tuesday, december 9, 1980
daily nebraskan
page 9
Variety makes Christmas books ideal presents
By Penelope M. Smith
There is no frigate like a book that takes us lands
aw ay. . . " Kmily Dickinson
Christmas has always been a time for giving beautiful
books. In spite of the seeming trend away from the
written word towaid the television set, children's books
are more beautiful, informative and less condescending
than ever before. 1 he volume and diversity of children's
books available for gift giving is staggering.
With the help of Leslie Roper, the children's book
buyer for the Nebraska Bookstore and Ginger Mitchell,
we've selected some of the outstanding books available
worthy for consideration as gifts for everyone.
Christmas art
People tend to shy away from poetry and label it too
abstract or esoteric. Two of the volumes available for
children do much to dispel this myth.
One inexpensive but lovely book is the paperbound
'; Nobody! Who arc you' (Stemner House, $5.95), a
collection of poems by Emily Dickenson for young
people. It's illustrated by Rex Schneider. There is a simple
introduction explaining Emily Dickenson's life and her
poetry, but the joy of the book is in the soft pastel il
lustrations. (They cover the entire page with pictures of
Miss Emily in her New England countryside. The illustra
tions are lovingly explanative of what metaphors there are
in the work; therefore, they remove any possible intimi
dation. Where the Sidewalk Lnds (Harper and Row. $9.95),
written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein, is a book of
delightful non-sensical poems with a purpose.
"Jimmy Jet and his TV set" is about a little boy
who watched television for so long that he "grew pale
and lean" and eventually turned into a television set.
"It's Dark in Here" is illustrated with a hillarious pict
ure and an arm s;ribbling poems out of the mouth of a
iion: "P!ease excuse the handwriting." the poet entreats,
"which may not be clean. Hut this afternoon by the
lion's cage. I'm afraid I got too near."
Paperbacks inexpensive
Paperbound classics at inexpensive prices abound.
Winnie the Pooh, The Wizard of Oz series and the
Secret Garden are available, just to name a few.
There are many surprises in store for those of us who
think certain books became extinct after kindergarten.
One such series with classic longevity is Ludwig Bemel
am's irrepressible Madclainc, which has been around
since 1939.
The illustrations are as quick and joyously splashy as
ever, with scenes of Erance and Paris and such lovely
memories as twelve little umbrellas walking in front of
Notre Dame Cathedral in the streaking rain. An added at
traction is that they now come with reinforced bindings
and won't fall apart after numerous readings.
Among new editions of classics, Michael Hague's
illustrations for the Wind in the Willows (Holt, Rhinehart
and Winston, $16.95), are superb. With such competition
as Arthur Rackham and Ernest Shepard, it is hard to be
lieve that another illustrator would attempt to follow
them. But Hague has, and successfully so, that nowhere
has Mr. Toad or his friwnds Rat Mole and Badger been
seen with such definite personality. The illustrations
are watercolor and ink, but with very little looseness and
loving attention to detail that is worthy of Hagues pred
ecessors. For the younger child or the creative adult, there are
beautiful books on the market without words-the books
that allow one to make up one's own stories. Books by
English authors John S. Goodall about holidays and sea
sons in bygone days in England are delightful. One is an
Pdwardian Summer (Atheneum, $6.95), that starts with
pictures of a small English town and grazing sheep. It
leads one leisurely through cricket matches on the lawn
and a beautiful Edwardian weddiim.
Outstanding among books without words is Tatjana
Hauptman's .1 Day in the Life of Petronclla Pig (Sun
flower Book. $12.95). an utterly charming big book that
was printed by Swiss printers. It is well worth the cost.
The book follows Petronella Pig, a delightfully-porcine
matron, through her house and through her day. It ends,
finally, by leading the reader out through her bedroom
window and into the moonlit garden beyond.
Books for all races .
Pop-up books delight children of all ages. Outstanding
among them is Haunted House (Sutton, $8.95), which
shows both ingenuity and originality of design by its illus
trator and paper engineer. There are color wheels so the
fire and pictures in a clock change colors, and slides so the
curtains of a bed move and a ghost appears. The monsters
are benevolently weird and will cause more giggles than
screams.
One very positive advancement in the book industry is
that it now provides beautiful books for children of all
ethnic backgrounds. Both classics like Beatrix Potter's
Peter Rabbit, available in a variety of languages, and new
and beautiful books like Paul Goble's native American
tale The Gift of the Sacred Dog (Bradbury Press, $8.95),
that tells the legend of how the horse was given to the
plains tribes. The 1979 runner-up for the Caldecott award,
Ben's Trumpet, tells of a young boy growing up in the
1920s who plays an imaginary trumpet until a real jazz
trumpeter offers to teach him to play, are all for sale.
Ben's Trumpet is an -especially-beautiful book done in
rhythmic black, white and silver. It is what has been
described as an "art deco style evocative of the 1920s and
echoing the jazz itself."
Numerous educational books are in print to help child
ren handle problems in life. One of the most interesting
for any adult or child is Sesame Street Sign Language Pun
(Random House, $5.95), prepared by Linda Bove, an
associate of the National Theater of the Deaf. While the
Sesame Street characters illustrate certain scenes like
"Summer," Bove is photographed doing signs which apply
to the season like "swim," "bathing suit" and "hot."
The thing to remember is whether your child, brother
or sister likes Winnie the Pooh ox Star Wars pop-up books.
There are thousands of books this Christmas, and half the
joy is in browsing.
Dec. 0-13
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