Of a very different type are the clever and humorous illustrations by Grace G. Wiederseim, which may be seen to good advantage in “Nursery Rhymes from Mother Goose,” “Kiddie Land,” “Bobby Blake,” and “Dolly Drake.” Peter Newell has also done excellent humorous work, such as “The Hole Book,” “The Slant Book,” “Pictures and Rhymes,” “Alice in Wonderland,” etc. B. Cory Kilvert, John Rae, Bessie Pease Gutman, Hope Dunlap, Ethel Franklin Betts, and Wilhelmina Seegmiller have all done most attractive work which appeals to the younger children. The artist who is capable of producing illustrations attractive alike to both child and adult, and which are understood by both, is what may be termed a sympathetic genius; he also represents a distinctive branch of art. All whose names have been mentioned in this connection possess this great gift.
A splendid series of illustrations is contained in Boutet de Monvel’s “Joan of Arc.” This book is for the more mature child, and is in a class by itself. Maxfield Parrish has illustrated Eugene Field’s “Poems of Childhood,” “The Arabian Nights,” Hawthorne’s “The Wonder Book and Tanglewood Tales,” and “Mother Goose in Prose” by Frank Baum, and each illustration is a very worthy contribution to American art.
Two very attractive books are “When Little Boys Sing” and “Improving Songs for Anxious Children,” songs for children written and illustrated by John and Rue Carpenter. From the standpoint of art these illustrations are not entitled to any very high place, but they show originality and humor of expression.
Among the later artists who have made a name for themselves as illustrators of children’s books is Lucy Fitch Perkins; fine examples of her work are shown in “The Goose Girl” and in Mrs. C. H. Harrison’s books, “The Moon Prince,” “The Flaming Sword,” and “Prince Silver Wings”; also in a series called the “Dandelion Classics,” which include “Robin Hood,” “Twenty Best Fairy Tales,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “A Wonder Book,” and “Æsop’s Fables.”
During the last few years several artists have achieved fame through their genius in illustrating books for the young. Among the more prominent of these are Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac, and Warwick Goble. Among the books illustrated by Arthur Rackham are “Peter Pan,” “The Rainbow Book,” “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” and Grimm’s “Fairy Tales.” To Edmund Dulac may be credited among others, “The Arabian Nights,” and “The Sleeping Beauty.”
ONE THOUSAND BOOKS
FOR CHILDREN
For Girls Eight to Ten
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. By C. L. Dodgson (Lewis Carroll).
The fairy story of a little girl who ran through a rabbit hole into a very queer country, and of her adventures there. The humor of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass” will also appeal to grown-ups.