Evening star., 1951-08-19

shown near its book, which Is
opened to the reproduction.
The four jurors. men and women
eminently qualified to make the
children's book selections, aimed
to choose the best from the child's
point of view. The books that
one has read in childhood and
loved, they are convinced, remain
in the memory with sweet tenacity.
The visual aspect of a book to
"a child is particularly important.
One Of the jurors, Mrs. Frances
Clarke Sayers, superintendent of
work with children at the New
York Public Library, said that
among the very few books adj
judged perfect" by the jury,
THE Adventures of the Redcrosse
Knight" tHarcourt). could not be
kept on the nbrary's shelves. Copy
after copy had been ordered. only
to disappear. Another Juror,
James johnson Sweeney, museum
director and art critic, said, "a
child's book is essentially a work
LOT visual art-something that
speaks directly to the eye and
through the eye."
The jurors judged the books
solely for their typographical and
artistic merit, and made no COM
promises. From 5.468 children's
books published in the United
States and Canada in the 1945-195C
period (not counting schoolbooks)
the jurors had expected to choose
100 for the exhibition. But only
SO met their standards of good
bookmaking: All-around excel
lence in typography, Illustration,
printing and binding.
Fine Cover Designs.
Beautifully designed covers for
children'S books is not modern
idea. More than two centuries ago,
when this was a new field, John
Newbery, one of the first to Spe-
cialize in it, published charming
little books with lowered Dutch
paper covers. and gilt decorations,
Quite a number of the books on
view have one person as author,
designer and illustrator One of
these three-in-one producers,
Harry Behn, was responsible for
"All Kinds of Time" (Harcourt)
characterized by the jurors as IAN
enchanting little book in every
way. A real treat from jacket to
ltailpiece." Leonard Weisgard, ar
1tist-juror, is represented as illus
TRAITOR five times in the exhibition
and in Pelican Here, Pelican
There" (Scribner'S1 as author and
designer as well. (Ie protested
this honor from his fellow Jurors;
1but within the five years he hat
/ illustrated a total of 26 books ano
j had no connection with their pub
Fishers submission of them.)
Among the Well Known.
Among the classics represented
are More Tales from Grimm
(Coward), translated and illus.
trated by the late Wanda Gag
lone $of the artists whose reputa-
ton extended far beyond the bool
illustration field. Joel Chandler
Harris Uncle Remus" Petel
IPauper) is here, Illustrated witt
the admirable woodcuts Of Fritz
lEichenberg. Doris Lee, noted fol
Iher paintings. illustrated Mr.
lBenedict's Lion" (Dodd). Inter.
nationally famous Mexican artist
Jean Chariot was illustrator fol
1.-TWO Little Trains" (Scott).
/ Alexander Calder, who "in'
vented mobiles and stables
(shown at the Institute Of Con
Temporary Arts here last spring
made the drawings for the exhibi.
ltion's largest book, Three YOUNG
Rats" (Museum Of Modern Art)
which when it first appeared
i (l944) in a handsome limited edi.
.ltion, created something Of |
Ifuror because. Of its "childlik'
Idirectness, cruelty and violence
Its slapstick humor, honesty o
lime and simplification Of object
land the human figure" as Mrs
lSayres writes.
4 Twenty-seven publishers, 80 de,
|signers and 40 illustrators are rep
resented in the exhibition. Ainoni
1.-THE aforementioned is Janice Hol
Hand, native and resident Wash
.Iington artist. who made beguilinI
iIdrawings for The Blue Cat D
Castle Town." by Catherine Cat,
'ICoblentz lLOngman's).
i Miss Holland studied ct thl
'lCorcoran School Of Art and undel
Elliot O'TIara, and attended Prat
institute. Brooklyn. She is q mem.
'|ber Of the Washington Watel
Color Club and has exhibited II