Watercolour Illustrations Research Articles

Let's Go Puddling! by Emma Perry

Reviewed by: Let's Go Puddling! by Emma Perry Danica Ronquillo Perry, Emma Let's Go Puddling!; illus. by Claire Alexander. Candlewick, 2023 [32p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781536228496 $17.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R 3-6 yrs As the "clouds gather, skies darken, rain falls, puddles appear," the children of three families in an apartment complex hurriedly put on shiny boots and puffy jackets and rush out the gates to go puddling—in other words, they "stimp, stamp, stomp" and "splish, splash, splosh" on muddy to teeny tiny to giant deep puddles. Eventually, they're all completely drenched from their splashing fun and head back to their apartments to snuggle on the couch, with a rainbow painting the now clear blue sky in the windows. Alexander's digital watercolor illustrations make a splash in Perry's picture book full of outdoor rainy entertainment. Shades of gray capture the gloominess of the skies and the city folks with their heads down, their umbrellas flying, and their coats flapping, contrasting with the children's transparent and joyful reflections cast on the puddles. The thinness of the watercolor paint creates a lighter atmosphere for the setting and balances with the sprinkling alliteration and bouncing rhythm of the text as perspectives switch from family to family dressing up for the weather or from child to child as they select the best puddles for splashing. Caretakers and children will want to grab a warm drink and get comfy on the couch to read this on a rainy day. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

The Narrow Mausolea at Conchada Cemetery as Part of Portuguese and European Architectural Heritage

Over millennia, death was the origin of great funerary constructions that have come down to us. These constructions aimed at ensuring eternity and perpetuating memory. Funeral art thus appears not in the service of death, but in the service of memory. In the modern age, funerary constructions do not have the dimensions and grandeur they did in ancient times, but there are still constructions with relevant architectural interest, built to perpetuate the memory of important families. In Conchada Cemetery, located in Coimbra, Portugal, a vast and diverse funeral heritage exists. Possessing various architectural styles, almost all built with limestone from the region, the narrow mausoleums stand out from this heritage. This work presents a study carried out on the architecture and construction of two types of narrow mausoleums, existing in the Conchada Cemetery, both of the Neo-Gothic style: one with an entrance from the front, and another from the back. As it is not possible to present the photographs of the burial vaults, since it would represent an intrusive approach to the families, the authors have resorted to representing them through Indian ink and watercolor illustrations.

New in Translation: Children’s Lit in Translation from Korea

New in Translation:Children’s Lit in Translation from Korea Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp (bio) Click for larger view View full resolution Kim Hyo-eun I Am the Subway Trans. Deborah Smith Scribe In the children’s market, very little is translated into English from languages beyond western Europe, and until very recently Korean children’s books, for all their vibrancy and stunning artwork, were no exception. And so the sudden appearance of five originally Korean-language picture books in English translation in 2021 was something of an event. The interest in the Korean children’s market may have been spurred by innovative illustrator, animator, and artist Baek Heena being named the 2020 laureate of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, a major international award honoring the body of work of children’s book creators. Whatever the reason for the long-awaited increase in investment in translating Korean picture books, it is a treasure trove of artistry and fresh perspectives that English readers inherit with these authors and illustrators from South Korea. “The unique lives of strangers you might never meet again – ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum – are all around you, every time you take the train.” Carrying an average of 7.2 million people per day on the city lines alone, the Seoul subway network is one of the longest in the world and reaches far beyond the city limits. In this lyrical exploration of place and population, the voice of the subway train mingles with the thoughts of its passengers, revealing the varied lives of commuters, grandparents, dreamy workers, and weary children. Each character is introduced with a tantalizing peek through the parting subway doors, before we turn to a double-page spread offering a glimpse of their life, the highs and lows, the humdrum and the hectic. At Guui station, Mr. Jae-sung the cobbler strides on, reminding us to glance at the passengers’ feet and infer what we can of their character from their choice of footwear. At City Hall station, on steps Granny with a pungent package, filling the carriage with the strong, salty smell of the sea. Turning the page, we learn of her lifelong love of diving, catching octopus and abalone for her daughter and grandchildren. With stunning watercolor illustrations that capture the spirit and detail of urban life, this book weaves through life’s generations as it winds its way along the subway track. Winner of the Professional Children’s Publishing category of the World Illustration Awards 2021, this best-selling Korean picture book is destined to garner a global audience in Deborah Smith’s delightful translation. [End Page 6] Click for larger view View full resolution Lee Juck One Day Illus. Kim Seung-youn Trans. Asuka Minamoto, Lee Juck & Dianne Chung Enchanted Lion Books Grandpa is a tailor, a craftsman, a member of the community, and his presence is everywhere, until suddenly, one day, Grandpa is gone. His shoes sit in the closet, waiting to be worn. At the water fountain, where locals queue up to fill their bottles and canisters, everybody asks about Grandpa. Why did he leave so suddenly without telling his friends? In a tender exploration of the shock of grief and the impossibility of fathoming the enormity of a loved one’s absence, this gentle picture book explores the comfort to be found in the objects left behind, the smell of his jacket, as well as in the thought of Grandpa assuming his rightful place among the stars. Kim Seung-youn’s illustrations offer a simple yet stylishly drawn aesthetic that imbues everything with the warmth of Grandpa’s felts and fabrics. From quiet rooms bereft of Grandpa’s presence, we’re transported on floating balls of yarn into a reassuring, imaginative space filled with the buttons, needles, and threads of his craft, increasingly vibrant with Grandpa’s passion, his energy and creativity, as he lives on amidst the pin-cushion planets and shoe-shaped shooting stars of the cosmos. Click for larger view View full resolution Baek Heena Magic Candies Trans. Sophie Bowman Amazon Crossing Tong Tong plays on his own or with his dog, Marbles. How do you ever know what the other...

