Library of the Early Mind
There is a trailer for Library of the Early Mind, a documentary exploring children's literature here. (Thanks to Quillblog for the link)
The title, apparently, comes from Adam Gopnik and an essay containing the following passage:
The Babar books are among those half-dozen picture books that seem to fix not just a character but a whole way of being, even a civilization. An elephant, lost in the city, does not trumpet with rage but rides a department-store elevator up and down, until gently discouraged by the elevator boy. A Haussmann-style city rises in the middle of the barbarian jungle. Once seen, Babar the Frenchified elephant is not forgotten. With Bemelmans’s “Madeline” and Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are,” the Babar books have become part of the common language of childhood, the library of the early mind.
You can read more here.
And since we are talking about Adam Gopnik, can I just say that his LOL piece is the funniest thing I have ever read. Funny in that cringe-y way.
The title, apparently, comes from Adam Gopnik and an essay containing the following passage:
The Babar books are among those half-dozen picture books that seem to fix not just a character but a whole way of being, even a civilization. An elephant, lost in the city, does not trumpet with rage but rides a department-store elevator up and down, until gently discouraged by the elevator boy. A Haussmann-style city rises in the middle of the barbarian jungle. Once seen, Babar the Frenchified elephant is not forgotten. With Bemelmans’s “Madeline” and Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are,” the Babar books have become part of the common language of childhood, the library of the early mind.
You can read more here.
And since we are talking about Adam Gopnik, can I just say that his LOL piece is the funniest thing I have ever read. Funny in that cringe-y way.
Comments