Just One More Book has been doing the Rock Stars of Reading tour, a video documentary of their East Coast tour of authors. They visit some of the biggest names in children's books and post the interviews and visits on their website. Jane Yolen, Jarrett Krosoczka, Lane Smith, Jon Scieszka, Diane de Groat.... The second, third, and fourth were all about Lane. Now I've always been a huge fan of his books but getting to see those interviews and rough sketches just made him all the more interesting.
So for those of you who've never read a Lane Smith or have children who love books, here are a couple that you really should look into.
John, Paul, George, and Ben is the hilarious story of the founding fathers in childhood. Lane takes some liberties with the stories but goes on to separate the fact from fiction at the end of the book. The little stories about Thomas Jefferson and George Washington makes me laugh out loud every time I read them. I simply can't get tired of that book. From Paul Revere's midnight ride to George Washington's chopping down the cherry tree, Lane mixes just the right amount of folktale with just the right amount of funny. The illustrations are fun and he includes some American History facts at the end to make it educational.
The Happy Hocky Family is a selection of little stories which are simply wonderful. Each member of the family gets a chance to speak and tell a simple, often one page, story. The stories are often funny with just a touch of satire mixed in. The illustrations are very old school and in that very inventive. The book, from the outside, looks like it was created in the 50s rather than 1996. Visually interesting with fun little stories.
But Lane is best known for his collaborations with Jon Scieszka. I vividly remember the first time I picked up The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. I had never read anything quite like it. It was satirical and dark and allegory. The illustrations were wild, collage and paint, and literally all over the place. There was a tough of chaos to the book that startled me. And it was the first time that I started to think about children's books as art. And I was instantly in love with it. This was new and inventive. It was, at least for me, revolutionary.
I would think the same thing when I read The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. These books, particularly at the time, were unlike anything else that was out there. The illustrations were darker than most picture books I had read. There is a touch of the sinister in those two. The text is literally all over the page. The stories are not linear, jumping from character to character. Most of the time we read fairytales because they are the same. There is a comfort in hearing the same story over and over. These books turned all of that on its head. Suddenly what was once sameness and conformity and comfort, was chaos and difference and uniqueness. And also wonder.
The Happy Hocky Family is a selection of little stories which are simply wonderful. Each member of the family gets a chance to speak and tell a simple, often one page, story. The stories are often funny with just a touch of satire mixed in. The illustrations are very old school and in that very inventive. The book, from the outside, looks like it was created in the 50s rather than 1996. Visually interesting with fun little stories.
But Lane is best known for his collaborations with Jon Scieszka. I vividly remember the first time I picked up The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. I had never read anything quite like it. It was satirical and dark and allegory. The illustrations were wild, collage and paint, and literally all over the place. There was a tough of chaos to the book that startled me. And it was the first time that I started to think about children's books as art. And I was instantly in love with it. This was new and inventive. It was, at least for me, revolutionary.I would think the same thing when I read The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. These books, particularly at the time, were unlike anything else that was out there. The illustrations were darker than most picture books I had read. There is a touch of the sinister in those two. The text is literally all over the page. The stories are not linear, jumping from character to character. Most of the time we read fairytales because they are the same. There is a comfort in hearing the same story over and over. These books turned all of that on its head. Suddenly what was once sameness and conformity and comfort, was chaos and difference and uniqueness. And also wonder.
Lane was also conceptual designer for James and the Giant Peach, the film. He had done the illustrations for one the prints and had been asked to work on the movie. One of my favorite films mostly for the visual look of it. He was also involved in How the Grinch Stole Christmas film but I won't fault him too much for that. I love Lane's work because he seems to enjoy pushing boundaries and reinventing his style. Each of his titles looks totally different. I love that willingness to experiment and try. I'm very excited to hear that he has two new books coming out this year, one that he's written and one that he's illustrator on. I guarentee I'll be lined up at the bookstore to pick them up. So far I haven't been disappointed.
1 comment:
I love The Stinky Cheese Man. One of my treasured books. The artwork is so bizarre.
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