Taxonomic monograph of the tribe Nigelleae (Ranunculaceae): a group including ancient medicinal plants

The tribe Nigelleae Schröd. (Ranunculaceae) worldwide distribution has been studied taxonomically, based on morphological, palynological and seed morphological characters, as well as chromosome counts. Extensive field works have been carried out in Turkey, Greece, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Portugal and in Northern Cyprus. Moreover, the specimens of major herbaria in Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, Syria and Iran as well in Europe have been examined. This study represents the most comprehensive monograph of the tribe based on field work across its nearly entire distributional range, complemented by examination of over 980 specimens from 25 herbaria and our collections with nomenclatural contributions. Eighteen species are recognized under three genera, namely Garidella Tourn. ex L. (2 speices), Komaroffia Kuntze (2), and Nigella L. (14). Four new combinations have been proposed here as Komaroffia bucharica (Schipcz.) Dönmez, Nigella arvensis L. var. aristata (Sibthorp & Smith) Dönmez & Uğurlu, N. oxypetala Boiss. var. latisecta (P.H.Davis) Dönmez & Uğurlu and N. oxypetala var. lancifolia (Hub.-Mor.) Dönmez & Uğurlu. Status of three names have been changed. Lectotypes of Komaroffia integrifolia and K. bucharica have been selected and incorrect lectotypification for K. bucharica is discussed. Twenty new synonyms have been proposed here, most of which belong to the Nigella arvensis complex. Although there are various generic and infrageneric treatments of Komaroffia and Garidella, both of them have been recognized here as separate genera in the tribe Nigelleae as they were accepted by some previous authors. Keys for identifiying the genera, species and infraspecific taxa have been prepared. Chromosome numbers are given, based on our novel data and the pertinent literature. Additionally, descriptions, synonymies, water colour illustrations, distribution maps, taxonomic notes and lists of all specimens examined are provided for each taxon. Based on the literature, herbarium specimens and field observations, IUCN threat categories have been proposed for the taxa.

Teddy, The Little Refugee Mouse by Dorothy Burroughes, and: The Magic Herb by Dorothy Burroughes

