Books about Books - Post #3

 

Books in Search of Children – Speeches and Essays by Louise Seaman Bechtel. Selected and with an Introduction by Virginia Haviland. Published by Macmillan, 1940, 1969.

“The Macmillan Children’s Book Department celebrates its Fiftieth Anniversary with this collection of speeches and articles by its distinguished founder, Louise Seaman Bechtel. Many of the essays first appeared in The Horn Book Magazine, and many of the speeches were delivered at important library conferences. The collection highlights the growth of American literature for children during four decades, beginning in 1919, when Mrs. Bechtel started the first children’s book department in the United States. And it reveals the career of one editor/critic—a Pioneer in her chosen field—who worked with many of the outstanding children’s book authors and artists of the twentieth century.”—from the dust jacket.

Book “nerds” read books about books! Finding myself unable to sleep one night, I started this book and was delighted to read Bechtel’s essays and speeches. The book is organized into sections which include: Of the Making of Books, Of Authors and Artists, Of Children and Books, and Of Times and Trends. Louise knew personally the authors and artists of the first half of the 20th century; she even went to college with Elizabeth Coatsworth and referred to her at E.C. She wrote about the beginning of illustrating for young readers, about the picture books of Berta and Elmer Hader, the storytelling of Padraic Colum, and many others. I found most interesting her chapters on “current” trends in children’s literature, as she discussed Dr. Doolittle, Holling Clancy Holling’s books, and Walter Farley’s horse fiction.

Bechtel provides an extensive list of books for children before age five. I was delighted to see how many of those books I have in my lending library. These are classics that have stood the test of time. The Country Noisy Book by Margaret Wise Brown, Ask Mr. Bear by Marjorie Flack, Blue Barns by Helen Sewell, Junket is Nice by Dorothy Kunhardt, Snipp Snapp Snurr by Maj Lindman, and so many others.

I highly recommend Books in Search of Children. Since many of the authors and illustrators of yesteryear are gone now and we can’t sit down and have a conversation with them, Bechtel provides for us a peek into the talent and delight of these people who pioneered the children’s literature movement.