Author Feature: Jeanne Bendick

"If I were a fairy godmother, my gift to every child would be curiosity." -Jeanne Bendick

When we were starting out on our publishing adventure our main focus was finding great treasures of yesteryear and bringing them back in to print for a new generation of young readers. The first entirely new book that we commissioned was Along Came Galileo by Jeanne Bendick and it was an absolute pleasure to be able to work with such a talented author and illustrator.

Excerpt from Along Came Galileo

Born February 25, 1919 in New York City, Jeanne learned how to draw from her maternal grandfather, an artist himself. She had this to say about his influence in her life: "Grandpa Charley was my hero, a scholar and an artists, gentle patient, full of humor, and endlessly generous with his time." He also sparked her interest in science with weekly trips to the American Museum of Natural History and it was from these hours together that she would be inspired to make scientific principles accessible to young minds. She later attended the New York High School of Arts and Music and graduated from the famous Parsons School of Design in 1939. She helped pay for her tuition by working as an illustrator at Jack and Jill, a children's magazine, as well as teaching children's art classes. When she graduated she was given an opportunity to study in Paris for a year but World War II was tearing apart Europe at the time and she decided to stay at home. Bendick went on to write and/or illustrate over one hundred books and has gained a reputation for her thorough research, engaging texts, and endearing illustrations.

Along Came Galileo

Bendick has explained her work in the following way: "One part of the job I set for myself is to make those young readers see that everything is connected to everything-that science isn't something apart. It's a part of everyday life. It has been that way since the beginning. The things the earliest scientists learned were the building blocks for those who came after. Sometimes they accepted earlier ideas. Sometimes they questioned them and challenged them. I want to involve readers directly in the text so they will ask themselves questions and try to answer them. If they can't answer, that's not really important... Questions are more important than answers."

Archimedes and the Door of Science

I have personally loved Bendick's books for over 15 years and am enchanted by her ability to take complex principles and break them down into accessible parts. If you're wanting an introduction to ancient science and those first brilliant minds who observed the laws of nature, you have to check out Archimedes and the Door of Science. Galen and the Gateway to Medicine opens a window into the dynamic and crumbling world of the Roman Empire in the second century. Along Came Galileo is one of the best ways to show your students how Galileo turned the world of science on its head. Throughout all the titles Bendick's simple pen and ink drawing bring the stories to life. 

Galen and the Gateway to Medicine

Our big sale is a great time to be able to stock up on these titles! Check it out here, it ends on the 29th so be sure to take advantage while it lasts! And while you're at it, check out titles from our other favorite authors:

Author Feature: Genevieve Foster

Author Feature: Ingri and Edgar d'Aulaire

Author Feature: Albert Marrin

Author Feature: Brinton Turkle

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Author Feature: Brinton Turkle

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:

Author Feature: Genevieve Foster

Author Feature: Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire

Author Feature: Albert Marrin

Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages! 

And if you've enjoyed this, please feel free to share!

Author Feature: Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire

The beautiful books of Ingri and Edgar d'Aulaire have been loved for generations of young readers and are one of the reasons Beautiful Feet Books exists today! At the beginning of the Berg's homeschooling journey it was the discovery of Leif the Lucky, Abraham Lincoln, and the d'Aulaires' other wonderful biographies that showed us history was about the fascinating stories of real people. Mr. and Mrs. d'Aulaire's wonderful ability to capture the every-day details of life, their impeccable research, engaging writing style, and gorgeous illustrations truly brought history to life. We know many of you love their books and thought we would share with you some information on this remarkable husband and wife team.

Edgar was born in Munich, Germany in 1898 to an Italian father and American mother. Edgar's father was a noted painter and his mother was a also an artist as well as a musician. Edgar began studying architecture but after only one year enrolled in the Munich School of Arts and Crafts. During his education Edgar studied under Henri Matisse as well as Hans Hofman and traveled to Italy to study fresco. He exhibited in Paris, Berlin, and Oslo and seems to have been fairly successful.

Igri was born in Kongsburg, Norway in 1904 and it appears she pursued art from the beginning. She studied in Norway and Germany as well as France. The couple met in Munich and were married in 1925. They moved to Paris and lived a sort of Bohemian artist life and often talked about immigrating to the United States. Upon receiving a small settlement following a trolley crash Edgar made his way to New York where he worked and saved to bring Ingri over. The two lived in a cold, walk-up apartment in Brooklyn and set to work establishing themselves in the art world. 

The director of the New York Public Library took a liking to their work and encouraged them to write children's books. This began a life-long collaboration that would result in some of the best children's books published during the 20th century. Initially they focussed on myths and fairy tales, publishing their first children's book, The Magic Rug, in 1931. That was followed by Ola. Eight years later they would have a son and name him Ola!*

It wasn't until 1936 that they began writing historical biographies, the first being their well-loved George Washington. Soon their books became well known for the sumptuous illustrations.

The process of recreating their drawings in all their lovely detail and folksy personality involved a painstaking and labor-intensive process known as stone lithography. Each illustration was carved four times on to Bavarian limestone slabs. The purpose for carving four times, was each slab was used for a different primary color. The slabs were then inked and the illustrations were printed using the slabs. The advantage of using this method was it preserved the remarkable hand-drawn quality the d'Aulaires were known for. 

What many people do not know is that along with being talented artists, the d'Aulaires were also talented researchers and historians. Fluent in a combined five languages, the couple poured themselves into the research for each book. From traveling Italy, Portugal, and Spain while researching Columbus, to camping in the wild spaces of Kentucky and Illinois while studying Abraham Lincoln, and combing through national archives while writing George Washington, the d'Aulaires spared no effort. 

Here the d'Aulaires work on Benjamin Franklin

In 1939 the d'Aulaires published Abraham Lincoln and were awarded the Caldecott medal for their work. 

Illustration from Abraham Lincoln

They continued to work together producing 27 works, many of which have been reprinted in the past ten years. 

We are so honored to have been able to reprint seven of their biographies. You can check them out on our website. Just click the link below:

The d'Aulaire Biographies

We also carry the classic d'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, the unrivaled best children's book on Greek mythology. There is also an audio version of this title read by Paul Newman, Sydney Poitier, Kathleen Turner, and Matthew Broderick and it is available for immediate download from BookHampton. It sounds fantastic is would make a great accompaniment to the hardcopy. 

For other fans of Ingri and Edgar, be sure to "Like" the d'Aulaire's Children's Books Facebook Page. They post great photos, information on lesser-known titles, and much more! 

*This reflects a correction sent in by Ola d'Aulaire as the original post stated that the book Ola was named after the d'Aulaire's son. 

Sources:

New York Review Books: Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire

Wikipedia: Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire

Facebook: d'Aulaires' Children's Books

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And if you've enjoyed this, please feel free to share!