Anyone familiar with the "Obadiah" stories has undoubtedly fallen for the endearingly mischievous little Quaker boy and his lovely family. The brainchild of Brinton Turkle these books communicate tender lessons on kindness, respect, and forgiveness. Here at Beautiful Feet Books, we've been honored to reprint these books so that they are not lost to future generations.
 |
| Illustration from Rachel and Obadiah |
Brinton Turkle was born August 15, 1915 in Alliance, Ohio. He says he enjoyed drawing all through
school but that his teacher didn't appreciate his art! "Unfortunately, none of my school teachers appreciated it. If only only elementary school teacher had egged me on, I think I would have acquired art skills much earlier than I did." He attended Carnegie Institute of Technology from 1933-1936 and two years later enrolled in the School of Boston Museum of Art. In 1964 he illustrated his first book, If You Lived in Colonial Times written by Ann McGovern. One year later he published the first book that he authored and illustrated, Obadiah the Bold. He originally wanted to publish three books so that he could dedicate one to each of his three children but he went on to write and illustrate 11 books. He also illustrated many other titles by various children's authors. In 1970 he was awarded the Caldecott Honor for Thy Friend, Obadiah.
 |
| Illustration from Obadiah the Bold |
Turkle once wrote: "In writing, I use all sorts of tricks to capture the attention of my young audience: suspense, humor and even charm, when I can muster it. But no matter how successfully I may entertain, I am really up to something else: subversion. My abilities are implacably lined up against the hypocrisy, materialism and brutality that so pervade our society. As my readers leave childhood behind, I hope that they will carry with them an appreciation for such alternatives as integrity, mutual respect, kindness and reverence for life. These alternatives are in my books and I pray that exposure to them will play a part in the construction of a better tomorrow."
 |
| The Obadiah Books |
Anyone familiar with the Obadiah stories will surely agree that the author has accomplished his goal! Brandy at AfterThoughts wrote a lovely and thoughtful entry about reading Obadiah the Bold with her children and learning a very important parenting lesson. I would highly recommend reading it!
To learn more about each title, click the links below:
 |
| Rachel and Obadiah |
 |
| Obadiah the Bold |
 |
| Thy Friend, Obadiah |
All three are available for a special discounted price. Click here!
You may also enjoy:
No comments:
Post a Comment