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Friday, February 5, 2021

From Maggie to Janet (Sendak observation)


This envelope inspired me to do a search on the blog of all of Maggie's envelopes and find the oldest one. The oldest one I could find was in 2015. Maggie's pointed pen work is more refined these days - as one would expect. In my search, I got seriously side-tracked by a couple things. Back in 2015, the exchanges had not yet settled into the predictable schedule. And there was a whole long string of re-runs. I had no memory of ever re-running past favorites. I'd still like to figure out a way to have collections and categories.

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This is not a rant - it is a topic of discussion. A topic that is near and dear to my heart. 

The morning after I posted the envelope with the Maurice Sendak character, I found this comment in my inbox. Comments come to me to OK before I post them. Since most people do not backtrack to look for comments, I'm running the comment so that we can ponder art and anxiety. I had written that there was a character on the envelope that looked like a Maurice Sendak character. Which prompted this comment:


"Looks like a Maurice Sendak character."  
[reels back in shock, and is unable to respond for several seconds]
You don't recognize MAX? Jean! It's MAX. From WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, possibly the most perfect picture book ever written!
[breathing...breathing...]
I'm okay. I'm okay.

I love hearing from readers and this comment made me laugh out loud. 
How could Jean not recognize Max? 
Brace yourself -- do not be drinking a beverage when you read the next line.
Because the Wilson's never had any Sendak books and she's never read the book.
How could that be?
Published in 1963, I was too old to have read it as a kid.
I recall hearing about Where the Wild Things Are when I was in college.
I was impressionable - and a person who had a huge influence on me described the artwork as claustrophobic. I don't think it is a coincidence that I agreed when I eventually saw Sendak's art.

As we all know, I am more comfortable with white space. If I were to choose favorite children's books, they would include Roald Dahl with the wispy Quinton Blake drawings and The Snowman - which had no white space, but, it is very soft and open.
I will make point a of finding the book, Where the Wild Things Are - and read it -- and I imagine I will enjoy it.
Another very popular book, (often No 1 on top ten lists) Goodnight Moon, is one that we had and I was happy to read it - but the artwork always bothered me. (Often No 2) Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar - love it and love-love-love all of his stuff. Wild Things is often No 3. 

I think it is fun to look at the artwork that we were attracted to as a kid and see how it sticks with us.
The only picture books that I recall from my childhood (that we owned) were the Little Golden Books. I loved the images and many of them are etched in my brain. They are all very soft and non-threatening. The library books that I would check out over and over were all books with simple drawings on white backgrounds. Madeline, Jeanne Marie, Babar. Although Babar might have had backgrounds.

I remember that every time my mom would offer the normal cautions about not talking to strangers, etc, I would take it to heart and exaggerate the threat - in my mind. She had no idea I was doing this. I could go on and on about all the things that I was afraid of as a kid. 

By the time I was in college, I was not paralyzed with anxiety and probably seemed pretty normal. But, I remember the person describing the Sendak art as being claustrophobic and I recall thinking that the title suggested that it was about fears and overcoming fears. Maybe it would have been helpful to read it. 

I have been interested in articles about anxiety and how it springs from that dinosaur part of our brain and was helpful when we were carefree Neanderthals. It's a little trickier these days to see anxiety as a useful component of daily life.

This is a bit long and disjointed - but I am going to just leave it -- because we have ANOTHER topic, inspired by a comment. Thank you to people who leave comments that help me do these pandemic add-ons. Keep 'em coming.

5 comments:

  1. i've never read Where the Wild Things Are either! Big Dr. Seuss fan here, so those are the ones that mostly got read to my kids. And I just recently (this past summer) read Charlie and the Choc. Factory by Dahl (side note: There was a Drunk History done about him that was pretty interesting! Dahl not Charlie -- haha.) One of my old faves is Corduroy and one of my "newer" faves is "Press Here".

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  2. I have a list of well loved children’s books over a mile long stretching back to my childhood. My kids could readily provide a similar lengthy list. Love Ed Emberley, not just for his books, but because he is such a really nice, funny guy. Tomie dePaola books always made me smile. Ronald Dahl remains one of my favorites. My most read book to my kids was Love You Forever by Robert Munsch. They still recite it back to me. Creative block? Two great books by Peter H. Reynolds - Dot and Ish. In 2013, John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana had an exhibit of 140 original artworks from various children’s book illustrators. It was fabulous. I left thinking every airport should do it! Margaret Wise Brown shares my birthday. Her biography In the Green Room is on my WTR list. Going back to your inquiry about female American artists, I just finished 2 great historical fiction books by Elise Hooper, the Other Alcott and Learning to See (about Dorothea Lange). Also Mary Cassatt (birthday day before mine) is a favorite female artist. That’s a rambling comment for you, which you don’t need to post, just providing a little distraction while my leg is propped up. Thanks again for all the great mail and posts. Nanski

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    1. OH, now see...that Munsch book. My sister gave me a copy when my twins were tiny (I'd seen it before but had never owned a copy). Just the other day when I was cleaning out their bookcase, I tried to toss it...but it had her note in it, and I had noted the first time I read it to the boys aloud, so I couldn't.

      It was SUPER popular among mothers of my religous persuasion when it first came out, and has remained so.

      But I see some serious codependence and dysfunction in that story...

      (I did get rid of the Goodnight Moon parody, Goodnight Goon. Funny, but not funny enough to save for the eventual grandkids...)

      I do love dePaola and Dahl.

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  3. Jean, you must have hit a soft spot with Sendak. We recently moved to Amherst MA, where the Eric Carle museum is ... (and Eric Carle himself, often spotted), and it’s wonderful, exhibiting originals, an amazing show this year was Peter Cis. So if you ever come this way, be sure to visit, as well as drop in for tea with me. Christi

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  4. Jean, you hit a soft spot with Sendak. We recently moved to Amherst MA, where the Eric Carle museum of Picture Book Art lives ... (as well as Eric Carle, often spotted). It’s a magical place with exhibits of original drawings of all sorts of artists, and a gift shop to die for. Be sure and visit if you’re ever around, I’ll meet you there and we can have a spot of tea. Christi

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