12: Treasure Chest of Children's Books

Illustration Treasure Chest of Children's Books @smartigraphicdesign

Momola bought a wooden storage chest once in a Japanese bazaar and as we moved around from country to country during my childhood. It became a safe space for my favorite things. And then childhood ended and I went on for other adventures. It's been in storage for a decade. And I finally reopened it this summer. What I found was a portal to my childhood self - a small collection of the illustrated books that made that time so special. Some of them you'll know, dear reader! But I suspect that some will be a surprise!

I had intentions of reopening this chest years ago. But you know how it goes. Life has other ideas. I just never got around to it. I got up the courage to unearth it this year. And opening it up, I found a collection of things that I had forgotten. A music box that played Maiden's Prayer, a whittled wooden charm that I used to wear on a necklace, a trick Japanese puzzle box, a Twin Stars lunchbox - even a Jenny doll (the Japanese barbie.) It was a gorgeous foray into the mind of a younger smarti: the tiny things she liked, the color choices she preferred, the magic of youthful whimsy.

But when I got down to the books. The books. THE BOOKS! I was so incredibly enamored. It's so true that the books one reads as a child integrate so deeply into our conscience. The stories still elicit a sense of excitement, happiness, playfulness. And while I can't exactly see the world with the same eyes, I can see how the aesthetic of the illustrations have inspired so much of my style, my choices, and the art in my present life. Here's the top hits of the collection that I'd like to share with you, dear reader:

illustration credit: Dr. Seuss enterprise

bibliography: Seuss. (1985). Green eggs and Ham. Beulah Reimer Legacy.

Green Eggs and Ham By Dr Seuss

A classic of any childhood generation, Dr. Seuss reigned supreme in our bedtime story traditions. My dad had a thousand voices at the ready while reading stories, but Sam-I-Am was by far his best. I love the inky lines, the strong contrasted colors, the imagination of all the propping aparata that were needed to lift boxes with foxes, or stilt trains speeding into a lake. And how's about a round of applause for the wand with a whole other hand attached at the end? Bravo!

illustration credit: Maria Pascual Albrecht

bibliography: Barrio, Fedro, Esopo, Iriarte, & Samaniego (Eds.). (1983). Fábulas. Tomo 6. (Pascual, Illus.) Ediciones Toray

Fabulas, Tomo 6, Authors: Barrio, Esopo, Fedro, Iriarte, Samaniego. Illustrated by Maria Pascual

This is a story collection book series that exclusively featured the artist Maria Pascual Albrecht. She was a prolific children's book illustrator in Spain, and although her body of work emerges during and out of the 70s funk - only dark eyelashes from that era extends into her art style. Otherwise, it's pages of delicate outlines of scenes and people, the softest blended bright colors, and an eye for background scenery and ornamentation that make every illustration glow with magic.

illustration credit: Yoshisuke Kurosaki

bibliography: Sakade, F. (1994). Japanese children’s favorite stories. (Kurosaki, Y., Illus) Tuttle.

Japanese Children's Favorite Stories, edited by Florence Sakade. Illustrated by Yoshisuke Kurosaki

This book is a compendium of classic Japanese tales with the most elegant lines and dreamiest watercolor illustration by Yoshisuke Kurosaki. He was a master of clean inked scenes with teensiest details of decoration. Characters have such round features, background shapes are soft-edged and curvy with smooth lined textures. Cute doesn't capture all its adorableness. And dear me, the colored pages are so bright and cheery they look almost edible!

illustration credit: Ron & Atie van der Meer

bibliography: Meer, R. V. der, & Meer, A. V. der. (1980). Oh Lord! (1st ed.). Crown Publishers.

¡Oh, Señor!, written and illustrated by Ron & Atie van der Meer

[originally in English, but my Spanish cousins gifted it to me, so I have the Spanish version, which I decided to translate into English at some point - defacing my own copy! Original title: Oh Lord!]

A dutch artist husband-wife duo who wrote and illustrated this comic strip style book of the story of Genesis from the Bible. Apparently, Van Der Meer is known for being a paper engineer who has a long library credit of pop-up books. This book is not a pop-up. But it was a favorite to me for the neat layout and colorful imaginings of Genesis. I love how it compacts a convoluted story in such a clear and clean and colorful way. The genius use of a comic book structure is that it helped me understood the book before I could actually read it. Twice the use, double the fun.

illustration credit: Eric and Lucy Kincaid

bibliography: Kincaid, L., & Kincaid, E. (1977). Mr. see-more says “Look inside.” Brimax Books.

El Sr. Ve-lo-todo dice "Mira Adentro", written and illustrated by Eric and Lucy Kincaid

(This was another book originally in English, but I have the Spanish copy. Original is titled: Look Inside.) The main drawing on each page a is realistic rendition of an animal, insect or food in nature. The accompanying background is always an imaginative scene that exaggerated the behavior and dwellings in the most creative ways. I loved the personification of everything - peas marching into a pod like soldiers, birds in do-rags vacuuming their nests, postal worker bees collecting pollen in jars and baskets, Of course, the addition of fairies in different scenes really made my imagination burst joyful about nature. (I cannot tell you how many times in my life I've thought of that orange packing fairy struggling to fit them back into their peels!)

My treasure chest was almost a time capsule, with the amount of time that had lapsed since I last opened it. And boy oh boy, that gave it such a rediscovery charm. A joy, curiosity and excitement of things I had almost forgotten! In the end it was hard for me to go through things without assigning some weight to all my keepsakes and trying to only keep the heaviest hitters. (Minimalism is not for the faint of heart.)

Thankfully, most of the books still captured my heart. They will stay with me for a while. I still find so much inspiration from them. And I can see why I chose bright colors, little details and clean lines, and work so hard to constantly simplify as I grow as an artist. It's part of my homage to the many illustrators who influenced me and my young self. A hearty thank you and big cheer for them! Hip hip hooray! I appreciate how you've made my world a wonderful place.

and now, here's wishing happy children's book memories to you too,

smarti