In 1952, a book appeared that redefined children’s literature. “A lap is so you don’t get crumbs on the floor,” it proclaimed. “A mustache is to wear on Halloween. A hat is to wear on a train.” The book didn’t even try to tell a story. Instead, it spoke in associative logic and whimsical spot … Read more
Emil Ferris’s début graphic novel, “My Favorite Thing Is Monsters,” published when she was fifty-five, was a breakout hit, garnering praise from critics and peers for its intricately cross-hatched drawings, its gripping plot, and its marriage of gothic-pulp aesthetics and sharp social commentary. The story is presented as the diary of Karen Reyes, a ten-year-old … Read more
In an essay that accompanied the 2021 exhibit “Speechless: The Art of Wordless Picture Books,” at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, the children’s-book author David Wiesner laid down milestones for the genre to which “Bunny & Tree” belongs. Wiesner started with “What Whiskers Did,” by Ruth Carroll, from 1932, a joyous work … Read more