Reviewed by: Teddy, The Little Refugee Mouse by Dorothy Burroughes, and: The Magic Herb by Dorothy Burroughes Jan Susina (bio) Teddy, The Little Refugee Mouse. By Dorothy Burroughes, edited by Jack Zipes. Little Mole and Honey Bear, 2021. The Magic Herb. By Dorothy Burroughes, edited by Jack Zipes. Little Mole and Honey Bear, 2021. The most recent reprints in Jack Zipes's Fabulous Excavated Tales series are two books written and illustrated by Dorothy Burroughes. Popular during the 1930s and 1940s, Burroughes is a British children's author who is rarely mentioned in the histories of children's literature but is still held in high regard as a print maker and poster artist. Trained at the Slade School of Fine Art, Burroughes's first major success as a commercial artist was designing posters in 1920 for the London Underground that encouraged visitors to the London Zoo in Regent's Park. Drawn in the style of Japanese woodcuts, her image of Langur monkeys became popular with the public. Her second zoo poster, known as "the monkey poster," became the most requested poster in the history of the London Underground and is reprinted in both volumes along with her striking print of "The Black Panther." In the 1930s and 1940s, Burroughes was considered one of the leading British animal artists, along with Harry Rountree and Cecil Aldin. Many of her twenty children's books, like her better-known posters and prints, focus on animals and animal rights. Burroughes established her reputation as an animal artist with her prints and posters often featuring animals that she sketched at the Regent's Park Zoo and was awarded a Zoological Society Fellowship for her animal artwork. Yet she expressed mixed feelings about zoos and restricting animals in cages. In addition to illustrating informational books on animals such as Queer Beasts at the Zoo (1927) and Queer Birds at the Zoo (1927), Burroughes also wrote children's stories featuring anthropomorphized creatures that address social issues and emphasize the need to treat animals with respect and kindness. While Burroughes uses watercolor illustrations interspersed with linocuts in her children's books, her stories are longer and more complicated than those by Beatrix Potter and are intended for older readers. Her chummy and social world of animals more closely resembles that of Kenneth Grahame in [End Page 445] The Wind in the Willows, without the humorous escapades of Mr. Toad that A.A. Milne admired. The Magic Herb shows a bit of Lewis Carroll influence. Three badgers go on a quest for the Magic Herb to aid their seriously ill baby brother. To obtain the mysterious plant, they must journey to the Magic Isle where the white plant is guarded by the Dodo and the Unicorn. Burroughes draws the Dodo so he resembles John Tenniel's illustration of the Dodo in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The Dodo, who initially appears rather fierce, is just "a little embittered by being misunderstood" (19). He is moved by the unselfish nature of the badgers' quest. As the Unicorn explains to the badgers, he and the Dodo are tasked with the responsibility of preventing the life-restoring plant from falling into the wrong hands, such as "pompous scientists and people who-want-towrite-to-the-papers" about discovery of this rare species. The selfless nature of the badgers' quest is reminiscence of Gluck's journey in John Ruskin's The King of the Golden River. The badgers succeed on their impossible journey, liberate the Dodo and the Unicorn from their long-term duties as protectors of the Magic Herb, and restore their younger brother to health, all a result of their selflessness. Teddy, The Little Refugee Mouse is an updated version of Aesop's "Country Mouse and City Mouse." Teddy is an elegant mouse who wears a smart gray coat with clean white collars. He accompanies his human family when they vacate London for the country for the duration of the War. Burroughes uses animal figures to comfort younger readers who were moved from the cities to escape Nazi bombing during World War II. Teddy is befriended by the Brown Mouse family who introduce him to the rural world of cows, pigs...

Eek!: A Noisy Journey from A to Z by Julie Larios

Reviewed by: Eek!: A Noisy Journey from A to Z by Julie Larios Deborah Stevenson, Editor Larios, Julie Eek!: A Noisy Journey from A to Z; illus. by Julie Paschkis. Peachtree, 2020 [32p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781682631690 $16.99 R 2-4 yrs "Achoo," says a mouse, "bzzz" goes a bee, and thus commences an alphabetical sequence of encounters in sound effects and onomatopoeia. The rambling mouse and bee eventually encounter a cat ("Eek!"), then some dog poop ("Ick"), and the mouse soothes a crying racoon ("Maaaah"). More adventures eventually lead to a ride on a pig's car ("Whee") and finally a cozy sleep ("ZzZzZ"). While not all entries are equally felicitious ("xoxoxo" for X is a stretch), it's an especially lively alphabet to read aloud, and listeners will get a kick out of joining in on the cartoonish sounds. Folk-art-style patterns and motifs make Paschkis' watercolor illustrations attractively decorative; though the letters sometimes could stand out more strongly, it's a visually playful outing, and viewers will enjoy tracking the mouse and the bee (as well as other animals that hang around for a while if not the whole book) through the sequential antics. Kids who couldn't face yet another go on "The Alphabet Song" will happily settle in for a story full of "kabonk" and "oops." Copyright © 2020 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Early One Morning by Mem Fox

Reviewed by: Early One Morning by Mem Fox Deborah Stevenson, Editor Fox, Mem Early One Morning; illus. by Christine Davenier. Beach Lane/Simon, 2021 [32p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781481401395 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781481401401 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R 1-3 yrs A little boy leaves his farmhouse home "in search of a couple of things for his breakfast." He checks in with various elements and residents of the farm, such as a tractor and a haystack, a cow and a sheep, but each time without acquiring his unspecified breakfast things, because none of those "lay them." What does? Well, the big clue is that he's been followed the whole time by an interested chicken, and finally the boy gets his eggs from the henhouse and enjoys his breakfast. Fox's assured [End Page 211] toddler-ready text balances the pleasure of chant-aloud repetition with either a guessing game or an entertaining sequence of wrong answers, depending on the sophistication of the viewer. Davenier's sunny, loosely flowing line and watercolor illustrations treat their subjects with gentle playfulness, as the chicken perkily shadows the seemingly unaware boy and the boy's and chicken's poses often rhyme as they react to each new encounter. This has the merry sturdiness of a mid-century classic, and lapsitting kids will love being in on the joke. Copyright © 2021 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

