Fresh Approaches: Noteworthy New Editions and Reissues

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Joy Fleishhacker -- School Library Journal, 3/24/2008 12:21:00 PM

Get a Fresh Look for Spring                                                                             
Time to do some spring cleaning? Spiff up your picture book shelves with some reissues of loved-to-tatters standbys that still have plenty of child appeal.

Corduroy 
It’s been 40 years since the publication of Don Freeman’s timeless title, and Viking has produced an eye-catching anniversary edition. The buttonless bear is embossed on the bright red cover, with the title printed in gold foil, and the volume has an extra-large trim size. While the interior art and text are unchanged, eight pages of bonus materials have been added, back matter that will fascinate kids—and adults—interested in the writing and publication process. 

Included is an early draft of the Corduroy manuscript (with comments from Annis Duff, Freeman’s editor at Viking Junior Books) and readers can compare this with the finished narrative to see how an editor helps to shape an author’s work. Also presented are Corduroy-related correspondence, preliminary sketches (some of which are placed side by side with the final art for easy comparison), and newspaper clippings that appeared after Freeman’s death in 1978. The appendix is beautifully designed, with text and art set against muted pastel backdrops. Several of the documents, neatly folded into envelopes, are removable; with their typewritten appearance (one note is in Freeman’s handwriting) and paper that looks aged, reading the letters is like perusing the publisher’s file cabinet. A delight for fans of this much-beloved bear.

Marshmallow                                                                                                    
HarperCollins presents a new edition of Clare Turlay Newberry’s 1943 Caldecott Honor Book, Marshmallow (Harper, 1942). This tale of Oliver, a much-pampered tabby, and the frightened young bunny that the cat at first rejects but eventually comes to love, is as heartwarming today as it was more than half a century ago. The cozy cover features a soft-edged image of the rabbit set against a peach backdrop. The interior artwork, laid out on elegant cream-colored pages, remains basically the same, but the narrative has been shortened and the typeface altered. According to Maria Modugno, a VP/Editorial Director at Harper: “Editors are very sensitive about changing a writer or artist’s work. Fortunately I was able to work directly with Felicia N. Trujillo, the daughter of the author/artist to edit the text and followed her suggestions for choosing a new interior typeface as well as a new display face.” Though purists may miss the gentle meandering of the original narrative, the new version captures the charm of Newberry’s story, while providing a streamlined retelling that reads aloud smoothly and will hold the interest of younger listeners.

Tidbits for Tots
Now available in board book editions are Simon James’s Little One Step (Candlewick, 2003), an enchanting tale about a diminutive duckling who journeys from lost to found with the help of his older brothers, and Goodnight Moon 1 2 3 (HarperCollins, 2007), a counting book incorporating words and images from Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd’s classic.

Pub Info

FREEMAN, Don. Corduroy: 40th Anniversary Edition. illus. by author. Viking. 2008. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-0-670-06336-9.

NEWBERRY, Clare Turlay. Marshmallow. illus. by author. HarperCollins. 2008. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-072486-3; PLB $17.89. 978-0-06-072487-0.

Board Books

BROWN, Margaret Wise. Goodnight Moon 1 2 3. illus. by Clement Hurd. HarperFestival. 2008. BD $8.99. ISBN 978-0-06-112597-3.

JAMES, Simon. Little One Step. illus. by author. Candlewick. 2008. BD $6.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-3520-6.