New York Review Books is one company known for reissuing some of the best children's tales from the past. Here's their latest batch of retro wonders, plus some other vintage reissues.
"Now Open the Box" by Dorothy Kunhardt; The New York Review Children's Collection; 64 pages; $16.95.
This is my new "old" children's book favorite and will be my choice gift for young kids I know. Penned in 1934 by "Pat the Bunny" and "Junket Is Nice" author Dorothy Kunhardt, this fantastic tale introduces a circus dog, "little teeny weeny weeny weeny Peewee," beloved because of his small size. When he grows to normal size, though, his circus career is in danger. But then a "wonderful splendid beautiful thing happened": Dear little Peewee started to grow and grow. "The circus man said Oh my dearest little Peewee now you won't have to go after all because now you are so lovely and big you are just the very dog for my circus!"
Kunhardt's lack of punctuation in this sweet, active story brings a childish appeal to its read-aloud qualities. Her red, yellow and black color scheme is perfect for a vintage circus look; and the underlying theme of "different is good" is years ahead of its time. "What's in the Box?" is genius and so fun to read aloud even my 18-year-old loved it!
"The Little Woman Wanted Noise" by Val Teal; illustrations by Robert Lawson; The New York Review Children's Collection; 40 pages; $14.95.
Another fun read-aloud, Teal's story was published in 1943, seven years after her hit "The Story of Ferdinand," and also with some of the most stunning black-and-white drawings in American picture books (from artist Robert Lawson).
In the story, a little woman lives in a very noisy city. Then she moves to the country, and deems it too quiet. The woman fills her farm up, one by one, with noisy animals — a cow, a dog, chickens, a pig — but still finds her surroundings too quiet. She finally buys a car with a loud horn; then, in her crowning achievement, she brings home two boys ("a big boy with curly dark hair and a little boy with standing-up red hair"), louder than all the animals put together, and her farm finally feels like home.
This visually stunning book features a flowing, fun tone, with plenty of loud animal sounds. Teal's tale stands up as a timeless classic.
"Tug of War" by John Burningham; Candlewick Press; 32 pages; $16.99.
Forty-five years ago John Burningham illustrated a classic known as "The Extraordinary Tug-of-War," written by Letta Schatz as a retelling of a classic folktale. Here he uses his original, tropically tinged sketches and revised tale to present a story proving brains trump sheer strength. In the action-packed romp, a hare is treated badly by bullies Hippopotamus and Elephant, and challenges them to a tug of war. The problem for them is that the hare secretly manages it so Hippopotamus and Elephant are really competing against each other.
Kids will love the spellbinding story and the way the underdog wins in the end. Burningham's vintage sketches reveal a mysterious jungle with lots of classic appeal.
"Hickory" by Palmer Brown; New York Review; 56 pages; $14.95.
In 1978, Palmer Brown introduced young readers to restless field mouse Hickory, who wanted to see the world beyond the grandfather clock where he lived with his family. Now brought back to life in a gorgeous new edition, the coming-of-age story of a restless mouse is poignant and adorable, rivaling Peter Rabbit in its exquisite creatures.
Retro typeface and colored illustrations pepper the slightly yellowed-on-purpose pages, making "Hickory" a vintage standout for children ages 5 to 8.
To find out more about Lee Littlewood, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
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