit II

 

As Ukraine continues to suffer under the barrage of Russian attack, and Russian and Ukrainians loose their loved ones. I thought we could celebrate some of the illustration of  Vyacheslav Legkobit for her Ukrainian folklore tongue twisters published in 1976 by Veselka.  Let there be peace!

Elisabeth Ivanovsky III

Jean de la Lune published by Petites Editions des Artistes illustrated by Elisabeth Ivanovsky published in 1944. 

Maria Krüger

 

Maria Krüger's 'Karolcia' first published in 1959. It is a chapter book with fabulous ink drawings scattered through it. Karolcia is an eight-year-old girl who finds a magical blue bead that fulfils her every wish. The girl and her friend Peter use the bead to spread happiness to other people.

Juliet Kepes II

 

'Five Little Monkey Business' by Juliet Kepes published in 1965, This is a joyous book of fun, the illustrations a mix of colour and black and white spreads are full of energy and great characterful studies of animals. It follows the mischief of five little monkeys causing trouble and then getting into a situation where they need help from those other animals that they have upset.

Helen Borten III

 

Helen Borten's 'Copy Cat', originally published in1962, and republished in 2016 by Flying Eye Books. Helen was born in Philadephia, PA in 1930. She attended the Philadephia Museum College of Art for four years. She is a free lance artist and illustrator of 12 children's books, 'Copy Cat' was her sixth, She lives in New York City. 

Copy Cat tells the story of Algernon Longwhisker the Third, a dissatisfied cat who tries to live up to his illustrious forebears by imitating every other animal on the farm. After failing to make a good rooster,  sheep, squirrel, bird, or tree, Copycat that to be loved, he just has to be himself.

Alice and Martin Provensen V

I am back in a terrible habit of collecting children's books, terrible for my bank, but good for you as you get to see the results of my hoarding. Possibly it is good for me to as it means I am ready to leap into projects I have been brewing. I have to say as time goes on these old picture books are vanishing and it is good to document them. Alice and Martin Provensen are favourites and I bought a couple of historic stories they had illustrated recently, starting with one about Robert Louis Stevenson's Atlantic crossing called 'The Voyage of the Ludgate Hill' by Nancy Willard. published in 1987.

The illustrations are painterly but also strangely flat and seem to reflect the stiffness of Victorian society whilst being full of humour.