The Word for Friend; by Aidan Cassie

Reviewed by: The Word for Friend; by Aidan Cassie Deborah Stevenson, Editor Cassie, Aidan The Word for Friend; written and illus. by Aidan Cassie. Farrar, 2020 [40p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780374310462 $18.99 Reviewed from galleys R 4-6 yrs When Kemala the pangolin moves to a new home, she’s excited about all the new things she encounters and all the new friends she’s sure she’ll meet at school. She’s [End Page 424] thrown, though, to find out that she doesn’t understand the language her new classmates and teacher speak, leaving usually voluble little Kemala shy and silent. Fortunately, a kind anteater reaches out and Kemala begins to make a friend via a shared artistic pursuit as the two make puppets together and use them to tell stories. The impact of the sudden change for Kemala, accustomed to chattering on nonstop, is respectfully portrayed; the book uses Esperanto for the new country’s language, putting audiences in the same position as Kemala in being an outsider but also allowing listeners, especially those with some background in Romance languages, to puzzle out the speech balloon dialogue. Cleanly composed line and watercolor illustrations make the most of the appealing animal cast, and little Kemala, with her tendency to roll into a ball under stress, is an amusing but sympathetic child proxy. Libraries where Williams’ My Name Is Sangoel (BCCB 10/09) sees good use will welcome this new take on the experience of being a cultural transplant. Closing pages include information about Esperanto as well as a glossary, and some details about pangolins. Copyright © 2020 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Postcards

Postcards Barbara Lehman This fictionalized biography tells the story of James Caste an autistic, deaf, completely self-taught American artist, born in Idaho in 1899. The art he produced, his silent interpretation of the world, made sense of his rural setting through drawings of houses, furniture, symbols, and people. Many of them were produced with homemade materials such as sticks dipped into soot and saliva, then applied to scraps of paper. As an artist and a human being, Castle was sadly misunderstood, but at middle age, his startlingly childlike yet innovative art was discovered and given attention. Castle's boyhood and life are beautifully—and painfully—depicted in watercolors, pencil, and some of the same primitive tools used by Castle. Say's three final portraits of Castle are simple and sensitive. The book raises an important question: How many children today—special needs or not—also find solace and meaning in their art? Patricia Bloem Allen Say Silent Days, Silent Dreams New York: Arthur Levine Books, 2017. 64 pp. ISBN: 987-0-545092761-1 (Nonfiction; ages 10+) [End Page iv] Potiki, who loves to sing, is the youngest brother of three. The eldest, Tahi, is good at working the land, and Rua, the second brother, has fishing skills They never want Potiki to accompany them on hunting and fishing trips because his singing disturbs them. One day Potiki hides under the canoe nets, but they find him and throw him into the sea. When their grandmother asks Tahi and Rua about Potiki they deny any knowledge. However, the whales tell the grandmother of a new dolphin swimming in the region and she knows the brothers were lying. As punishment, she turns them into rocks in the Pathway of the Whales. The peritext states that occasionally on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand, a dolphin plays with people in the sea. The story, in both Māori and English, is accompanied by beautiful ink and watercolor illustrations. Nicola Daly Mere Whaanga The Singing Dolphin / Te Aihe i Waiata Auckland: Scholastic, 2017. 32 pp. ISBN: 9781775434023 (Picturebook; ages 4–7) [End Page 13] When the kingfisher tries to catch a giant fish that is bigger than a fox and looks like a cloud in the sky, the antelope accompanies the kingfisher on its journey in this story about the importance of supporting friends. On the last page, the kingfisher triumphantly holds the giant fish in its mouth on top of the mountain and appears to be on top of the world as his dream comes true. The animals expressions and movements are subtle but deliver their feelings to readers well. The entire story is illustrated in double-spread pages with vivid colors in bright tones. Young readers will be surprised to know that the author worked as a zookeeper for twenty-five years, and they will learn that the illustrations are based on his knowledge and observations of animals at the zoo. This self-taught artist is an award winner in Japan. Jongsun Wee Hiroshi Abe 雲をつかむはなし [A Story of Grabbing Clouds] Tokyo: Media Pal, 2017. 32 pp. ISBN: 9784802130486 (Picturebook; ages 4+) [End Page 25] A class of children on a day trip in a safari park with a missing hippopotamus provides the setting for this rhyming romp. As the class arrives at the park, one child observes there is no hippopotamus listed at the gate. The park owner assures them there is a hippopotamus, but when they go to look at the lake, its not there. Thus starts the hunt by the children, many of whom patently don't know what a hippopotamus looks like. The rhyming texts perfect meter comes back with balanced regularity to the class refrain, That's not a hippopotamus!" Detailed, humorous illustrations allow young viewers to spot the hippopotamus on the illustrations' periphery, while everyone in the class except for young Liam misses it. This was a well-deserved winner of the 2017 Best Picturebook Award from the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Nicola Daly Juliette MacIver That's Not a Hippopotamus! Illus. Sarah Davis Wellington: Gecko Press, 2016. 30 pp. ISBN: 9781927271971 (Picturebook; ages 2–7) [End...

