Illustrations By Fritz Eichenberg

From Heroes of the Kalevala, Finland's Saga, by Babette Deutsch, a simplified adaptation of the Kalevala for young people. Fritz Eichenberg is a rather famous artist better known for his work on heavy religious and social themes, but during his career he also illustrated and wrote many "children's books." Considering that the Kalevala was one of Tolkien's major influences, I sometimes can see these pictures as a sort of transposition of themes, a kind of "Silmarillion-Lite," especially images of two trees with the Sun and Moon at their tops.

More Maraja

Libico Maraja

Lovely illustrations by Libico Maraja, a great post-war Italian illustrator. These are from Alice In Wonderland, but he has also done pictures for Peter Pan, A Christmas Carol, Kim, Gulliver's Travels, Pinocchio, The Wizard of Oz, and many other childhood classics. He also worked with animation and comic books (which is what we used to call graphic novels, kids). These are in what I used to call the "Solid Style;" cartoonish, but with a sort of weight and depth.

Snatched From The Jaws

This Labor Day weekend Half Price Books was holding one of their sales (20% off half price), one of those deals irresistible to bibliophiles everywhere. My brother John and I scraped together our resources and headed out to our nearest outlet (some 30 miles off), and the hunt was on. When we entered the store there was a subtle hint of feeding frenzy in the air and we found ourselves navigating larger than usual numbers to get at our favorite sections. Although the shelves were already rather fished out (at least of the books I had hoped to find there), I was able to glean seven good books at more than reasonable prices.

The Gammage Cup, by Carol Kendall. I had gone in hoping to find an omnibus volume of Diana Wynne Jones to send to my Florida niece and nephew, but it was gone. However, this classic fantasy tale is of the same high rank and rather hard to find compared to some, so it is a good substitute.

Ben and Me, by Robert Lawson. A hardback copy of one of my favorite books, for under three dollars.

The Story of Doctor Dolittle, by Hugh Lofting, illustrated by Michael Hague. I like Michael Hague's work, and this version of Dr. Dolittle is, perhaps, the best compromise I've seen between leaving the mildly offensive episode of Prince Bumpo in or removing it entirely. The Foreword is entirely forthcoming on the rewriting that has been done: historical honesty has been served, while the offensive (but not hate filled) passage has been changed.

Perrault's Fairy Tales, illustrated by Gustave Dore. Before Grimm, before Anderson, there was Perrault. Includes thirty-four full page pictures by the renowned illustrator.

Early Irish Myths and Sagas, translated by Jeffrey Gantz. A Penguin book. My brother Kenny has lately stirred my interest in the early Irish tales again lately, and this book has many stories I haven't read yet.

Dancing At The Edge Of The World, by Ursula K. LeGuin. A collection of her articles, reviews, papers, and speeches. LeGuin is one of those writers who, even if I never completely agree with all of her views, is always interesting and to be considered. Of special interest to me: her review of The Dark Tower and other stories by C. S. Lewis, and her contemporary review of Star Wars and Close Encounters.

Tolkien and C. S. Lewis: The Gift of Friendship, by Colin Duriez. Although at this stage of the game I think it unlikely I will be presented with a new fact about my two favorite authors, a book totally dedicated to their relationship and how their works interacted with each other is a different emphasis on the whole Inkling thing. Also (like a hobbit) I never get tired of reading what I already know and enjoy.

Old School Dragon Slaying

Storm In The Valley

Storm in the Valley



A thunderstorm blunders blindly into the valley,

Feeling out the floor with his forked white stick;

Stumbles, grumbling, over the hills and ricks,

Belaboring his path to either side.



Trees bow and blaze before his fumbling stride

And grazing cows amble off in dumb amaze.

The creatures of the field press down and gaze.

Birds flounder, thunder-startled, in the air.



The old mummer wanders on, unaware,

Humming his tune in his cracked old tone.

He walks along his windy path alone,

Murmuring of far lands yet to be.



--Bryan Babel, 1982.

Uncle Beazley And Me

In 1956 Oliver Butterworth, an English and Latin teacher in New England, published a children's book called The Enormous Egg. It tells the story of a twelve-year-old boy named Nate Twitchell whose favorite hen lays an unusually large egg that hatches into a triceratops that the lad dubs Uncle Beazley. Nate raises the throwback, and most of the story tells the trials and joys of caring and feeding for the lumbering, genial behemoth. Eventually it becomes too much for the boy and Uncle Beazley ends up being well-cared-for prize exhibit in a government zoo.

In 1964 the Sinclair Oil Company made nine life-sized fiberglass replicas of different species of dinosaurs for the New York City's World Fair. When the Fair was over the dinosaurs were donated to several museums and institutions throughout the nation. One of them, the triceratops, ended up in the 1968 hour-long T.V. special made of The Enormous Egg, playing Uncle Beazley. I watched that show when I was but a wee lad, and although the figure was completely unarticulated, it was so realistic a figure and the way it was shot was so artful, I swear I remember it breathing and blinking its eyes.

In 1972 I was in fourth grade, and I read the book. It included illustrations by the ubiquitous children's illustrater Louis Darling. I dimly remembered the show from almost half my lifetime ago. When the time came to write to an author for a class project, I chose Oliver Butterworth. I wrote about how I enjoyed the book, and what I could recollect about the show. He sent me back a card (it had a rather abstract picture of a couple of owls on it) and a letter written inside. He said about how the model of Uncle Beazley was now at a national zoo. My mom put the letter inside the first volume of our set of Childcraft. It has since disappeared, but I was always rather proud of this contact with an author.

Oliver Butterworth published two other books, one a sequel adventure of Nate Twitchell (no dinosaurs this time). He passed away in 1990. As of 2007, Uncle Beazley was still on display in Washington D. C.'s National Zoo, where he was still a sentimental favorite with kids and nostalgic baby boomers everywhere.