Garth Williams (1912–1996)

This is a historically band picture book. This book is a product of 1958 and when it first came out, it pissed people off. This simple book is of a black rabbit and a white rabbit that like to play together. The black rabbit has small bouts of depression when they feel sad. But the white rabbits is always able to play with them and make them happy again. It turns out that the black rabbit wishes they could be with the white rabbit forever and the white rabbit says I do too. They get married, surrounded by friends and live happily ever after. Want to take a guess on why this book was hated in 1958? If you guessed racism, you are correct! At the time this book was written interracial marriage was rare, extremely frowned upon, and illegal in many states. This book saying that it’s okay for two to marry, and it even brings about a happy ending. This book is not currently in print and you have to find it in an library to read a copy, but our modern issues in 2023 are the same issues. We have been fighting the same things for 70+ years. This book was lovely, not just for the time it was written, but for now as well. This book should be a classic. It shouldn’t be banned, but as with many things in our society today. it is.… (more)

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents:
• The Saggy Baggy Elephant / Kathryn Jackson and Byron Jackson, authors; Gustaf Tenggren, illustrator
• The Kitten Who Thought He Was a Mouse / Miriam Norton, author; Garth Williams, illustrator
• How the Leopard Got Its Spots / Justine Fontes and Ron Fontes, authors; Keiko Motoyama, illustrator
• Mister Dog: The Dog Who Belonged to Himself / Margaret Wise Brown, author; Garth Williams, illustrator
• Animal Orchestra / Ilo Orleans, author; Tibor Gergely, illustrator
• The Lion's Paw / Jane Werner Watson, author; Gustaf Tenggren, illustrator
• Baby Animals / Garth Williams, author and illustrator
• The Golden Egg Book / Margaret Wise Brown, author; Leonard Weisgard, illustrator
• Animal Friends [a/k/a The Very Best Home for Me!] / Jane Werner Watson, author; Garth Williams, illustrator
• The Big Brown Bear / Georges Duplaix, author; Gustaf Tenggren, illustrator
• Home for a Bunny / Margaret Wise Brown, author; Garth Williams, illustrator
• How the Camel Got Its Hump : Tales from Around the World / Justine Fontes and Ron Fontes, authors; Keiko Motoyama, illustrator
• The Tawny Scrawny Lion /Kathryn Jackson, author; Gustaf Tenggren, illustrator… (more)

This story is a wonderful way to explore the goodness of patience, even when it is difficult to wait. Mother Raccoon is never short or impatient with the unending questions (who can relate?), but continues to engage with Little Raccoon with love and tenderness. The simple plot is lovely in its exclusive focus on the experience of anticipation, with gentle encouragement to the virtue of doing things at the appropriate time. The ending note at first felt abrupt to me - after the buildup we do not get a full description of what happens when the moon is full - but after a few re-reads I think it’s a masterful decision as to pacing and imagination. Williams’ illustrations enhance the emotional narrative, with two-tone black and brown illustrations throughout up until the full-color full moon.… (more)