Friday, 28 October 2016

Two books that come to mind when I see the word 'picture books'.

The question: What is you favourite classic picture book? 
Or you can tell us about a picture book you think
should/will become a classic.

Two books immediately come to mind when I think of favourite picture books.

1.
I was first introduced to The Story of Ferdinand by Disney's animated version of it back when I was just a wee lass in single digits. It was one of my favourite stories; it's about a bull who loves to be left alone with flowers so he can smell them all day. He is a peaceable fellow, and gets in nobody's way as long as he has his flowers. It's a sweet story that I related to quite strongly, especially in empathising with a misunderstood Ferdinand who is carted off to the bull-fighting arena, his captors under the misapprehension that he is a fearsome fighter. He is soon booed off the arena and carted back to his favourite spot in the meadow under a tree to smell the flowers. 


Here is the Disney version for those who haven't watched it. It is only about seven minutes long, and lovely!



2.
This is such a beautiful book. It is most certainly a book meant for adults than children, because at the end of the day it is the adult narrator in the book who learns deep-seated lessons from the quest of the little prince. It is such a precious story, sparkling with truths so sweetly hidden here and there. It is a book that makes you think, and it fills you with a sense of discovery. 

The Little Prince makes your heart ache. It is bittersweet. 

I have read this only as an adult, but I am glad I did so now rather than earlier. The essence would have been lost on me, and I might have ended up never reading it again. 


Have you any favourite picture books?

4 comments:

  1. Thanks for the lovely cartoon. I think my favourite illustrated children's books are The Wind in the Willows and Winnie the Pooh. As you say, the best children's classics can also be enjoyed by adults, and I didn't read these until I was grown up, but the original illustrations add so much to the stories.

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    Replies
    1. Oh yes, I love The Wind in the Willows! It's another one I read as an adult, though, and my copy didn't have any pictures in it. I'm waiting to read Winnie the Pooh with my sons.:D and yes, the original illustrations give our imagination some direction, I think...just as they are meant to do for children.

      I'm so glad you enjoyed the cartoon on Ferdinand!

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  2. Ferdinand's such an interesting book because it seems straightforward, but it's been interpreted as a political commentary and has even been banned at one point. Clearly it's understood to be read and enjoyed particularly by adults, because it's unlikely that a pre-reader is going to connect Ferdinand with recent world events. --Krysta

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