1944 - Many Moons

The seventh book to be awarded the Caldecott Medal was Many Moons written by James Thurber and illustrated by Louis Slobodkin, published in 1943 by Harcourt Brace, now a part of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Many Moons tells the story of Princess Lenore, a young girl who falls ill after eating too many raspberry tarts.  Her father, the King, will do anything to help his daughter feel better and when she asks for the moon, he calls in his wisest men to help get it for her.

The author of Many Moons is James Thurber, a well known author, cartoonist, playwright, and journalist.  When I was in school, there were few required reading assignments I truly enjoyed and even fewer that I actually finished (I loved reading and read more books than I can count, but if I didn't enjoy something, I just didn't finish it).  The three assigned readings I remember the best and loved the most were Arthur Miller's The Crucible, John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, and James Thurber's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.  I don't remember what grade I was in when we read Walter Mitty, but I remember rereading it several times before the assignment was over.

But, alas, this blog is about the Caldecott Medal and so we will talk about the illustrator.

Who was Louis Slobodkin?

Louis Slobodkin was born on February 19, 1903 in Albany, New York.  By the time he turned 15, Slobodkin knew he wasn't meant for traditional school and convinced his parents to allow him to dropout so he could attend Beaux-Arts Institute of Design in New York City.  Reportedly, he held a "one-man sit-down strike" until they allowed him to go.

He spent 5 years working odd jobs to pay his way at the Institute and during that time he was awarded The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Fellowship and 22 medals for life study, composition, and drawing.

At the age of 20 Slobodkin joined the merchant marines and traveled the world.  When he returned to the U.S., he began an apprenticeship in commercial art studios before becoming a sculptor's assistant in Europe.  He returned to New York City and got involved in several New Deal art projects and organizations.  

In 1927, Slobodkin married Florence Gersh, a poet and children's book author.  They went on to have two sons, Larry and Michael.

In 1938, the U.S. Treasury Section of Fine Arts put out a request for entries of sculpture that exemplified "the most unique example of American Unity" to be placed at the 1939 World's Fair.  Slobodkin entered and his work, a 15-foot steel and plaster rendering of a young Abraham Lincoln, called the Rail Joiner was chosen.

When Slobodkin and his wife arrived at the Fair to check on the statue, they were told it had been destroyed by sledgehammers.  It was later discovered Theodore Hayes, executive assistant to the federal commissioner, had the statue destroyed after a friend of the commissioner said she felt it was not in "good taste."

While on vacation at Cape Ann, Massachusetts in 1941, the Slobodkins met Eleanor and Rice Estes, two young librarians.  Eleanor convinced Slobodkin to collaborate with her on a children's book, The Moffats.  The book was such a success, they agreed to work together again on The Middle Moffat and Rufus M., as well as The Hundred Dresses.

All told, Slobodkin illustrated nearly 90 books, and wrote 50 of those books, including instructional books on sculpture and drawing.  He also teamed up with his wife on five books.

Louis Slobodkin died in May of 1975.

The Illustrations

The only way I can describe the illustrations in Many Moons is "whimsical abstract".

Princess Lenore in bed after eating too many raspberry tarts.

I love the colors and the small illustrations that frame the text on several of the pages.

Princess Lenore ate too many raspberry tarts and is sent to bed after becoming ill.  When her father the King is sent for, he appears at her bedside and tells her he will do anything to help her feel better.  Princess Lenore asks for the moon, her father vows get it for her.

And so the King calls the Lord High Chamberlain, the Royal Wizard, and the Royal Mathematician to his throne and asks them how they can get the moon for his daughter.

Lord High Chamberlain, Royal Wizard, and Royal Mathematician

Each man tells the King the moon is too far away and too big.  At a loss, the King calls his Royal Jester to come and sing for him.  When the Jester asks the King what is wrong, the Jester comes up with idea of asking the Princess how far away she thinks the moon is and how big she thinks it is.  

The Princess tells the Jester she believes the moon is smaller than her thumbnail and just above the tree outside her window.

The Jester went to the Royal Goldsmith and asked him to make a small gold moon, smaller than the Princess' thumbnail, and to put it on a gold chain so the Princess may wear it around her neck.

The next morning, the Jester took the moon to the princess and she was thrilled.  The following day she was well enough to get out of bed and play.

But the king was concerned that the Princess might fall ill again if she saw the moon in the sky that night.  He once again called the Lord High Chamberlain, the Royal Wizard, and the Royal Mathematician to help.  But the ideas they came up with just wouldn't work.

Set off fireworks all night to camouflage the moon?

So, the king called his Royal Jester again to sing to him and try to make him feel better.

The Jester suggested they ask Princess Lenore what she thought about the moon returning to the sky.

The Jester raced up the stairs to see the Princess

The Princess assuaged the Jester's fears by explaining that when she loses a tooth, a new tooth grows in it's place.  The moon is just like that.

I loved this book, so much.  It is such a wonderful story that shows how adults tend to lose their imagination as they grow up and over complicate the simplest things.  The Lord High Chamberlain, Royal Wizard, and Royal Mathematician were considered the wisest men in all the world, but they used analysis and facts and figures when all that was needed to get Princess Lenore the moon was a little girl's imagination.

When I first started reading this book and Princess Lenore asked for the moon, I was afraid she would be portrayed as a spoiled brat, a little Veruca Salt.  Instead, she proved to be the wisest person in the King's court.

I found it strange that in 1990, Many Moons was rereleased with new illustrations by Marc Simont:

They are beautiful watercolors and there is a foreword by James Thurber's daughter where she admits it was a difficult decision to agree to the reprint.  Personally, I have no opinion one way or the other when it comes to reprints (except for books that are changed because of a movie, that annoys me) but when your picture book wins the highest award for illustrations, it just seems like an unnecessary money-grab.

1944 Caldecott Honor Books
Small Rain: Verses From the Bible, illustrated by Elizabet Orton Jones, text selected by Jessie Orton James Pierre Pidgeon, illustrated by Arnold E. Bare, written by Lee Kingman The Mighty Hunter, written and illustrated by Berta & Elmer Hader A Child's Good Night Book, illustrated by Jean Charlot, written by Margaret Wise Brown Good - Luck Horse, illustrated by Plato Chan, text written by Chih - Yi Chan