Lessons from four new-to-me vintage children's books
And how they're helping shape my own stories for kids š
This year, Iāve borrowed 150-ish picture books from libraries,1 studying prose and page turns and learning what makes a story savory when others lack texture, flavor, and umami. Itās been a wonderful practice.
Iām discovering the sorts of books I hope to write for kids, and perhaps just as exciting, which books my inner child finds scrumptious. (The two are usually the same.) I can be a picky eater and reader, but when I find something tasty, I promise I will sing its praises!2
Part of my homework is to understand what the current publishing world is like, which means many of the picture books Iām reading and studying were born in the last five to ten years. Since Iād love to be traditionally published one day, Iāve got to get a grasp of the industryās ins and outs, whether I agree with it all or not.3
But my favorite āresearchā lately has to do with older stories. This interest started in the spring after I visited my libraryās book sale and scooped up $1 vintage treasures. And then, Aaron took me on a darling date where we visited, reviewed, and donated to Little Free Libraries heād mapped out for us. On that trip, I picked up a few books from decades past. I especially liked the 1958 copy of Curious George Flies a Kite. Itās slightly faded, well-loved, and perfectly midcentury.
So I guess thatās how I accidentally developed a new hobbyācollecting vintage childrenās books!4
Today, I wanted to share what four of these books have taught me about making stories for kids. I hope you enjoy!
āE.T.
Bearās Adventure by Brian Wildsmith š»
Bearās Adventure cascades with one misunderstanding after another, plopping Bear into progressively silly scenarios. Brian Wildsmithās matter-of-fact tone carefully balances out his kaleidoscopic illustrations of every bizarre moment that Bear gets into.
When I found this book at the library sale, I somehow hadnāt heard of Brian Wildsmith or that heās considered one of the greatest childrenās illustrators out there. His work had spanned several decades, and he was known for his delightful pairing of text and his rich, multicolored paintings. Bearās Adventure was originally published in 1981 in the U.K. (Wildsmith was British), and I discovered my copy is the first printing of the first U.S. edition, published that same year!
Intrigued by Wildsmithās success, I listened to a 22-minute conversation between him and another painter, Gareth Morse, from 1978.5 When writing picture books, Wildsmith expressed that you must āseek the child within yourselfā rather than talking down to children. He believed that the best way to teach children was to amuse them, and that āthe child is usually best amused when itās also involved.ā
I especially liked hearing about his creative approach:
As I get older, Iāve discovered more how I work. And what I do now, is instead of sitting down at a page, a piece of paper, and working out 100 ideas and exhausting myself, what you do isāyou go and dig the garden or sit drinking a glass of wine, just looking at the glorious scenery, until you really have solved in your mind exactly how to do that particular piece of work. And then you go and do it and you channel all your vital forces to that particular moment when you do it and there it isāitās fresh, and, we hope original, and thatās it.
Two random observations from the clip: 1) Wildsmith was left-handed (same!) and 2) heād occasionally smooth the middle of his spreads after a page turn like heād done it many times before. This isnāt something I do when looking through books, so I thought it was a fun mannerism.
Iām officially on the lookout for any of Brian Wildsmithās out-of-print books!
The Tooth Fairy by Anita Feagles š¦·
At 9.25ā x 7.25ā, The Tooth Fairy is a small, quick book. Anita Feagles uses a two-toned color palette with sketch-like illustrations. Visually, the pages are simple with lots of margins. And yet, the story doesnāt feel rushedāFeagles builds this steady profile of the tooth fairy as if she was as real as you and me, deserving of our attention.
The narrator asks, Do you know why the tooth fairy likes teeth so much? and I donāt know why, but the answer makes me laugh every time. The answer is just so⦠unsentimental. Not at all what Iād expect. Maybe thatās why I love it?
My copy of The Tooth Fairy is the first printing of the first edition from 1962 and, I discovered, is considered a rare collectible! I bought it at the library for $1. Aside from the authorās bio on the dust jacket flap, the only information I could find about Anita Feagles was from her obituary online. It appears she published twenty books, most of which were for children.
This book reminds me how tricky it can be to say so much with so little. Feagles mastered it with this one. While I think publishersā manuscript word count limits are too constraining these days, this book highlights how more words arenāt always necessary or better.