A Day for Skating by Sarah Sullivan

Reviewed by: A Day for Skating by Sarah Sullivan Deborah Stevenson, Editor Sullivan, Sarah A Day for Skating; illus. by Madeline Valentine. Candlewick, 2019 [32p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-7636-9686-3 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 3-5 "Clear pond, shining ice./ Laced-up skates—check them twice." Yes, it's skating time, as a bundled-up girl joins other well-padded kids out on the local skating pond. Our protagonist takes a spill, gets into the swing of things, enjoys a snack break in the warming hut, and once night falls heads home to a warm bath and a soft bed. This is a lovely winter pastoral that's a tribute to low-impact cold-weather outdoorsmanship, whether it be a friendly pick-up hockey game or just tooling around the ice with friends, and the book perceptively gives plenty of attention to the joys of contrasting spots of warmth. Coziness is the name of the game in the pencil and watercolor illustrations, with lots of feathery snow, fuzzy knits, and soft and friendly faces; the geography of the pond is somewhat inconsistent, but the good time had by all is clearly evident. Real skating experiences may not always be [End Page 188] so idyllic, but this will entice the uncertain out onto the ice (or into the warming hut) and give viewers in warmer climes happily frosty daydreams. Copyright © 2019 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Lawrence: The Bunny Who Wanted to Be Naked by Vern Kousky

Reviewed by: Lawrence: The Bunny Who Wanted to Be Naked by Vern Kousky Natalie Berglind Kousky, Vern Lawrence: The Bunny Who Wanted to Be Naked; written and illus. by Vern Kousky. Schwartz & Wade, 2020 [38p] Library ed. ISBN 978-0-525-64666-2 $20.99 Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-525-64665-5 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-525-64667-9 $10.99 Reviewed from galleys R 4-6 yrs Lawrence's mom handcrafts the most elaborate, ridiculous clothes for him to wear every day, from concoctions like "sweater suits" and "ear stockings" to jester-like hats that cover his bunny ears. Unhappy with his forced clothes ("Every other beast gets to go naked. Why can't I?"), Lawrence hatches a plan to give his mother a taste of her own medicine: he sews her equally garish clothing and guilts her into wearing them until she understands his feelings ("Could this be how my darling Lawrence feels every single day?"). The two then combine their sewing skills to make an elaborate kite instead, and frolic in the nude, as bunnies were intended. Kousky's watercolor illustrations provide gentle, natural backdrops in hilarious contrast with Lawrence's and his mother's gaudily patterned clothing; the clothes are not only creative but also genuinely laugh-out-loud funny, and viewers will get a kick out of the various ways that Lawrence and his mother can embarrass each other, intentionally or not. Any kids that feel their guardians have been overbearing in some aspect can use this readaloud as a lens through which to poke a little good-humored fun at them. Copyright © 2019 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Captain Rosalie by Timothée de Fombelle

Reviewed by: Captain Rosalie by Timothée de Fombelle Elizabeth Bush de Fombelle, Timothée Captain Rosalie; tr. by Sam Gordon; illus. by Isabelle Arsenault. Candlewick, 2019 60p ISBN 978-1-5362-0520-6 $15.99 R Gr. 3-5 In this tenderly illustrated novella, little Rosalie, who has never known anything except war and her father's absence, dubs herself "Captain" and undertakes a private mission. When her mother leaves her each day at the tiny village school she is too young to actually attend, the schoolmaster allows her to sit quietly in the back beneath the coat hooks and draw in her notebook. At home, her mother's cuddling as she reads aloud her husband's optimistic letters from the front in World War I abruptly ceases with the arrival of a blue envelope whose contents make her mother cry and withdraw emotionally from her daughter. Captain Rosalie sneaks home when her mother is out to discover the truth and finds, in looking at the letters, that she's learned to read; the missives are filled with despair and foreboding, and when she finally retrieves the blue envelope it breaks the news of her father's death. Uncovering that truth completes Rosalie's mission, and sharing the truth with her daughter frees the mother to be a parent again. Rosalie's innocent but determined narration is delicately supported by Arsenault's atmospheric gray-toned ink and watercolor illustrations touched with fiery rust orange that associates Rosalie's hair with quotidian items that affect her interior life. The tale, a version of which appeared in The Great War (BCCB 4/15), is ultimately about children's need for and resilience in the face of truth, and it should inspire thoughtful middle-grade discussion. Copyright © 2019 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Blake and Exhibitions, 2017

