The Little Engine That Could

Do you remember the Watty Piper book The Little Engine That Could from your childhood? Or perhaps you have read it to your children or grandchildren?

I am the librarian in a school that is over 50 years old. Back in 1978, before I was there, the school suffered a fire which resulted in total damage of the library and other rooms. A new library was built, but there were no books. All the other elementary schools were asked to donate duplicate copies of books, or books that they did not want, so that the library could be back in business. Consequently, when I came along about 10 years ago, there were still many old books in the collection. Some are in such bad shape that I have to remove them from our collection, but there are others which are passable and might even fetch a little money if they could be up for sale.

One book that is still hanging around is the 1954 Platt & Munk Co. edition of The Little Engine That Could. I recently discovered a 2005 edition with new art work by one of my favorite children's author/illustrators, Loren Long. Much of his art work is remeniscent of the WPA artwork from the mid-1930's, particularly the landscapes of Grant Wood.

The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper.
Illustrations by Loren Long. Copyright 2005

Here are the two styles, taken from the same area of the story that reads: "Up, up, up. Faster and faster and faster and faster the little engine climbed, until at last they reached the top of the mountain." Sorry for the poor quality of the page above...check out the book from the library to see the beauty of this new artwork.

The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper.
Illustrations by George & Doris Hauman.
Copyright 1954

I love what Loren Long has done with this classic. He has turned dated art into illustrations that breathe life into every page. It's a real treat to enjoy an old story in a new way.

Children's Picture Books

In the future I will probably talk about some of my favorite picture book illustrators, but for now, I'll just tell you that one of my all-time favorites is David Wiesner. The montage at the top of this post shows covers of some of his books. He tells his story through his artwork, with very few words, if any. Several titles have won the coveted Caldecott Award, most recently, my personal favorite, Flotsam. (Of course, it seems that his most recent book is always my favorite.)

Why You Should Read Children's Books as an Adult

by Jen Robinson http://jkrbooks.typepad.com/blog/

• It's fun.
• It keeps your imagination active.
• It strenghtens your relationship with the children in your life who read.
• It sets an example for the children in your life, making them more likely to become readers.
• It clues you in on cultural references that you may have missed (both current and classical).
• It's fast. Children's books are usually shorter than adult books, so if you don't think you have time to read, you DO have time to read children's books.
• It allows you to read across genres. Children's books aren't limited to mystery OR science fiction OR fantasy OR literary fiction. They can have it all.
• It's like time travel -- it's an easy way to remember the child that you once were, when you first read a book.
• It's often inspirational -- reading about heroes and bravery and loyalty makes you want to be a better person. And couldn't we all do with some of that?
• Did I mention that it's fun? Source: Jen Robinson's Book Page, 2005.

A very wonderful list, but I would add three more:

• Children's books are written with children in mind, so the plot moves along in a way designed to keep the reader's attention.
• Children's books are written with children in mind, so they usually have purer content.
• And the one I always mention to anyone who will listen: The art work in picture books is jaw-dropping. Some of the very best artists and illustrators can be found inside the covers of picture books. Sometime try to read a picture book just by the illustrations. Imagine an illustrator reading the copy for a future picture book and then working up 32 pages of artwork...each illustration designed in a way to flow with the text and hopefully capture the essence of the author's intent.