Baby Farm Animals

Pam’s Pictorama Post: This is one of the many books from a backbreaking pile we brought home from Bethesda where we purchased them at a grand and glorious used bookstore. (For last week’s post with pictures have a look here.) The store was enormous; the books were cheap and interesting. Today’s book is one Kim spotted in a pile of kid’s books, all neatly wrapped. His eagle eye spotted that the illustrations were by the genius illustrator, Garth Williams.

*Copyright and other info on an inside front page. Joann hit this with a bit of red marker too.*

I have written about two books illustrated by Garth Williams before. The first time I wrote about his illustrations was a book I reacquired as an adult called Push Kitty. It was a childhood favorite I had forgotten about and then remembered one day. It was easy to find a used copy on eBay and a real pleasure to see it again. It wasn’t until I looked through it as an adult that I realized that the memorable illustrations were by the same man who did those for books like Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web. (That post can be read here.)

*Messy signature attempt by Joann. I remember though proudly writing my name here!*

The second time I wrote about a Garth Williams illustrated book was A Cricket in Times Square. (The post can be found here.) This book with his illustrations remains one of my very favorite childhood discoveries. Garth Williams is sort of the platonic ideal of kid’s book illustrators for me and he was at the top of his game. The writer George Seldon’s story puts it at the top of the list. This book is my (albeit sort of odd) baby gift go to. (I secretly figure it will ensure kids growing up in New York City will want to stay here, while it will plant the idea in the minds of those whose parents were silly enough to move away that they have a hankering for the city. Yes, this is slightly subversive.) All I can say is if you haven’t read it, go right now to Amazon and pick up a copy and you will thank me.

That brings us to this little morsel today. Like virtually all of us I was raised on a shifting and vaguely never-ending pile of Little Golden Books. Having a sister two years older than me and a younger brother, Little Golden Books entered the house aplenty. Strangely I don’t actually remember buying them or where they came from at the time; they were just omnipresent. Perhaps I was just too little to remember. Such things, like many toys, came from variety stores rather than bookstores at the time.

I have to imagine that Baby Farm Animals was in the Butler family library. According to my copy, the original copyright was 1953 (AI has this wrong and only has the later publication date of 1958, noted in this edition. Additionally strange that a small sticker on the front of the book – defacing it incidentally – identifies this as a first edition. Can’t anyone read?) Anyway, this means that as a small child I was already looking at a much-reprinted book. (Later editions and even brand news ones are easily available right now.) Other, later I assume, editions seem to feature just a single one of the animals on the cover – the bunny or the donkey.

*Guinea pigs remain a staple of childhood pet owning I can assure you via my job.*

There is however, still a thrill when I look at the gold and black pattern of a Little Golden Book spine. This one sold for a princely 25 cents originally. (Despite the price tag of $8 I paid $4 the other day.) The cover on this edition is an illustration all its own featuring highlights of the animals inside. The puppies are playing tug-o-war with a bit of string and the pig watches the ducklings eat a worm. A kitten is staring off into space at something (bird?) and a baby lamb and donkey are on either side of the baby calf featured at center.

The inside covers are the cheerful yellow print with animals I remember and a spot for This Little Golden Book belongs to…. Joann has attempted to write her name in this one with some red scribbles although she luckily contained herself to that page. Meanwhile someone else has liberally stamped their name and address throughout, James J. Clayton, 1415 S. Olden Ave, Trenton 10, NJ. That just seems odd and I can’t imagine why Mr. Clayton felt the need to do that.

*I like that the kitten and puppy are taking a rid here.*

Inside I learned that, The Little Golden Books are prepared under the supervision of MARY REED, Ph.D. Formerly of Teachers College, Columbia University. Below that, The pictures in this book are by Garth Williams, whose charming baby animas and simple text never fail to delight children. “Baby Farm Animals” has been a Golden Book favorite for many years. The publishers are happy to preset it now as a Little Golden Book. So perhaps it had an earlier publication life?

I have favorites in this book which I am showing here. Not surprisingly the Baby Kittens [who] love playing on the farm. At nigh the farmer gives them fresh cow’s milk and they curl up together in the big red barn. I especially like the little tuxie cleaning himself although the gray one playing with a bug is pretty hotsy totsy too. However, for illustrations the rabbit on the next page blows me away. So fluffy and there is a point made about him being friends with the kittens and puppies although I wouldn’t want to put that to a test.

*Those ugly ducklings that will be swans featured here.*

*Baby ducklings and chicks even out the avian lot.*

Beyond that guinea pigs are featured – a mainstay of childhood pets it seems although it as a farm animal seems like a bit of a stretch. Ducklings and chicks are on facing pages, all downy cuteness. And it interests me that he has both cygnets and goslings and mentions that one will grow into a swan and the other a goose. (Trumpet of the Swan anyone?) For Pam’s picks, the two pages of piglets are next – bringing us back to Wilbur, the man could draw a sweet looking baby pig!

The animals get bigger in size toward the end of the book – a horse, a pony (who won’t grow much bigger…) and ending with a baby calf. The end paper has a list of all the Little Golden Books you could order (with an order number) and I remember pouring over this list and the little illustrations around the edges. Bugs Bunny! Bambi! I wanted them all. (Was it a conscious decision that we didn’t have any of the ones with popular characters? Somehow I think it was more coincidence or unconscious on Mom’s part.)

