[via Bookslut] Last Thursday BBC News reported on the discovery at Exeter University of a photo album of photos possibly taken by J. M. Barrie. The album was found in vaults containing a collection of Daphne du Maurier’s papers and feature the Llewelyn-Davies children, who were the inspiration for Barrie’s Lost Boys. The BBC article includes a gallery of images from the album.
As an aside, although most of my recent posts have been about children’s literature, I have not changed the overall theme/topic of this weblog–at least, not yet. It simply seems that lately children’s literature-related news and stories have been catching my attention.
December 15th, 2003
Yesterday’s Boston Globe featured a story about the recently published Handprint Books edition of The Story of Little Black Sambo and the controversy surrounding this book. The book is illustrated by Caldecott Honor-winning artist Christopher Bing and has been listed as a Kirkus 2003 Editor’s Choice book. Bing uses the original text by Helen Bannerman but illustrates it in a new way with the main character being an African boy in India.
Although the book is receiving many accolades, it is also prompting many debates. The Boston Globe reported in October on the controversy surrounding a library-sponsored display of illustrations from the book in Lexington where Bing lives. Supporters argue that Bing’s new treatment of what has been a controversial text deserves praise and attention while critics argue that new illustrations cannot erase the painful history of the book.
I don’t know where I stand on this issue. At the Boston International Book Fair this past October, Little Black Sambo (and all of its variations) seemed to be the book of the show–in fact, I overheard two people speculating that it was this year’s book of the show. I have seen this book before, but somehow seeing it in abundance made me feel uncomfortable and a bit embarrassed. I was quite surprised to see that this book, by its presence alone, could cause such a reaction in me.
Of course, the books on display at the fair featured the racist illustrations and stereotypes that have riddled this text’s history. Much has been said and written about the history, message, and impact of these illustrations. However, now, as attempts are made to divorce the story from its illustrated past, the debate becomes more complex, leaving many to wonder if a book that has been associated with such imagery can ever be divorced from it and if such a separation should happen at all.
December 15th, 2003