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Aaah – Mary Engelbreit. What’s not to love about her vibrant, sweet illustrations? Lately I came across copies of her “Nursery Tales” and “Mother Goose: 100 Best Loved Verses” publications. I purchased the latter as a gift for a three year old’s next birthday, and bought another copy for myself.
I first started noticing Mary’s work in the 1990s. Back in the day – when people still sent cards just to say “hello” – I often received one of Mary’s cards in the mail. She produces thoughtful cards with memorable expressions, eye popping illustrations and matching envelopes. Much of her work is influenced by illustrations from the 1920s, 30s and 40s that featured quotes in borders. Englebreit also credits the inspiration she gets from her “idyllic and wonderful childhood”.
(Image from Mother Goose: 100 Best Loved Verses)
I’ve since come to appreciate the funky, eclectic content in her Home Companion magazine. Her website features the many projects related to her work. If you want to bring Mary’s work onto your bookshelves or into your homes, there’s an almost endless array of possibilities.
Mary’s work is a folksy contrast to Martha Stewart and has a healthy dash of sugar and spice.
It was by chance, recently, that I came across some content and images about the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale. I know the story from childhood and was, at that time, charmed by the image of a girl in a red hooded cape going to visit her grandma. Since I did not live near either of my grandmothers, and rarely saw them in my lifetime, there was something appealing about trotting off to see grandma.
It seems there are different versions of the tale. There is the Grimms fairy tale version, a Slavonic version and the popularly known version, for example. It is also interesting to see that in the realm of video, there are shorts showing contemporary takes on the story.
Fairy tales are morality tales that provoke the reader in unexpected ways. They often thinly disguise the underlying dark realities of the world in which we live. This continued relevance is what keeps the stories fresh and relevant through the ages.
This French animation revisits the story from a different and fresh angle. The home page for this animation has some interesting content about the steps taken to make this piece.
Today I signed up for my first copy of the Under the Chinaberry Tree catalogue. I have been aware of this children’s literature catalogue for almost ten years. My former colleague, sadly now deceased, first introduced me to the catalogue in the late 1990s. I have been carting a photocopy of some articles from the catalogue with me from place to place since then.
This catalogue presents more than 500 “fully researched, hand-selected, family-centered books and items for children and adults, contains complete reviews and is packed with interesting commentary.”
It was the commentary in the catalogues that I first noticed. As a journalist in the Seattle Times noted, the catalogue is full of “descriptions of young children’s books, parenting tips, essays on their experiences as mothers and even a few comfort-food recipes.”
Under the Chinaberry Tree founder Ann Ruethling explains that her original motivation for the catalogue was to give her child “wonderful, uplifting reading experiences that would color her whole life in a positive way and help her to grow into a caring, gentle person”.
If you are interested in children’s literature – or have a child in your life who is in need of an inspiring gift – check out Under the Chinaberry Tree. While you are reading the site, don’t miss the related Dear Friends and Musings pages.