Never Talk to Strangers written by Irma Joyce & illustrated by George Buckett š
I was immediately fascinated by this cover, so I bought the book without reading it. Iām a fan of mid-century illustrations, particularly if theyāre quirky and colorful, and George Buckettās art is all of those things.6 Buckettās use of detail is undoubtedly impressiveāfine lines, textures, patterns, specific facial expressions, etc. His animal characters have distinct personalities and shapes. Thereās a dynamic quality to them. Yet, being biracial, itās impossible to flip through the book and not notice the glaring lack of racial diversity (or any other kind of diversity for that matter). This is one of my biggest issues with mid-century illustrations.
Irma Joyceās rhyming text is humorous and obviously outlandish, which I love. Similar to Bearās Adventure, each unfolding scenario is odd and original. However, itās not the approach I wouldāve taken for a didactic story about a serious topic. With a book this amusing, Iām not sure how itās supposed to teach kids about stranger safety. It seems like a stretch. I guess the message could spark conversation, and Iām certainly not saying every story thatās meant to educate must then be stiff or boring (remember what Brian Wildsmith said earlier?), but maybe this story from 1967 just didnāt age well for this century.
With those critiques, Iām sharing Never Talk to Strangers here because as I learn how to write picture books, I think it helps to have an un-romanticized view of whatever it is Iām studying and reading. My reflections here arenāt all glowing book recommendations, and theyāre not meant to be.
Maxās Ride by Rosemary Wells š”
Back in the spring, my stepson and I found a first printing of Maxās Ride from 1979. Weād dropped my mom off at a childrenās book conference (a love of childrenās books runs in the family) and went on a nature walk when we ran into a Little Free Library at the end of the trail. It was perfect timing, as weād been working on positional wordsāexactly what this whirlwind board book is about.
Max, the younger bunny sibling, is a recurring character in Rosemary Wellsā books and he is the same little brother from the Max & Ruby TV show.
I watched a video about the author-illustrator (I think itās from 1994) where Wells described her story ideas as ābirds that come to me on a ship at night.ā Sometimes sheād have seven or eight of these ideas show up, and when they did, her job was to feed each one so they wouldnāt fly away:
[ā¦] they come from their own place that has nothing to do with me. I never feel that they come from me, even though they very obviously do. I feel that they come to me. And all the ones that wind up between coversāthat are good booksāare the ones that come to me. And the ones that I try very hard to do are the ones that just never make it off my desk.
She also shared that the magic behind her childrenās books was the result of repetitive, dedicated practice over years and years:
And thereās no way to teach your hand and your fingers, for example, to know how much paint and how much water are in the bristles of a brush after you dip them in. When you do this for ten hours a day, five days a week, for thirty years, you get so you can feel the paper through the hairs of the brush. I can feel how much color is on a brush with my hand without ever looking. I can just feel it.
This is the kind of long-term steadiness I want to apply to whatever it is that I write, create, or put out into the world. š
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I have two library cards: one through my countyās public library system, the other through an independent municipal library. This way, I have a wider range of options and can check out more books at once!
You can find 40 picture books I enjoy on my website. I regularly update my virtual bookshelf.
I recently found this picture book proclamation and read it out loud to my husband. Sometimes we talk (or grumble) at length about how disheartening it is when the craft of writing is sacrificed for whatever is quick or easy to sell. That proclamation was signed by some of our most brilliant in childrenās literature right now. And Iām just thankful it exists.
Iāve since discovered that people who take this hobby more seriously than me have specific preferences about conditions, trade editions vs library binding (just learned what this was yesterday), dust jackets, inscriptions, ābumpingā (dents on book corners), etc. I do feel giddy when I find a first printing/first edition, otherwise, my priorities: a vintage book I like and a good price.
My quotes might not be 100% accurate because the VHS audio quality wasnāt great, but I listened over and over and at various speeds to quadruple-check.
I spotted George Buckettās initials on multiple spreads and single pages. I wonder if this used to be standard practice for illustrators?











Such an enjoyable post! I also collect vintage children's books, they are so inspiring aren't they? Thanks for the Brian Wildsmith link!
I enjoyed reading about these four fascinating vintage booksšIt made me want to go to library sales and used book stores to find gems like these! Love it, Erichanš