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Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After

Rediscovering Life after Retirement

Categories: Reviews and Reflection

31 Days of Children’s Books, Day 17

31 Days of Children's Books, Day 17Dear Ones,

Sitting on the patio of the guest house where we are staying in Arizona.  Just about bedtime.  My Prince had a first full day of baseball with a double-header…ball from 9-5, almost like a full day’s work.  The weather was spring-like, with plenty of sunshine and a slight breeze.  PC’s team didn’t fare well but he had fun, scored a run, played third base and catcher and had the proudest wife on the team.

Going to share another Caldecott with you real quick before we call it a day.  The book The Biggest Bear by Lynd Ward won the Caldecott in 1953.

31 Days of Children's Books, Day 17

Author/illustrator Lynd Ward tells the story of young Johnny who longs to have bearskins hanging in his family’s barn just as all of the neighbors do.  Meet Johnny.

31 Days of Children's Books, Day 17

He goes into the woods, determined to catch and kill the biggest bear around.  But instead of a big bear, Johnny encounters a young, orphaned bear cub that becomes his pet.

31 Days of Children's Books, Day 17

That is, until the cub grows into the big bear Johnny was originally hoping to kill and skin.  As the bear has grown older and larger, he has become quite out-of-control.

31 Days of Children's Books, Day 17

Johnny is faced with making an adult decision about the wild animal he loves as a pet.

The story is set in Ontario, where Ward had recuperated from a childhood diagnosis of tuberculosis.  He used casein paint to create this monochromatic artwork.  I had to look up casein paint…my art ed background failed me.  It is paint attained from milk protein.  Casein paint is water-soluble but after time becomes insoluble.  This paint was often used for murals until the development of acrylic paint.  Acrylic paint I do know.

Ward’s unsophisticated sepia paintings relate the story as much as the prose.  Johnny’s impish ear-to-ear grin is almost a caricature.  He reminds me of Opie (actor Ron Howard), Andy Griffith’s TV son on the “Mayberry Show”.

31 Days of Children's Books, Day 17[source]

I can almost make out a sprinkle of freckles across the bridge of his nose and can imagine Johnny’s hair to be the same shade of strawberry blonde as Opie’s.

In the illustration of the Orchard family meeting bear for the first time, the characters are painted in a curious balance between simple and detailed.  The grandpa wears evidence of a hard life in the lines and wrinkles on his face.  But the shoes appear like flat, afterthoughts.  And the proportions of the characters’ arms with the rest of their bodies seems awkward.  Somehow it all works together, with casein as the perfect medium for portraying this simple backwoods family living in an equally simple time.

In researching Lynd Ward and The Biggest Bear, I came across a website that offers a kind of buy and sell platform for 1st edition books.  There is a section for “Children’s Picture Books”, and under that category, listings for “Caldecott Award” winning books.  Apparently, for the correct edition of The Biggest Bear, collectors are paying upwards of $1000.00.  Check it out here.

Remember that copy of Animals of the Bible I withdrew from my library?  I was torn about removing it from the library collection but it hadn’t been checked out in years.  And The Little House book that I loved as a child?  They are both mentioned on 1stedition.net.  Apparently having first edition Caldecotts can be quite profitable!

I bet I could find some real treasures in some of the El Paso school district libraries where little weeding/withdrawing has been done.  Maybe that should be my next hobby?  Looking for first edition Caldecott books.  Do you have any old, valuable books I could relieve you of?

My baseball-playing PC has retired for the night.  I need to put this away and climb under the covers, too.  Wishing you a peaceful Monday.

Hugs and kisses,

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    About Leslie Roberts Clingan

    I am an aspiring blogger and children's author, wife, mother, daughter, sister, - in-law, responsible pet owner and recently retired elementary school librarian. I hope to figure out the next chapter of my life as I transition from crazy, busy work world onto totally idle retirement and now to something in-between.

    Comments

    1. Andrea@WellnessNotes

      October 17, 2016 at 6:29 am

      Unfortunately, I don’t have any 1st edition, valuable books. I bet there are many who discarded them over the years without knowing…

      Sounds like you are having a nice time in Arizona! Enjoy!

      Reply
      • Leslie Roberts Clingan

        October 19, 2016 at 7:42 pm

        I don’t think I have any first editions, either. I put The Little House that I reviewed on my Amazon wishlist in hopes of getting a copy for Christmas. I hope you will join us for sentence a day in November. Would love to do some kind of link-up with you sometime. Book review? Recipe exchange? Scarf exchange? If you might be interested, let me know!!

        Reply
    2. Andrea Nine

      October 17, 2016 at 8:32 am

      How wonderful, I am just loving these recaps of these classic wonderful pieces of literature! I hope you’re having the best time and soaking up all that Arizona sunshine and warmth!

      Reply
      • Leslie Roberts Clingan

        October 19, 2016 at 8:00 pm

        We have had a wonderful trip to Arizona. Home tomorrow but there’s no place like home. Glad you have enjoyed my little book reviews. Thank you, sweets.

        Reply
    3. Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom

      October 17, 2016 at 12:03 pm

      Sounds like your husband enjoys playing ball! I have quite a lot of books from the 70’s from my childhood and my brothers, but I have no idea if any of them are 1st edition or valuable. I have been enjoying reading about all of these books, you really know your stuff! 🙂

      Oh, and not really related. I started Giddy Up, Eunice today and I’m already 22% through it! I know you had mentioned it on your blog. I am REALLY enjoying it!

      Carrie
      curlycraftymom.com

      Reply
      • Leslie Roberts Clingan

        October 19, 2016 at 8:05 pm

        Oh, my goodness does PC love playing baseball! Would do it everyday, if he could.

        You need to check some of your childhood books to see if they are first editions. That website tells you what to look for you will know whether or not they are. You might be able to pay for the kids’ college with your first edition books! Or return to Italy. OR BOTH!

        I picked up Giddy Up, Eunice again today. I am enjoying it, too. Hope we can do a book review/giveaway when we have finished reading it.

        Hope you little hamster has a good night.

        Reply
    4. amy

      October 18, 2016 at 8:43 am

      The illustrations in this book are gorgeous! TFS!

      Reply
      • Leslie Roberts Clingan

        October 19, 2016 at 8:13 pm

        Thank you, sweets, for your comment. I am enjoying revisiting these oldies but goodies.

        Reply

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    In what felt like the blink of an eye, I have gone from full-time wife to my sweet husband, hands-on mom to my two beautiful daughters and elementary school librarian to a retired, empty nester with lots of time on my hands. Join me on my journey to rediscover who I am. Glad you are here...
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