The works by Blake on display in 2017 span his trajectory from early modern esoteric traditions to his role as a critic of technology and power in late twentieth-century countercultures. An exhibition on the mystical philosophy of Jacob Böhme in Dresden featured some of Blake’s watercolor illustrations to Edward Young’s Night Thoughts among works tracing the reception of Böhme from the Corpus Hermeticum to Itten, Marc, Kandinsky, Arp, and the Bauhaus in the early twentieth century. The Blakes displayed in Dresden illustrated the planetary iconography of the late Nights of Young’s poem, the tension between light and darkness, and the earthly and heavenly possibilities of the human form. Seen in the context of the visual apparatus of the Corpus Hermeticum, they showed how Blake draws on early modern traditions that understand human beings as children of the planets, while also participating in the artisanal visual culture of hermeticism. By contrast, William Blake and the Age of Aquarius showed a selection from all periods of Blake’s work to illustrate his influence on postwar American artists, from experiments in printmaking to Robert Smithson, Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are (1963), Allen Ginsberg and the Beat Generation, the Vietnam protests, and rock culture. The reception of Blake in music and popular culture was key to his inclusion in the final room of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s exhibition You Say You Want a Revolution? Records and Rebels, 1966–1970: Blake’s “Jerusalem” demonstrated how “dissent inspires protest across the centuries.” The information panel carefully tracked the legacy of the hymn as it was adopted by movements and parties across the political spectrum, from the suffragettes to Labour, Liberals, Liberal Democrats, and Conservatives. It also represented British identity in the 2012 London Olympics.

New light on the mycological work of Lewis David von Schweinitz

In 1993, the Farlow Reference Library of Cryptogamic Botany at Harvard University received a gift of a slim volume, entitled Icones fungorum Niskiensium. Vibrant water colour illustrations of fungi covered the pages bound within it. It was attributed to Lewis David von Schweinitz, the American born “father” of North American mycology. Schweinitz coauthored his first mycological publication with Johannes Baptista von Albertini in Germany, 1805: Conspectus fungorum in Lusatiae superioris agro Nieskiensi crescentium (An overview of fungi growing in the area of Niesky in Upper Lusatia), now considered a classic mycological text. Schweinitz, a prolific and skillful mycological illustrator, prepared the plates of illustrations appended to the Conspectus and produced many unpublished water colours of the fungi treated therein. The results of our research into the provenance of the Icones fungorum Niskiensium are presented here. Building upon recent scholarship, we provide analysis of its role in the early development of the Conspectus. An index to the figures, cross-referenced to Schweinitz’s other unpublished volumes of water colours and to the Conspectus, is also provided. To make the Icones fungorum Niskiensium publically available, the volume has been digitized and may be accessed through the Biodiversity Hertitage Library (BHL) portal.

The Eleventh Hour by Jacques Goldstyn

Reviewed by: The Eleventh Hour by Jacques Goldstyn Elizabeth Bush Jules was born two minutes later than Jim, the boy next door who would become his best friend, and he's never been able to make up for that lost time: "Jim always took the lead; he was faster and stronger than Jules." The two are nonetheless inseparable, and when news of war reaches their Canadian town in 1914, they enlist together. True to the pattern of Jim's hustle and Jules' shuffle, Jim arrives everywhere on time, garnering the best-fitting uniform and the shiniest new convoy ship overseas; he's the first over the hill in any action and has the medal to prove it, while Jules follows in his wake, determined but undistinguished. They do their duty in the trenches, and "sometimes at night, the two friends hugged each other. Sometimes they even cried as they talked about going home." The Great War winds down, the generals and statesmen negotiate an armistice, and the soldiers fight until eleven on the morning of November eleventh. Jim, true to form, battles a tad more furiously than Jules; he catches a fatal bullet at 10:58, leaving his ever tardy friend to return home and rebuild a life on his own. This antiwar parable, dedicated to George Lawrence Price, the last Canadian solider to die in World War I, at 10:58 on November 11, 1918, is a powerful and accessible multi-audience picture book that imbues meaning to the hundredth anniversary of a war's end now shrouded in the long ago while challenging young readers to weigh the merits of current conflicts in the news. For younger children or those who simply focus on the economical text and glance at the loosely cartooned line and watercolor illustrations, Goldstyn offers a compact précis of the war through the experience of two Everymen who "didn't understand all the news reports about treaties and alliances, but … understood that their country needed them." Recruitment, training, and transport; trench and aerial warfare; women taking up domestic and wartime employment on the homefront; armistice, last-second tragedy, and a legacy of commemorations are part and parcel of the Great War, and although impetus and weaponry may shift and evolve, they basically reprise and presage every other war. For older readers, or those inclined to linger and take in the gruesome scenery, Goldstyn conducts a masterclass in visual storytelling. From our first introduction to the baby boys asleep in their cribs, it's clear that Jim, with his curly ginger topknot, has advantage beyond two minutes of lead time; he dozes in a painted, decorated little bed with a cat by his side, while Jules sleeps in a soapbox with a mouse looking on. He's stacking blocks while Jules gnaws on them, toddles while Jules is still on his knees, whizzes along on his two-wheeler while Jules relies on training wheels. It's empathetic Jules, though, who looks at his worn-down [End Page 109] fellow soldiers and realizes they're starting to look like cavemen, and who glances back at the row of German prisoners, wondering whether they're luckier because, for them, the war is over. The violence, acknowledged but underplayed in the text, develops visually. It starts with the shocking moment when the cheerful imagery is besmirched by the blood spatter from the assassinated archduke, then it's brought close to home as Jim bayonets a practice dummy during training, and it climaxes in dark absurdity as Germans and Allies storming a symbolic hill leap to their deaths in a steaming "huge cauldron that kept devouring men." The postwar dénouement, in which Jules makes his livelihood as a horologist, delivers the final irony: Jules now make clocks, which all run two minutes slow, and when there is a wreath-laying ceremony at the war memorial he is, of course, two minutes late. Two minutes. It can be the line between war and disarmament, and it can be the difference between losing or keeping a friend. (See p. 123 for publication information.) Click for larger view View full resolution Copyright © 2018 The Board of Trustees of the University...

