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brainpickings.org http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/07/25/childrens-books-by-adult-authors-

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7 (More) Children's Books by Famous "Adult" LiteratureAuthors | Brain Pickings

25 JULY, 2011

7 (More) Obscure Childrens Books by Famous Adult Lit Authors

by Maria Popova

What a magical car engine has to do with social justice, a parrot named Arturo and the history ofazz.

A week ago, we featured 7 little-known childrens books by famous authors of grown-up literature, on

the trails ofsomefavorite childrens books with timeless philosophy for grown-ups. The response hasbeen so fantastic that, today, were back with seven more, based on reader suggestions and belatedfindings from the rabbit hole of research surrounding the first installment.

ALDOUS HUXLEY

Aldous Huxley may be best known for his iconic 1932 novel Brave New World, one of themost important meditations on futurism and how technology is changing society everpublished, but he was also deeply fascinated by childrens fiction. In 1967, three yearsafter Huxleys death, Random House released a posthumous volume of the only childrens

book he ever wrote, some 23 years earlier. The Crows of Pearblossom tells the storyof Mr. and Mrs. Crow, whose eggs never hatch because theRattlesnake living at the base of their tree keeps eating them. After the297th eaten egg, the hopeful parents set out to kill the snake and enlistthe help of their friend, Mr. Owl, who bakes mud into two stone eggsand paints them to resemble the Crows eggs. Upon eating them, theRattlesnake is in so much pain that he beings to thrash about, tyinghimself in knots around the branches. Mrs. Crow goes merrily on tohatch four families of 17 children each, using the snake as aclothesline on which to hang the little crows diapers.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0810997304/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=braipick-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0810997304&adid=09YW8VR2BQRF0NQFEN76&http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldous_Huxleyhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/0060850523/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=braipick-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0060850523&adid=1XQWN58X916ENCRZ527R&http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/04/15/childrens-books-for-grown-ups-2/http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/04/15/childrens-books-for-grown-ups-2/http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2010/05/19/childrens-books-for-grown-ups/http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/07/19/7-childrens-books-by-adult-literature-authors/http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/author/mpopova/http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/07/25/childrens-books-by-adult-authors-2/http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/07/25/childrens-books-by-adult-authors-2/https://www.amazon.com/dp/0810997304/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=braipick-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0810997304&adid=09YW8VR2BQRF0NQFEN76&https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060850523/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=braipick-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0060850523&adid=1XQWN58X916ENCRZ527R&http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldous_Huxleyhttp://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2010/05/19/childrens-books-for-grown-ups/http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/04/15/childrens-books-for-grown-ups-2/http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/07/19/7-childrens-books-by-adult-literature-authors/http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/author/mpopova/http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/07/25/childrens-books-by-adult-authors-2/http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/07/25/childrens-books-by-adult-authors-2/


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The original volume was illustrated by the late Barbara Cooney, but a new edition published this springfeatures artwork by Sophie Blackall, one of my favorite artists, whose utterly lovely illustrations ofCraigslist missed connections you might recall.
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2010/03/26/design-makeovers-of-the-mundane/http://www.sophieblackall.blogspot.com/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Cooney


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GERTRUDE STEIN

Writer, poet and art collectorGertrude Stein is one of the most beloved andquoted luminaries of the early 20th century. In 1938, author Margaret Wise Brownof the freshly founded Young Scott Books became obsessed with convincing leadingadult authors to try their hands at a childrens book. She sent letters to ErnestHemingway, John Steinbeck, and Gertrude Stein. Hemingway and Steinbeckexpressed no interest, but Stein surprised Brown by saying shealready had a near-complete childrens manuscript titled The World Is
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Stein#Quotationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Stein


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Round, and would be happy to have Young Scott bring it to life. Whichthey did, though not without drama. Stein demanded that the pages bepink, the ink blue, and the artwork by illustrator Francis Rose. YoungScott were able to meet the first two demands despite the technicaldifficulties, but they didnt want Rose to illustrate the book and askedStein to instead choose from several Young Scott illustrators.Reluctantly, she settle don Clement Hurd, whose first illustrated bookhad appeared just that year. The World Is Roundwas eventually

published, featuring a mix of unpunctuated prose and poetry, with asingle illustration for each chapter. The original release included aspecial edition of 350 slipcase copies autographed by Stein andHurd.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1569579059/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=braipick-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=1569579059&adid=1BH1KBYDN7BS0FXQF27W&


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The wonderful We Too Were Children has the backstory.

JAMES THURBER

In the 1940s and 1950s, celebrated American author and cartoonist James Thurber,best-known for his contributions to The New Yorker, penned a number of book-lengthfairy tales, some illustrated by acclaimed French-American artist and politicalcartoonist Marc Simont. The most famous of them was The 13 Clocks a fantasytale Thurber wrote in Bermuda in 1950, telling the story of a mysterious prince whomust complete a seemingly impossible challenge to free a maiden,Princess Saralinda, from the grip of the evil Duke of Coffin Castle. Theeccentric book is riddled with Thurbers famous wordplay and written in aunique cadenced style, making it a fascinating object of linguisticappreciation and a structural treat for language-lovers of all ages.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1590172752/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=braipick-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=1590172752&adid=1YSSPDTHPZ0B04ZYB856&http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Simonthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Thurberhttp://wetoowerechildren.blogspot.com/2011/05/gertrude-stein-world-is-round.html


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For a cherry on top, the current edition features an introduction by noneother than Neil Gaiman.

