PreS-Gr 2-Over the years, Hague has re-illustrated many texts that were in the public domain. A number of his books have given new life to overlooked work and have been widely appreciated. His reinterpretation of the work of Potter, however, is egregiously unnecessary. Potter wanted her books to be small enough for little hands to hold. Hague's book is almost twice as large. Potter's book has softly colored spot illustrations, honing in beautifully on the drama or emotions of the facing pages of text. Hague's art is overblown with extraneous details that threaten to overwhelm the plot. His rabbits with enormous eyes are reminiscent of those kitschy, large-eyed waifs popularized by the Keans in the 1960s. If Potter's books were out of print, or in danger of becoming so, one might be more receptive to Hague's version, but they are readily available and hard, if not impossible, to improve upon. Why try?-Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
A concise new life of the creator of Peter Rabbit and Pigling Bland illuminates a life devoted to the world her art and stories represent. Essay by Michael Dirda.
Pro-tip: do not browse Pinterest looking for book-themed nursery ideas unless you want to be reduced to a puddle of squeeing goo for the rest of the day. The pastels! The stuffed animals! All the gorgeous murals! (I’m pretty sure murals are actually distributed at the hospital these days, right? Like that Finnish baby box?) To save […]
Welcome to the Book Nerd’s Guide to Life! Every other week, we convene in this safe place to discuss the unique challenges of life for people whose noses are always wedged in books. Find past guides here. I’m at the point in my life where everyone is getting married. And if they’re not getting married, […]
Until quite recently, Great American Novelist Harper Lee was assumed to be, like Margaret Mitchell, the mother of a literary only child. She was one and done. Now we hear from Lee’s publisher, HarperCollins, that To Kill a Mockingbird has a sibling after all: Go Set A Watchman, which will hit bookshelves this summer. Apparently Lee wrote Watchman, the story […]
Is there anything that fixes a character better in a reader’s mind than learning what food makes her mouth water? Sometimes a character’s signature food is delightful, and other times it’s revolting, but it always serves to sear their personality and proclivities into a reader’s memory. Here are some mouth-watering morsels enjoyed by six unforgettable characters: