One Very Possible and Very Festive
2011 Holiday Illustration Before Breakfast #8
December 14th, 2011 by jules
Here’s another short and sweet holiday illustration for 7-Imp readers. This one comes from Douglas Wood’s Franklin and Winston: A Christmas That Changed the World (Candlewick, September 2011), illustrated by Barry Moser. (Moser, incidentally, holds the record for my favorite Pearly-Gates Pivot response of all time thus far here at 7-Imp. When he stopped by in 2009, his response to the final Pivot question—“If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?”—was “Mornin’, Bubba.”)
This picture book biography gives readers a glimpse into Winston Churchill’s historic visit to Washington, D.C., to visit President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during the Winter of 1941 — just a few days after the attack at Pearl Harbor. With a tight and detailed narrative and elegant watercolor illustrations that bring both men to vivid life, Wood and Moser chronicle their friendship and the important work the two leaders did during the visit — work to hammer out all the “details of fighting a great World War and creating the largest alliance in history.”
FRANKLIN AND WINSTON. Text copyright © 2011 by Douglas Wood. Illustrations copyright © 2011 by Barry Moser. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.
Just stopping in to say hi and check out your site. Love this artwork. Thanks for sharing it. Looking forward to reading more of your cool blog!
What an interesting looking title. My Caroline is beginning to show some interest in history- I think I’m going to have to find this one!
This is one of my favorite books of the year. It was so well done, and the illustrations are spectacular.
One thing that struck me odd is, while the publisher of “Good Night Moon” removed the photo on the back cover that showed the Illustrator holding a cigarette, this cover features both of the main characters smoking. I personally have no issue with the smoking depiction, especially since both men where seldom seen without their tobacco fix but why the problem with an illustrator smoking I wonder. That aside, the cover art is very nice.
I have to agree with Chris Tripp above – the cigar was practically glued to Churchill’s lower lip – and so it’s right that it’s there – history must be accurate, even in picture books – but I’m amused a little at how inaccurate the gatekeepers can be elsewhere…