 |
A few weeks ago I went on a spree buying Maira Kalman's children's books, first picking up the out-of-print Roarr Calder's Circus, produced in 1991 in conjunction with the Whitney Museum (with photographs by Donatella Brun). The book is illustrated with photographs of the actual circus (from the Whitney's collection) on a black background, with Kalman's dizzying text presented in the form of the ringmaster's blustery narration. As you'd expect from Tibor Kalman's wife, the graphic design and text placement is exciting.
And as a book it's surprisingly fantastic.
I'm a sucker for chilren's books that involve photography rather than illustration. Usually when I buy books like this they're more "for me" than they are "for the kid" but this one has proven to be an exception. The kid LOVES Kalman's wordplay. This has been her favorite book for weeks now and I can't think of one she's loved so much in recent memory. I read it to her like an old-fashioned ringmaster, and some of the words ("nincompoop," in particular) crack her up every time.
I know it's not really fair to recommend a book that's been out of print for years, but those well versed in used children's books should have no trouble finding it reasonably priced (we ordered it for $1.99).
This blog is intended solely to share the things I come across that inspire me. If I have posted a copyrighted image, I have only done so to the extent necessary to comment upon or discuss it; I will always include a link to the original source of the image if that source is online or acknowledge the source if it is in print. If I have reproduced anything of yours here that is copyrighted and you want me to remove it, please do not hesitate to contact me and I will do so right away.