 |
| 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.
2.
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?
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.
ReplyDeleteOh 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.
DeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed the cartoon on Ferdinand!
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
ReplyDeleteA political commentary? How so?
Delete