Even as a child, Paul Galdone knew he would be an artist: Drawing was his life. But it wasn’t until he was in his mid-40s that Galdone illustrated his first children’s book and launched a career that would ensure his artistic legacy.
From 1951 until his death in 1986 at age 79, the prolific Galdone illustrated and/or wrote more than 300 children’s books, many of them classics that have become favorites for several generations of young readers.
Galdone may be best remembered for his versions of traditional folk tales aimed at the picture-book crowd. Most of these books have never gone out of print, and now four of them have just been beautifully republished by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in a new “Folk Tale Classics” line: “The Three Bears,” “The Three Little Pigs,” “Three Little Kittens” and “The Little Red Hen.”
Each book is $8.99 — a bargain considering both how nicely they are presented (with gold-foil accents on the covers) and what classics they are.
The stories are ones that every child should know, and Galdone’s versions add energy and comedy to these traditional tales.
Just look at the wonderful contrast Galdone creates between the busy Red Hen, sporting a starched apron and cap, and her utterly lazy housemates.
And check out the way that Galdone shows the nonchalance of the third pig (the one with the brick house) when he sees the hugely fierce face of the wolf filling his window.
Galdone loved to include small details that displayed his impish sense of humor. For example, the Little Wee Bear in “The Three Bears” carries a teddy bear.
The art in the house occupied by the felines in “Three Little Kittens,” meanwhile, includes a portrait of “Puss in Boots” as well as a painting showing “Whistler’s Mother” as a cat.
In another example of Galdone’s genius for details, he shows just what the indolent members of “The Little Red Hen” household are dreaming of as they lie about all day: an opened can of sardines for the cat; a bone (with a fly on it — an extra wry touch) for the dog; and a piece of Swiss cheese for the mouse.
Another hallmark of Galdone’s work — as seen in these new editions and, indeed, in all of his books — is his love of nature.
His books are filled with flowers, leaves, trees, insects and other creatures. Even the Little Wee Bear’s bedspread shows this love of nature: It’s a quilt in which each patch shows something related to the great outdoors.
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