Thanks, stormagnet

CARL SANDBURG

In 1922, nearly two decades before the first of his three Pulitzer Prizes,poet Carl Sandburg wrote a childrens book titledRootabaga Stories for his three daughters, Margaret,Janet and Helga, nicknamed Spink, Skabootch andSwipes, respectively. Their nicknames occur repeatedlyin some of the volumes whimsical interrelated shortstories.

The book arose from Sandburgs desire to create thethen-nonexistent American fairy tales, which he saw asintegral to American childhood, so he set out to replacethe incongruous imagery of European fairy tales with the

fictionalized world of the American Midwest, which hecalled the Rootabaga country, substituting farms, trains,and corn fairies for castles, knights and royatly. Equalparts fantastical and thoughtful, the stories capturedSandburgs romantic, hopeful vision of childhood.

In 1923, Sandburg followed up with a sequel, RootabagaPigeons, telling tales of Big People Now and LittlePeople Long Ago.

Thanks, Rachel

SALMAN RUSHDIE

Indian-British novelist Salman Rushdie has had his share ofacclaim and controversy,but one thing that has remained constant over his prolific career is his penchant forthe written word. In 1990, he turned his talents to childrens literature with the releaseofHaroun and the Sea of Stories a phantasmagorical allegory for a handful oftimely social and social justice problems, particularly in India, explored through theyoung protagonist, Haroun, and his fathers storytelling. The book received a WritersGuild Award for Best Childrens Book that year.

One of the books unexpected treats is breakdown of the meanings andsymbolism of the ample cast of characters names, an intriguinglinguistic and semantic bridge to Indian culture.

Twenty years later, just last winter, Rushdie followed up with his highlyanticipated second childrens book, Luka and the Fire of Life: A Novel.

Thanks, SaVen

IAN FLEMING
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0679463364/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=braipick-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0679463364&adid=15TGVGWH108JWP7PW1W3&https://www.amazon.com/dp/0140157379/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=braipick-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0140157379&adid=0N1HD9YR8WQ54MZDZ8PX&http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Satanic_Verses#Controversyhttp://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article3127837.ecehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salman_Rushdiehttps://www.amazon.com/dp/1557095094/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=braipick-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=1557095094&adid=14GVN6KKRZZA6J06PEXZ&https://www.amazon.com/dp/1436607442/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=braipick-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=1436607442&adid=1THZZVMSM0KV7HCVYE5F&http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Sanburghttp://stormagnet.blogspot.com/


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Ian Fleming is best-known as the creator of one of the best-sellingliterary works of all time: the James Bond series. A few years after thebirth of his son Caspar in 1952, Fleming decided to write a childrensbook for him, but Chitty Chitty Bang Bangdidnt see light of day until1964, the year Fleming died. It tells the story of the Potts family and thefather figure, Caractacus, who usesmoney from the invention of a specialcandy to buy and repair a unique,

magical former race car, which the familyaffectionately names Chitty Chitty BangBang. Flemings inspiration came from aseries of aero engines built by racingdriver and engineer Count LouisZborowski in the early 1920s, whose firstsix-cylinder Maybach aero engine wascalled Chitty Bang Bang.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0141313579/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=braipick-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0141313579&adid=1H98VY460B5M3QN0X2ZB&http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Fleming


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The original book was beautifully illustrated in black-and-white by John Burningham and was soonadapted into the 1968 classic film of the same name starring Dick Van Dyke.

LANGSTON HUGHES
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Burningham


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Prolific poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist Langston Hughes isconsidered one of the fathers ofjazz poetry, a literary art form that emerged in the 1920sand eventually became the foundation for modern hip-hop. In 1954, the 42-year-oldHughes decided to channel his love of jazz into a sort-of-childrens book that educatedyoung readers about the culture he so loved. The First Book of Jazzwas born, takingon the ambitious task of being the first-ever childrens book to reviewAmerican music, and to this day arguably the best. Hughes coveredevery notable aspect of jazz, from the evolution of its eras to its most

celebrated icons to its geography and sub-genres, and made aspecial point of highlighting the essential role of African-Americanmusicians in the genres coming of age. Hughes even covered thetechnicalities of jazz rhythm, percussion, improvisation,syncopation,blue notes, harmony with remarkable eloquence that,rather than overwhelming the young reader, exudes the genuine joy ofplaying.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0880015527/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=braipick-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0880015527&adid=11B00A2KGEE85F9113P2&http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz_poetryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langston_Hughes


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Alongside the book, Hughes released a companion record, The Story of Jazz, featuring Hughes lively,vivid narration of jazz history in three tracks, each focusing on a distinct element of the genre. You canhere them here.
http://wetoowerechildren.blogspot.com/2010/11/langston-hughes-story-of-jazz.htmlhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B001F0N3IA/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=braipick-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B001F0N3IA&adid=0T3Q9D304W8JXPHG7YNC&http://wetoowerechildren.blogspot.com/2010/11/langston-hughes-first-book-of-jazz.html


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For more on rare and out-of-print childrens books by famous 20th-century adult authors, I reallycant recommend Ariel S. Winters beautifully written, rigorously researchedWe Too Were Childrenenough.

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http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/newsletter/http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=13eb080d8a315477042e0d5b1&id=bd40172c28http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/newsletter/http://wetoowerechildren.blogspot.com/

Brainpickings.org-7 More Childrens Books by Famous Adult Literature Authors Brain Pickings

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