Monday, 4/21/97 The Pages of Childhood ‘Picturing Childhood,’
the Armand Hammer Museum’s newest exhibit, showcases more than 400
years of children’s book illustrations, offering a nostalgic visit
to picture-book worlds of the past and a glimpse at the current
golden age in children’s literature.
By Cheryl Klein Daily Bruin Senior Staff When Cynthia Burlingham
tucks her 6-year-old son in at night, she makes sure he gets his
daily dose of art and literature. As associate director and senior
curator of UCLA’s Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts, she knows
the cultural significance of children’s books and the teaching
power of a bedtime story. To her son though, the academia is masked
by the simple pleasure of pouring over the lush illustrations in
"Owl Moon" by Jane Yolan. A quietly magical portrait of a father
and child listening to the sounds of the forest at night, "Owl
Moon" is just one of many recently published works that make the
last few decades a golden age for children’s literature. Burlingham
attributes this blossoming to technological improvements which make
it easy to reproduce vivid artwork on a page, and also to the
growing acceptance of writing and drawing for children as serious
art forms. And nowhere is this more apparent than at UCLA’s Armand
Hammer Museum, where "Picturing Childhood: Illustrated Children’s
Books from University of California Collections, 1550-1990"
showcases over four centuries of talent and progress in the area of
children’s books. On display through June 29, the exhibit is both
an analytical look at changing attitudes toward childhood and a
chance for viewers to re-examine the books they grew up on. "I
think anyone who has kids, or knows kids, or was a kid will find it
fascinating," Burlingham says. "College students will especially
enjoy it because they have fresher memories of their childhoods."
Though students often enter college assuming that bigger words and
thicker spines are directly proportional to literary value, UCLA
English professor Mitzi Meyers quickly dispels this myth in both
her children’s literature and adolescent literature classes. "It
isn’t Disney I’m teaching here; it’s real literature," Meyers
asserts. She cites Cynthia Voight’s "Homecoming," a staple on her
syllabus, as an example. "Many students take it home on a holiday
or weekend and their parents pick it up and read it and say, ‘Hey,
this is a great book.’" Meyers’ class also emphasizes the history
that brought children’s literature to its current standard. "People
always expect 18th- and 19th-century adult books to be different
(than modern books)," Meyers says. "But somehow they think children
have always been the same, which isn’t true." With Enlightenment
ideas about individuality came a new way of looking at childhood –
no longer were children seen as merely miniature adults, but as
people experiencing a phase in life worthy of its own distinct
genre of literature. Towards the end of the 18th century, more and
more children survived the early years and adults began to see
cultivating young minds as a wise investment. Women especially were
instrumental in creating books that were both entertaining and
educational. "In the 19th century, women were responsible for
educating the kids, so it was only natural that they would want to
create some kind of instructional material," Burlingham says.
Meyers mentions an early author named Maria Edgeworth who used to
entertain her brothers and sisters by telling them stories. She
would sit with slate in hand, outlining the plot as she went along.
When her young audience liked what happened to the characters, she
made sure it was well documented. When a part of the story bombed,
she erased it – perhaps the earliest incident of a test audience.
When visitors first enter Armand Hammer’s gallery, they face a
colorful time line which juxtaposes world events with innovations
in children’s books. An early edition of "Aesop’s Fables" is poised
near the discovery of the new world, while Dr. Seuss’ "The Cat in
the Hat" precedes man’s first steps on the moon. Other rooms focus
on publishing for children, moveable pop-up books, 19th-century
illustrators and finally the 20th century. Museumgoers can stop and
watch a video of "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland," featuring
original wood etchings by John Tenniel, including the famous
portrait of a surprised and elongated post-"eat me" cookie Alice.
They can also smile at turn-of-the-century artist Kate Greenaway’s
gentle drawings of little girls enjoying country afternoons.
Greenaway’s illustrations not only illuminated books of nursery
rhymes and folk tales, but the empire waist dresses and stylish
hats she dreamed up inspired genuine children’s fashions of the
time. The most familiar and colorful sights, however, occupy the
space devoted to the 20th century. An entire breathtaking wall
houses the bright, detailed work of Kay Nielsen. His fine lines,
ethereal shadings and intricate borders fill such stories as "A
Thousand and One Nights" with half-human creatures which are
alternately humorous and scary. A few feet away are the even more
fantastical creations of Theodore Geisel, more commonly known as
Dr. Seuss. Several preliminary sketches with the author’s notes in
the margins show the work behind Geisel’s curly-horned, surreal
animals and goofy-faced humans. Cara Lam, a second-year English
student currently enrolled in Meyers’ adolescent literature class,
recalls Geisel’s "Green Eggs and Ham" as one of her favorite
picture books. "I liked the rhyming and the pictures," Lam says.
"It’s a book you can have fun with, but the poetry in all Dr.
Seuss’ stuff is really ingenious." Lam notes that rereading various
kids’ books often provokes a new way of looking at stories from her
childhood, an aspect of the class she has mixed feelings about.
"When I first read ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ (by Madeline L’Engle), I was
a lot younger and I could identify with Meg a lot more. Now I see
her as so impatient and so angry," Lam says. "It doesn’t destroy
your childhood illusions, but you face reality a lot more." By the
time they reach college, students may have only vague memories of
some of their most beloved books, but their impact remains. Kristi
Nakamura, also a second- year English student, struggles to recall
a story featuring a chameleon hero. "I can’t remember what it was
called, but I made my mom and grandma read it to me over and over.
I do remember that when my mom would take me grocery shopping, the
rule was if I was a good girl at the grocery store, she’d let me
pick out a Little Golden Book when we were done. I have a shelf
full of all these Little Golden Books because all I had to do was
sit in the cart and not whine." Meyers recalls the Nancy Drew
series, a number of animal tales and Virginia Lee Burton’s "The
Little House" as her personal favorites. "’The Little House’ is
full of tiny details. The myth is that children love bright colors
and broad strokes, but I loved looking at the details, watching the
tree change with the seasons," Meyers says. She adds that, even as
an adult, E.B. White’s "Charlotte’s Web" helped her get through the
difficult period after her husband’s death. "That was, of all the
things I read, the book that I found the most helpful. It’s a
really wise book and it offers a lot of philosophy on life." Both
Meyers and Burlingham can’t seem to over-emphasize the importance
of parents sharing literature with children. Studies have shown
that reading aloud builds language skills and introduces kids to
the world they live in. And the material available is virtually
endless. "People give my son books as presents, and a lot of times
they’re titles I’ve never heard of, but they turn out to be great
books," Burlingham says. Meyers adds, "Everybody read to me, which
is probably why I’m where I am today … Parents who think, ‘My
child needs a big computer’ are dead wrong because all you need is
you and a good book." BOOKS: "Picturing Childhood: Illustrated
Children’s Books from the University of California Collections,
1550-1990" is on display at the Armand Hammer Museum through June
29. Admission is $1 for UCLA students. For more information, call
443-7000. Robert Wedemeyer John Tenniel’s "’Curiouser and
Curiouser!’ cried Alice," from "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland."
Robert Wedemeyer Richard Doyle’s "Elf and Owls," from "In
Fairyland: A Series of Pictures from the Elf World" is on display
at the Armand Hammer Museum as part of the "Picturing Childhood"
exhibit. Lou Meluso Kay Nielson’s "Scheherazade Telling the Tales,"
from "A Thousand and One Nights" is currently on display.