Thirty Minutes over Oregon: A Japanese Pilot's World War II Story by Marc Tyler Nobleman

Reviewed by: Thirty Minutes over Oregon: A Japanese Pilot's World War II Story by Marc Tyler Nobleman Elizabeth Bush Nobleman, Marc Tyler Thirty Minutes over Oregon: A Japanese Pilot's World War II Story; illus. by Melissa Iwai. Clarion, 2018 [40p] ISBN978-0-544-43076-1 $17.99 Reviewed from galleys R 7-10 yrs In December 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor; in spring of 1942, the U.S. retaliated with the Doolittle bombing raid on Tokyo; in autumn of 1942, the Japanese retaliated for the retaliation with an attack on the American mainland. [End Page 84] Pilot Nobuo Fujita was catapulted from the narrow deck of a submarine towards the coastal forest of Oregon, with a mission to drop a pair of bombs that would start a forest fire and spread to residential areas. When the fire failed to ignite, he repeated the mission several weeks later, and at that point the Japanese believed those two bombs had detonated and claimed the missions as victories. Over the years, Fujita came to regret his role in the bombings: "He never discussed his Oregon raids, though they were rarely out of his mind." In 1962, in an attempt to drum up tourism, the town of Brookings, Oregon invited Nobuo Fujita to be an honored guest at a Memorial Day observance that "would be a symbol of reconciliation not just between individuals—but between nations." Genuine friendship and reciprocal visits were the happy outcome, continuing until Fujita's death in 1997. This picture book recounts a shadowy corner of the World War II homeland story, and the text is skillfully complemented by Iwai's line and watercolor illustrations. The result is a respectful and balanced representation of a soldier's wartime mission, protesters who value peace but mistrust an old enemy, and open-minded and -hearted former foes who are ready and willing to move forward and heal. An author's note will be included in the bound book. EB Copyright © 2018 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Cook's Cook: The Cook Who Cooked for Captain Cook; by Gavin Bishop

Reviewed by: Cook's Cook: The Cook Who Cooked for Captain Cook; by Gavin Bishop Elizabeth Bush Bishop, Gavin Cook's Cook: The Cook Who Cooked for Captain Cook; written and illus. by Gavin Bishop. Gecko, 2018 40p ISBN 978-1-77657-204-5 $17.99 R Gr. 3-5 In 1768 HMS Endeavour, under the command of Captain James Cook, set sail for the South Pacific to observe the transit of Venus and to covertly search for a posited southern continent. Aboard were paying guests under the direction of naturalist Joseph Banks, hoping to discover unknown (to Europeans, at least) flora and fauna. Also aboard was John Thompson, who cared little about either enterprise; his goal was to keep rations stretched and crew bellies filled, craftily deploying anti-scurvy comestibles, such as sauerkraut, which the captain extolled and the crew despised. As favored food ran short and the route was notably devoid of supermarkets, Thompson also figured out how to make meals of dog, stingray, and kangaroo. Bishop's rousing take on Thompson's culinary exploits is liberally interlaced with attention to the ship's overall mission. Ink and watercolor illustrations incorporate renderings of the action as well as vignettes, insets, and symbols that allude to concurrent views of the Endeavour's adventures. Bishop's art also pays close attention to the inhabitants of lands being so cavalierly claimed for Mother England; as the captain and competitive crew members vie for naming rights to new discoveries (poor Thompson constantly overlooked), indigenous names are attached to each landmark and native speakers use their own language. Journal entries and recipes are so convincingly presented that it's difficult to know how much is directly derived from original sources, none of which Bishop cites, unfortunately. Nonetheless, kids embarking on their first voyage with Captain Cook will most certainly enjoy the company, if not the dinner. EB Copyright © 2018 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Lights! Camera! Alice!: The Thrilling True Adventures of the First Woman Filmmaker by Mara Rockliff

