Winter 2004

Contents

• Recent Events, Visitors, and Exhibits
• From the Curator
• Recent Visitors
• Recent Acquisitions
• Gifts
• Split Rock Arts Program 2004
• Memorable Moments from 2003
• New Sale Items
• Current Exhibits
• In Memoriam - William Steig
• 2004 Kerlan Award - Lois Lowry

Recent Events, Visitors, and Exhibits

From the Curator

35 Years of the Mildred L. Batchelder Award

In the summer of 1968, Mildred L. Batchelder (MLB) visited the University of Minnesota Libraries. She was in search for a home for the books and archives for an annual award established in 1967 for the best translated book recently given in her name, given by the Association of Library Service to Children (ALSC) Division of the American Library Association (ALA).

During the next decade, Miss Batchelder corresponded and then traveled internationally, meeting some of the authors whose books were honored. For example, she contacted Babbis Friis Baastad, the Norwegian author of Ikke Ta Bamse, translated as Don't Take Teddy; Ms Batchelder acquired both the original and the American edition.

Several years following her initial visit, Miss Batchelder designated the Children's Literature Research Collections (CLRC) as the site for these paired books, along with manuscripts in the original language and correspondence. CLRC staff expanded the collecting policy to include translators' manuscripts, and books in additional languages to the original and English. Honor books are sought for the collection within a collection, too.

Visiting researchers, such as Joan Nist used MLB books; she received a PhD for her doctoral dissertation The Mildred L. Batchelder Award Boos, 1968-1977 from Auburn University. Potential translators look at how others have interpreted books. University students studying languages compare pairs of books as they acquire language acquisition.

As a result of this enterprise, CLRC holds most of the Award and Honor books in the original language and the American editions. Karin Gundisch's book, How I Became an American serves as an example of this unique collection. First, the title differs from a literal translation of Das Paradies Liegt in Amerika ("Paradise Resides in America"). The author had never traveled to America, but she based the text on family stories and letters from immigrants that she read. From her research, she created a "family tree." Gundisch investigated motives for emigration, details on the voyage, and work conditions in the new country, specifically Youngstown, Ohio. The author surrounded herself in her home office with photographs. She wrote first in longhand, then on her typewriter and finally the computer, and donated these to the CLRC. Gundisch read from her German book and talked to audiences of German language teachers and the public last September.

CLRC now holds the author's manuscripts and the translator James Skofield's drafts. He struggled especially with poetic lines in a popular nineteenth century song.

Batchelder Award books, now 35 in number, receive less publicity than the Newbery, Caldecott and Wilder. A list of titles and a description of the most recent selection appear on the ALSC website, http://www.ala.org. Likewise, Batchelder Award book manuscripts and translator's held in the CLRC will soon be listed on its website. They have a special significance to those who believe that children's books build international bridges.

--Karen Nelson Hoyle

Recent Visitors

Ryan Anderson from Purdue University used the Hess Collection’s Tip Tip Weekly holdings for his PhD Dissertation.

Professor Maythee Kantar from Metro State University brought her Children’s Literature class for several visits.

Erin Pavlica researched multilingual children’s books in Ojibwe for her Senior Project in American Indian Studies.

Illustrator William Stout studied Gustaf Tenggren’s illustrations for a future book.

Illustrator and new donor William Stout visits the CLRC

Colin Irvine from Augsburg College researched the Western genre as epic for a scholarly article.

Professor Judy Johnson’s Design, Housing and Apparel class studied Children’s Literature illustration.

In November, Illustrator Peter Sis, newly awarded MacArthur fellow, inscribed his books.

Former Kerlan Friends President Prof. Rebecca Rapport and her Curriculum and Instruction class viewing original materials at the collection.

Leah Davison explored images of children in 1940s and 50s magazines.

Jack Zipes’ German Literature students researched folklore, feminism, and fairy tales.

Lauren Liang brought her Children’s Literature Honors Colloquia class to use the collection.

Stephanie Herrick looked at The Wizard of Oz through the political lens of the Great Depression.

Louis Charles Angermeyer viewed dime novels including Buffalo Bill, the American West and Native Americans.

Andrew Loge explored A Norwegian Farm: Norwegian Children’s Identity in Scandinavian Literature.

