Some of the stories are wonderfully philosophical, they really are fables: part fairy tale, part parable, more often than not do they include some lesson to be learned, but you can ponder on them and discuss the meaning, because it's not being shoved down your throat. So, your favorite stories might be worth seeking out in the original version, with complete illustrations.
Sometimes the text directly refers to something in the missing picture, and I found my son repeatedly wanting to turn the page looking for some item described in the text, only to find the end of the story. For instance in Frederick, there is no picture of the big stonewall the mice are living in. Caveat: Many illustrations are missing in this compendium, and sometimes the missing illustrations are pretty critical for the story. It's truly great to find all these stories together in one book and it's a great chance to get an overview of Lionni's illustrations and the different techniques he applies to different stories. We've been reading through this collection. Originally developed from a story he had improvised for his grandchildren during a dull train ride, Little Blue and Little Yellow was the first of what is now a long list of children's picture books, including four Caldecott Honor Books. Lionni launched his career as an author/illustrator of books for children in 1959. At the same time, his reputation as an artist flourished as he began to exhibit his paintings and drawings in galleries from New York to Japan. Later he became design director for the Olivetti Corporation of America, and then art director for Fortune magazine. When he moved to America in 1939, Lionni was hired by a Philadelphia advertising agency as art director. It was there that he met the contacts who were to give him a start as a professional graphic designer. Having settled in Milan soon after his marriage in 1931, he started off by writing about European architecture for a local magazine. Lionni's business training gradually receded into the background as his interest in art and design grew. He was born in Holland in 1910 of Dutch parents, and although his education did not include formal art courses (in fact, he has a doctorate in economics from the University of Genoa), he spent much of his free time as a child in Amsterdam's museums, teaching himself to draw.
Leo Lionni has gained international renown for his paintings, graphic designs, illustrations, and sculpture, as well as for his books for children. Leo Lionni died in October of 1999 at his home in Tuscany, Italy, at the age of 89. He received the 1984 American Institute of Graphic Arts Gold Medal and was a four-time Caldecott Honor Winner-for Inch by Inch, Frederick, Swimmy, and Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse.
Leo Lionni wrote and illustrated more than 40 highly acclaimed children's books.
0 kommentar(er)
