Our family was introduced
to author and illustrator William Steig through his children's books,
namely Amos and Boris, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble,
and The Amazing Bone. These are delightful children's stories
that are not just for children. The author's illustrations add
greatly to the tender charm of these stories. Friendship and family
are themes which are celebrated in the books.
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| Sylvester and the Magic Pebble |
Steig, was
born in 1907 into an immigrant family in New York City. His parents
encouraged their children to become familiar with art and music. His
father worked as a house painter and his mother worked as a
seamstress. Even as a child William enjoyed creating art and reading,
which assisted him in becoming a success as an author and
illustrator. The great depression was hard on his family and he
contributed to their support, at that time, by selling his cartoons
and pictures around the city. He became an illustrator and eventually
produced 2000 cartoons and over 100 magazine covers for The New
Yorker.
He
became an author, at age 61, in a round about way, after a fellow
worker at the magazine asked him to write a children's book. He wrote
a children's puzzle book and then, the story of Roland the
Minstrel Pig, and eventually, all the other titles. He received
awards for his art and his books and died of natural causes at the
age of 95. Most recently he is known as the creator of Shrek.
Some of my favorites by
William Steig:
Amos and Boris- Amos
the mouse and Boris the whale: a devoted pair of friends with nothing
at all
in common, except good hearts and a willingness to help
their fellow mammal.
Amos sets out to sea in his homemade boat, the Rodent, and
soon finds himself in
extreme need of rescue.
Dominic- It's time
for a change, so Dominic packs his collection of hats and his piccolo
and heads
out,
letting the world take him where it may.
Sylvester and the Magic
Pebble- Sylvester can’t believe his luck when he finds a magic
pebble that
can make wishes come true. But when a lion
jumps out at him on
his way home, Sylvester is shocked into
making a wish that has
unexpected consequences.
Abel's Island- Abel's
place in his familiar, mouse world has always been secure; he had an
allowance from his mother, a comfortable home, and a lovely wife,
Amanda. But one
stormy August day, furious flood waters carry him off and dump him on
an
uninhabited island.
The Amazing Bone- It's
a bright and beautiful spring day, and Pearl, a pig, is dawdling on
her way
home from school. Most unexpectedly, she strikes up an
acquaintance with a
small bone. "You talk?" says Pearl. "In any
language," says the bone.
Also by Steig:
Doctor De Soto- Doctor
De Soto, the dentist, did very good work. With the aid of his able
assistant, Mrs. De Soto, he copes with the toothaches of animals
large and small.
Brave Irene- Irene's
mother is a dressmaker, she made a beautiful gown that needs to be
delivered to
the palace. Irene volunteers to deliver the dress in
spite of a raging snow storm.
Roland the Minstrel
Pig- Roland the pig plays the lute and sings so sweetly that his
friends never
have enough of listening to him. He has bigger dreams,
though, so he
decides to take his show on the road and share his music
with the world.
Shrek- A
book about an ordinary ogre who leaves his swampy childhood
home to go out and
see the
world.
(Most book descriptions from the
Amazon web site.)
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| New Yorker Magazine cover. |
Some Quotes from William
Steig's books:
“Later she sat on the
ground in the forest between school and home, and spring was so
bright and beautiful, the warm air touched her so tenderly, she could
almost feel herself changing into a flower. Her light dress felt like
petals.
"I love everything," she heard herself say.
"So do I," a voice answered.
Pearl straightened up and looked around. No one was there.” (William Steig- The Amazing Bone)
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| New Yorker magazine cover. |
“Her image was in his
mind, as clear as life sometimes, and he smiled with wistful
tenderness, remembering her ways. Amanda was dreamy. It often seemed
she was dreaming the real world around her, the things that were
actually happening. She could dream Abel when he was right there by
her side. Abel loved this dreaminess in her. He loved her dreamy
eyes.
Wherever he went about
the island, he wore Amanda's scarf around his neck, the ends tied in
a knot. He would not leave it in the log.” (William
Steig- Abel's Island p. 43)
One
thing I love about his writing is that it is so descriptive. Here is
a passage from Amos and Boris:
“One
night, in a phosphorescent sea, he marveled at the sight of some
whales spouting luminous water; and later, lying on the deck of his
boat gazing at the immense, starry sky, the tiny mouse Amos, a little
speck of a living thing in the vast living universe, felt thoroughly
akin to it all.”
Your eyes and ears
are in for a treat reading the stories of William Steig with your
family.
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| New Yorker magazine cover. |
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| Another plus...he's a lefty, just like me! |