Garrison Keillor inscribed his books in the Kerlan Collection.

Garrison Keillor inscribing books at the CLRC this fall.

Author and Illustrator Mia Posada visited the collection with her father, Harry Lerner, and daughter Rose Sharon.

(Left) Publisher, Kerlan Friend and Friends of the Library Board Member Harry Lerner in the CLRC reading room. (Right) Author-Illustrator Mia Posada with daughter Rose Sharon.

Recent Acquisitions

These materials have been donated by the authors and/or illustrators and their families or third parties. Titles of new acquisitions are not listed if already reported in The Kerlan Collection: Manuscripts and Illustrations (1985) or in previous newsletters. Key: MS-manuscripts, IL-illustrations, TMS-translator’s manuscripts; published titles are indicated by italics.

Christelow, Eileen: MS Great Pig Search; Vote!

Coy, John: MS Two Old Potatoes and Me

DiCamillo, Kate: MS The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread

Flinn, Alexandra: MS Breaking Point; Breathing Underwater

Galdone, Paul: MS Battle of the Kegs; The Little Boy and the Birthdays; Miss Osborne the Mop

Grimes, Nikki: MS Meet Danitra Brown; My Man Blue; A Pocketful of Poems; Stepping Out with Grandma Mac; Tai Chi Morning; Under the Tree: Poems of Christmas

Kerr, M.E.: MS Slap Your Sides

Koertge, Ron: MS Stoner and Spaz

Levin, Betty: MS Shoddy Cove

Lichtenheld, Tom: IL Everything I Know About Monsters

McEntee, Dorothy: IL Dippy the Duck; Knuckles Down; Nine Tales of Coyote; Nine Tales of Raven; Pirate Island; Raven-Who-Sets-Things-Right: Indian Tales of the Northwest Coast; Sandy; Sketchbooks and Studies; We Want Slugger

McNamee, Graham: MS Sparks

Mathis, Sharon Bell: MS Brooklyn Story; Cartwheels; The Hundred Penny Box; Join In: Multiethnic Short Stories; Listen for the Fig Tree; Ray Charles; Red Dog Blue Fly; Running Girl: the Diary of Ebony Rose; Sidewalk Story; Teacup Full of Roses

Mays, Victor: IL The Kite that Won the Revolution

Montresor, Beni: IL A for Angel: Beni Montresor’s ABC Picture Stories; May I Bring a Friend?

Namioka, Lensey: MS Half and Half; An Ocean Apart, A World Away; Ties that Bind, Ties that Break; Yang the Eldest and His Odd Jobs

Napoli, Donna Jo: MS Gracie the Pixie of the Puddle; Great God Pan

Paulsen, Gary: MS Brian’s Hunt; The Glass Cafe: Or, the Stripper and the State: How My Mother Started a War with the System that Made Us Kind of Rich and a Little Bit Famous; The Quilt

Saldaña, René: MS Finding Our Way

Sedgwick, Marcus: MS Dark Horse

Sidman, Joyce: MS Eureka! Poems About Inventors; Just Us Two: Poems About Animal Dads

Slobodkin, Louis: IL A large gift from Lawrence Slobodkin and family that contained additional art for many of Slobodkin’s titles already in the collection.

Louis Slobodkin, 1950. Photo from Kerlan Collection

Stewig, John Warren: MS Clever Gretchen

Winthrop, Elizabeth: MS Red-Hot Rattoons 

Gifts

Kerlan Friends Renewals, New Members and Gifts from August 1 - December 31, 2003. Thanks to everyone who renewed their memberships or gave an end-of-year donation.

