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CCBC-Net: August Discussion
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From: Kathleen Horning <khorning>
Date: Thu, 01 Aug 1996 18:08:41 -0500
Last spring there was a lively discussion on CCBC-Net about the 1996 Caldecott Medal winner, "Officer Buckle and Gloria" (Putnam) by Peggy Rathmann. Several people commented that it was refreshing to see a "true picture book" get recognition as a distinguished work of art.
Perhaps there is no truer picture book than Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd's "Goodnight, Moon" (Harper, 1947), which will be celebrating its 50th anniversary next year. In an excellent 2-part interview published in the March/April and May/June 1996 issues of "Horn Book" magazines, Greenwillow editor Susan Hirschman observes that if the book "Goodnight Moon" were published today, it would probably go out of print before it had a chance to find its audience. She goes on to state that in order for picture books to succeed today, they must survive in the bookstore market. They have to be blockbusters, and that there are few critical standards other than "big is better" and "shiny and glitzy is good."
For our August discussion we would like to explore this idea a bit further by looking at trends in current picture books. What changes have you observed over the past ten years or so? Who is the audience for the glitzy, sophisticated picture books we're seeing more and more of these days? School-age children? Preschoolers? Teenagers? Adults?
We would also like to look at the books of a few author/artists, new to the picture-book world, who are successfully creating innovative picture books, aimed at preschoolers. In addition to Peggy Rathmann, we can think of Yumi Heo; Keiko Kasza and Lynn Reiser. Can you think of others? What are the qualities that make their picture books seem like "true picture books?"
KT Horning Cooperative Children's Book Center University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 North Park St. Madison, WI 53706 USA 608&3930/FAX 608&2I33 email: khorning at facstaff.wisc.edu
Received on Thu 01 Aug 1996 06:08:41 PM CDT
Date: Thu, 01 Aug 1996 18:08:41 -0500
Last spring there was a lively discussion on CCBC-Net about the 1996 Caldecott Medal winner, "Officer Buckle and Gloria" (Putnam) by Peggy Rathmann. Several people commented that it was refreshing to see a "true picture book" get recognition as a distinguished work of art.
Perhaps there is no truer picture book than Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd's "Goodnight, Moon" (Harper, 1947), which will be celebrating its 50th anniversary next year. In an excellent 2-part interview published in the March/April and May/June 1996 issues of "Horn Book" magazines, Greenwillow editor Susan Hirschman observes that if the book "Goodnight Moon" were published today, it would probably go out of print before it had a chance to find its audience. She goes on to state that in order for picture books to succeed today, they must survive in the bookstore market. They have to be blockbusters, and that there are few critical standards other than "big is better" and "shiny and glitzy is good."
For our August discussion we would like to explore this idea a bit further by looking at trends in current picture books. What changes have you observed over the past ten years or so? Who is the audience for the glitzy, sophisticated picture books we're seeing more and more of these days? School-age children? Preschoolers? Teenagers? Adults?
We would also like to look at the books of a few author/artists, new to the picture-book world, who are successfully creating innovative picture books, aimed at preschoolers. In addition to Peggy Rathmann, we can think of Yumi Heo; Keiko Kasza and Lynn Reiser. Can you think of others? What are the qualities that make their picture books seem like "true picture books?"
KT Horning Cooperative Children's Book Center University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 North Park St. Madison, WI 53706 USA 608&3930/FAX 608&2I33 email: khorning at facstaff.wisc.edu
Received on Thu 01 Aug 1996 06:08:41 PM CDT