*The fascinating end paper which always captured my delighted attention.*

The back cover is very worn and features Giant Little Golden Books. These bigger books offer almost triple the value of a comparable Little Golden Book and cost 50 cents each.

For me although the incentive was definitely Garth Williams, it was nice indeed to have a trip through a Little Golden Book again as well. Simon and Schuster held onto this imprint until it was purchased by Penguin in 2013 and now they continue to produce the line.

This turned out to be a long one so thanks to those of you who made it through!

The Cricket in Times Square

Posted by Pam's Pictorama

Pam’s Pictorama: I’m on a bit of a tangent today. In a previous post, Push Kitty, I mentioned my affection for the illustrator Garth Williams. For me The Cricket in Times Square, illustrated by Williams and written George Selden is a nearly perfect children’s early reader chapter book. As a committed New Yorker, I love the view of a somewhat period yet timeless New York, as seen from the ground up, in Grand Central station. Much like Charlotte’s Web it is a story that pairs unusual animal friends. There is the glorious, fluffy fat cat, Harry – he exudes purrs and tummy rubbing – and of course his wily friend Tucker the rat. (E.B. White did something entirely different with his story of a pig and a spider who become friends – and take on the subject of mortality of all things – whereas this story is about being far from home, and how even a cricket can make his way in the big city with a bit of talent, pluck and good friends.)

Garth Williams, (b. 1912-d. 1996) illustrated piles of children’s books – many of which became classics including Stuart Little and the Little House books. He wrote several as well, but it is the clutch that I have mentioned here that form an archetype in my mind. His illustrations are so synonymous with these books that, at least for me, his style is just what I think of when I think of children’s books and my earliest book experiences. (On his wikipedia page you can read about a book he wrote and illustrated, The Rabbits Wedding, which sparked controversy in the South because one of the rabbits in question was black…)

For those of you who don’t know the story of The Cricket in Times Square quite simply the Cricket, Chester, has found himself in Grand Central station, quite out of his element and country origins. He is adopted by the rat and cat duo, and a small boy whose father owns a newsstand, and who takes him as a pet – even supplying him with a cricket cage home acquired in Chinatown! Chester repays the kindness by providing cricket concerts in the train station, which makes all activity cease briefly and ultimately makes the newsstand wildly popular. Of course, eventually Chester, homesick, has to find his way back to the country, where I guess crickets belong.

I don’t remember my first reading of this. I believe I read it myself, rather than having it read to me, as was Charlotte’s Web by my third grade teacher. But the story and the illustrations – ones that made not only a kitty, but a rat and a cricket lovable, stayed with me forever. The book is still in print, but sadly only in paperback – luckily I believe that version does contain all the illustrations. (I was able to acquire a hardcover copy in excellent condition a few years ago on Amazon or eBay.) It is my favorite book to buy for the children of my friends – for those who have left the New York area I consider it my subversive move to convince their children that New York City is the only place to live – a world of wonders! Maybe you will consider it for a juicy little reading project as we head into fall this year. Let me know how you like it!

Push Kitty

Posted by Pam's Pictorama

Pam’s Pictorama Post: This was a book I took out of the library only once as a child, but never forgot. My memory of the copy I saw did not have the slip jacket cover, nor an illustrated cover at all. Somehow I stumbled on it, undoubtably the title, and dragged it home with me. The illustrations were magnificent and those are what I remembered.

If we fast forward to years later, Kim and I were comparing notes on the illustrator Garth Williams. We both love his illustrations – for me A Cricket in Times Square topped even Charlotte’s Web for memorable illustrations cherished from childhood. This book, Push Kitty, nagged at the back of my mind although I do not believe I remember that the illustrations were by Garth Williams, only that they were in that style and had been great. By then the miracle of the internet was well upon us. Sure enough, between eBay and a used book site (one later absorbed whole by Amazon) I had a few copies to choose from. To my joy, I quickly became the owner of this deaccessioned library copy. Kim’s recent Facebook posts about Gustaf Tanggren and a book he remembered fondly (but like me, never owned) called Cowboys and Indians made me think about pulling this one out. There is a lot to be said about Garth Williams that I will save for a future post, but it should be noted that Push Kitty was originally published in 1968 which means it was only a few years old when I would have seen it, probably in the early seventies.

When I read it again I realized why I had loved it so much as a child! In addition to the illustrations, the story, written by Jan Wahl, is about a little girl who dresses up her kitty (much to his obvious displeasure) and drives him around town, showing him off in a baby carriage. Since I too liked to try to dress my wriggling cat Snoopy (who was very dignified; in retrospect it must have really, deeply displeased him) in doll clothes and try to persuade him to stay in a small, tin baby carriage, I clearly identified with the story.

Kitty starts out all fluff and sweet adorableness, Kitty White is his name, and gets more and more annoyed as he is taken about and shown off. He returns to a fluff ball cuteness as he races away once the doll clothes have been removed at the end. Williams does a splendid job of drawing a cat frowning and in all his moods!

Presented below is a sampling of illustrations from the book.