Reviewed by: Lights! Camera! Alice!: The Thrilling True Adventures of the First Woman Filmmaker by Mara Rockliff Elizabeth Bush Rockliff, Mara Lights! Camera! Alice!: The Thrilling True Adventures of the First Woman Filmmaker; illus. by Simona Ciraolo. Chronicle, 2018 60p ISBN 978-1-4521-4134-3 $17.99 R 5-8 yrs In the earliest of the early days of motion-picture technology at the end of the nineteenth century, when film of trains on the move and people exiting a factory could excite wonder in an audience, Alice Guy, the secretary at France's Gaumont Studio, had a breakthrough moment. She knew that this technology could be used not just to document activity but to tell stories, and with the approval of her boss, she began to produce film for which she did it all—the plotting, the casting, the sets, the costumes. She added color; she introduced synchronized sound; she experimented with visual effects. With her husband, a Gaumont cameraman, she moved to America and eventually built her own studio, Solax. In Alice Guy-Blaché, Rockliff finds that holy grail of picture book biographies—a well-documented life of a fascinating woman who has been overlooked. With Ciraolo supplying witty watercolor illustrations of the tidy Gibson Girl holding sway over antic movie sets, Rockliff packages her narrative as a series of movie scenes, with each act introduced [End Page 137] by a silent movie card ("The Great Discovery," "A Severe Test") that cites the title of one of her own films. Closing notes address the question "So why hasn't everybody heard of Alice Guy-Blaché?" head-on and then guides readers to additional material, including several movies easily accessed via an online search. EB Copyright © 2018 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall

Reviewed by: Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall Deborah Stevenson Blackall, Sophie Hello Lighthouse; written and illus. by Sophie Blackall. Little, 2018 [48p] ISBN 978-0-316-36238-2 $18.99 Reviewed from galleys R* 6-10 yrs Lighthouses have a powerful hold on the imagination, with their lonely but important mission, and Caldecott-winning illustrator Blackall illuminates (sorry) the lighthouse keeper experience in this compact fictional chronicle. When the new keeper arrives, he spruces the place up and sets about the age-old tasks: "He polishes the lens and refills the oil and trims the burned end of the wick. Throughout the night, he winds the clockwork that keeps the lamp in motion." Then he's joined by his wife, and they soon have a child; eventually, though, automation comes to the lighthouse, and the keeper and his family depart for the mainland—just across from the lighthouse, where they can see its light. Gentle ragged-right present-tense text evokes the rhythm of lighthouse life with constant references to maintaining the light and writing in the logbook, the daily routine punctuated by the occasional sea rescue and periodic visits from the tender that brings supplies. Visually, the book's tall, narrow trim size is so appropriate it's practically inevitable, and Blackall's soft yet precise line and watercolor illustrations provide inviting details (there's an alluring cross-section of the lighthouse right up front). Many spreads offer a circular vignette or two with a closer look at the human drama, but the backdrop keeps the ever-present ocean still literally in the picture. This would combine nicely with a field trip to a local lighthouse or a science lesson on Fresnel et al., or just use this to introduce kids to a historic way of life. A concluding note gives more technical and historical information about lighthouses. DS Copyright © 2017 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Little Bunny's Own Storybook by M. Welwood

Welwood, Margaret. Little Bunny's Own Storybook, illustrated by Nataly Vits, Bomars Ventures, 2017.Margaret Welwood tells the story of a little bunny, who wants to spend the day at his favourite place, the library. Unfortunately, it is closed, and he must find another way to occupy himself. The little bunny feels sad because he does not want to play outside or with his toys, but then has the idea to make his own book. He collects paper, crayons, glue, and paint, and goes about writing his own story. The little bunny spends the day busily working on it. Then he reads his new book to his parents, who love the story. Finally, the little bunny encourages the reader to write their own stories and create their own books.This book has gentle, watercolour illustrations that give an almost dream-like quality to the book. Most pages are dominated with browns, greens, and blues. Each illustration fills a single page with the text written in a soft white bubble that overlays the images. The images are very pretty, but they do not add more information to the book, beyond what can be gleaned from the text itself.The text is an interesting combination of simple structure and rhyme scheme with complex and advanced vocabulary. The second and fourth line of every page rhyme, which gives the book a pleasant and familiar lilt. However, because of the use of words like “antidote,” the language seems somehow discordant. This book indicates that it is intended for children aged 3 to 8, but the vocabulary would likely be too difficult for 3-year-olds, and the simple story line would likely be uninteresting for 8-year-olds. As a result, I would recommend it more for children aged 5 to 6. The book is clearly meant to convey the pleasures of reading and the library, as well as creating and sharing. As a result, I would recommend this book for public libraries. Recommended: 3 stars out of 4Reviewer: Laura HamonicLaura Hamonic is an Academic Library Resident at the University of Alberta’s Science and Technology Library. She has a passion for all things crafty and spends her days cross stitching, crocheting, and costume making.