Joan Arndt; Gerald Barnaby; Frank Braun; Miriam Butwin; Karen Carlson; Patricia Celebcigil; Kathie Cerra; Ruth Donhowe; Alice Duggan; Robert Dykstra; Christine Dyrud; Carol Erdahl; Clifford Fortin; Bernard and Norma Gaffron; Irvyn Gilbertson; Adele Greenlee; Kathleen Hall; Barbara Hanson; Gary Harm; Nancy Hof; Kate Horton; Karen Hoyle; Mary Pat Johnson; Sally Kaiser; Ruth Kamena; Christa Kamenetsky; Verla Klassen; Margie Knoedel; Diane Koehnecke; Lerner Foundation; Nancy Levinson; Marcia Marshall; Phyllis Mattill; Margaret Meyer; Dianne Monson; Patricia O’Connor; Phyllis Olthoff; Walter Peik; Larry Peterson; Margery Pickering; Patricia Pond; Cleone Pritchard; Sally Rigler; Lois Ringquist; Helen Rudie; Saint Cloud State University; Kenneth Schullo; Julie Schumacher; Lynda Sharpe; James Sidman; M. Sarah Smedman; Susan Stan; John and Susan Stanford (in honor of Ned and in memory of Maverette Stanford); Lois Steer; Cynthia Steinke; John Stewig; Grace Sulerud; Sarah Sullivan; David Swenson; Evelyn Swenson; Maria Theologides; Mary Topp; Gerhard and Janet Weiss; Arvella Whitmore; Lori-Anne Williams; Charlotte Strauel Wilmot; Linda Wilson

CLRC Donor Dr. Clifford Fortin

Split Rock Arts Program 2004

The Split Rock Arts Program is pleased to announce that it will be host to renowned children's picture book writer and illustrator Gerald McDermott during its 2004 season. The creator of over twenty-five books and films, McDermott will teach a workshop related to writing and illustrating the picture book from August 1-7, 2004 and present a public lecture at Andersen Library.

Through his bold, graphic renderings of timeless tales from around the world, McDermott is internationally known for communicating a deep understanding of the transformative power of myth. His color magic, stylized figures, and abstract motifs combine ancient imagery with contemporary design. McDermott's first book, Anansi the Spider: A Tale From the Ashanti (Holt, 1972), was named a Caldecott Honor Book. His subsequent books include Arrow to the Sun: A Tale from the Pueblo (Viking, 1974) which won the coveted Caldecott Medal, and Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest (Harcourt, 1993), also a Caldecott Honor Book. McDemott's most recent title, Creation, was published by Dutton in October 2003.

The 2004 Split Rock catalog offers complete information about workshops and instructors. To receive a printed catalog, call 612/625-8100 or e-mail, srap@cce.umn.edu. An online catalog and registration forms may be found beginning February 23, 2004 at www.cce.umn.edu/splitrockarts. Registration opens February 23, 2004.

Memorable Moments from 2003

Kerlan mascot Poky puppy with friend Goldy at the University of Minnesota Bookstore opening gala this past spring.

Students from the College of Liberal Arts' Team Up Program for North Star Schools using materials from the Kerlan Collection.

New Sale Items

New Kerlan Notecard

Watercolor image from Faraway Home by Jane Kurtz. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. Harcourt, 2000. 4 1/2" x 6 1/4"

New Kerlan Notecard

Study in watercolor and pencil for Strega Nona. Simon and Schuster, 1975. 7 1/2" x 2 3/4"

Current Exhibits

Eric Carle study from The Secret Birthday Wish on exhibit in Japan.

A retrospective exhibit of the late William Steig's work opens in February at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts. Steig, who passed away earlier this year, was the author of such children's classics as Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, CDB, Brave Irene, Shrek and many others. CLRC will loan original art from CDB. “Heart and Humor: The Picture Book Art of William Steig” will run through April.

In Memoriam - William Steig
William Steig, the well-known children's author and illustrator, died on October 3, 2003 in his Boston home. He wrote his first children's book at the age of 60 and went on to create more than thirty. The Kerlan Collection holds the original illustrations and manuscripts for some of Steig's books including Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, CDB, The Bad Speller, An Eye for Elephants, and Roland the Minstrel Pig.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig. 1970 Caldecott Medal Winner. Original production material in Kerlan Collection.

The Silent Boy by Lois Lowry, Houghton Mifflin, 2003

2004 Kerlan Award - Lois Lowry
Mark your calendar. On Saturday morning, April 10, author Lois Lowry will be honored as the recipient of the 2004 Kerlan Award. The award is presented annually “in recognition of singular attainments in the creation of children’s literature and in appreciation for generous donation of unique resources to the Kerlan Collection for the study of children’s literature.” Her 1990 novel Number the Stars and 1993 novel The Giver both won Newbery Medals. The spring issue of the Kerlan Collection Newsletter will provide more information about the ceremony and reservations.