Update Friday: Switch on the Night

I apologize if this thoroughly confuses everyone, but studying my analytics the other day, I was reminded that nobody reads blogs on Friday. (Well, not nobody, because obviously you're here, right?) That said, I've decided to make a radical change here at VKBMKLs and do away with Update Wednesday and instead christen Update Friday. Exciting, no? Once again on Wednesdays, you will see new reviews, while Fridays will be reserved for updating those posts I used to do way-back-when that only had one crusty old scan.

That said, welcome to Update Friday... and it's probably gonna be the most exciting Update Friday of all because I happen to be updating a book my good friend gef introduced me to... a book that I think stands at the top of the heap as far as vintage books goes. A book that every single child in the entire world should be familiar with. The original version of Ray Bradbury's Switch on the Night, his one and only picture book for children. I can not recommend this book highly enough. Simply brilliant.

(Seriously, if you don't run out and buy this from somewhere right now --or cross your fingers and hope your library still has a copy floating around--, you are a terrible parent and care nothing for vintage children's literature. And you can quote me on that. If you've a dollhouse, you can at least hook your dolls up.)

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Mrs. Easter and the Storks

Mrs. Easter and the Storks
V.H. Drummond ~ A. S. Barnes and Company, 1959

So when I mentioned the fabulous Flickr book jacket set from the Faber and Faber archives last week, I also mentioned this book, and of course, since it was fabulous and there were birds, I had to hit eBay right away. Our first read was last night, and the cover did not disappoint.

For a picture book, it's pretty epic. I won't get too deep into the plot but it's basically about a lady and her nephew, a pair of storks who are in love, a thieving zoo superintendent, a ride upon an ocean liner (and a stork), a king, a bottle of bird reviver and some serious nest building. Oh, and a beak that glows.

"Today you have brought me great happiness," he said, looking up at Sally and Sam who had just finished their nest.

"It is pleasant for a King to have a stork's nest on his palace roof. But to have a stork with a luminous beak is really delightful. Think how pleased my people will be when they see this beautiful light brightening our city."

The faces on Drummond's characters are so expressive, with their wee little smirks, and for some reason, I've built this image of him in my mind crouched over a drafting table in dim light scratching them out with his pen. Marvelous!

The always amazing NYR Children's Collection did a reprint of a book Drummond illustrated but didn't write called Carbonel: The King of Cats, but as far as I know that's the only one of his that's currently in print.



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Update Wednesday: Our Best Friends

Since it's Gyo give week, I figured I'd pull this one off the shelf to do an revamp. So, welcome to Update Wednesday where I take a post from the past (back before I did a millions scans) and update it will all new pictures. Without further blah blah, please enjoy Gyo Fujikawa's Our Best Friends.

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Adelaide

Adelaide
Tomi Ungerer ~ Harper, 1959

Another in the previously mentioned Ungerer books with a one-word title--of an animal's name-- series... One where animal meets man. Animal befriends man. And animal ultimately saves the day. The series also includes Emile, Crictor, Rufus and Orlando. And again, I'm not totally sure if he meant them as a series, but they are certainly peas in a literary pod. This one is about a kangaroo born with wings.

Adelaide's parents were surprised when they saw that their daughter had wings. As Adelaide grew, her wings became larger and larger. She soon learned to fly. She liked to look at the birds and airplanes passing over the desert, and wished she could travel too.

Yes... with her wings comes wanderlust... one that takes her to the world of man, ultimately landing her in Paris. Fame and fortune find her, of course (she's a winged kangaroo, for goodness sake!)... but true celebrity awaits when she risks her life to save some children from a blazing fire.

Only then does she find happiness that's worth settling down for... Though his humor is somewhat sinister at times, Tomi's heart always rings true, finding virtue in the simplest of heroism and love in the unlikeliness of places.

Also by:
Crictor
The Hat
Zarelda's Ogre
Seeds and More Seeds
The Three Robbers
Moon Man
Orlando The Brave Vulture
Christmas Eve at the Mellops'
I Am Papa Snap and These Are My Favorite No Such Stories
The Beast of Monsieur Racine
Allumette
The Mellops Strike Oil
Book of Various Owls
Rufus
Emile

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ohdeeoh

Not to overwhelm you with too much us, but head on over to ohdeeoh today to see an interview with you know who about you know what.

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The Fabulous Firework Family

The Fabulous Firework Family
James Flora ~ Harcourt, Brace & World, INC., 1955

With The Day the Cow Sneezed on the cusp of a reprint (it releases September 1) and all the amazing prints that are being shilled on his estate's Etsy page, I figured I'd better keep digging to make sure I'd covered all the Flora backlist in our collection. That said, meet one of my husband's favorite children's books. He grew up in San Antonio, where Mexican culture thrives north of the border, so the book has a special place in his heart. Utilizing loads of words in Spanish, it's the story of a family of firework makers who are commissioned to make the "very tallest, the every widest, and the very finest firework castle ever made by mortal man."

It must make more noise than thunder; more smoke than a volcano; and throw off more sparks than there are stars in heaven, to celebrate the birthday of Santiago our beloved patron saint.

An old Mexican tradition, I saw one of these castillos in San Miguel a few years back, but it wasn't quite as spectacular as the one depicted on these pages. Here, we follow Pepito, the small son in the family as he learns the trade... making the paper mache animals and skeletons, constructing the bamboo structure, and tying the fuses. But it would not be a true Flora without some flaming mishap and a botched robbery. In the end, Pepito comes of age and saves the day, in a book that is as spiritedly illustrated as it is fun to read. Flora was a madman and a genius. Any of his books I'd trade my left arm for. (Notice I said, left, not right. A girl's gotta have some shame.)

If you feel like getting a copy for your family, stay away from the 1994 reprint. Some of the original character gets lost in translation. And to see some full page spreads, head on over to the Curious Pages.

Also by:
Kangaroo for Christmas
Grandpa's Farm
Pishtosh Bullwash and Wimple
Great Green Turkey Creek Monster
Leopold the See-Through Crumbpicker
The Day the Cow Sneezed
Little Hatchy Hen
Grandpa's Witched Up Christmas
My Friend Charlie
Sherwood Walks Home
Stewed Goose

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