Thursday, 10 May 2012

"Mr Rabbit And The Lovely Present", Charlotte Zolotow, Illustrated by Maurice Sendak, Part 2


Soft, atmospheric pictures, so suitable for this deep and meaningful story about a girl wondering what present to get for her mother's birthday. She goes to Mr Rabbit for help and together they work out the pros and cons of various possibilities. Quite a philosophical and ambiguous story really, one designed to encourage young - and old - readers to think more about the value of the simple things in life as opposed to what is on offer in our present materialistic world. I love the restricted palette of pale yellows, pinks and blues the artist uses - one to be made more famous with "Where The Wild Thing Are" a year later. The impressionist style adds even further to the contemplative mood of the narrative.

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