Monday, July 2, 2007

A Trip to the Library

On my last trip to the library I struck gold! Not only did they have most of the books on my list, but they were having their 20th anniversary party with free ice cream and a book sale. Who can resist free ice cream on a hot day? And I can never resist a good sale or good picture books! So I managed to add quite a few titles to my personal library. I checked out about 20 more picture books, (I already had about a dozen at home) a few reference books, a couple of novels, and 10 movies. (They allow you to check out 50 items.) Plus, I came home with a great stack of books that I got to buy at a bargain price! Really nice books! Thank you Mustang Library!



I got all of these books for $10. Twenty-five books for $10!


One I'm especially enjoying is N.C. Wyeth's Pilgrims
by Robert D. San Souci.


It's such a treat to experience Wyeth's work. I had forgotten how beautifully he combines detail and simplicity. His work has such a timeless quality. If you were seeing it for the first time, I really think you would consider this to be the work of a contemporary artist. Somehow, he has both a painterly and a graphic quality. This book has inspired me to start studying more of his work. And I can't wait!

I got to meet Robert San Souci a few years back when he came to my son's school for an author visit. He's a wonderful writer and does a fabulous job retelling traditional tales. His publishers also seems to combine him with the perfect illustrators for his books. I have a few of his books in the autographed section of my personal library. I just wish this one with N.C. Wyeth was autographed too!

6 comments:

Elaine Magliaro said...

Gail,

I arranged for Robert San Souci to be the featured speaker at the winter meeting of our Reading Council in 2005. He's a great presenter...very funny and full of stories. He was such a delight. I hope I get the chance to see him again some day.

Don Tate II said...

N.C. Wyeth's Pilgrims? I am too jealous!

gail said...

Elaine, I saw his presentation about 6-7 years ago and I still remember it. He was a delight. While on the topic, have you ever seen Mike Wimmer (illustrator) give a presentation? I have twice. One of my all time favorites presentations. If you ever get a chance to book him go for it. He has a video clip on his website you can preview. He's a man with amazing talent, and very entertaining.

Don, Yup! And it was the most expensive book I got that day, at $2.00!

gail

tlchang said...

Wyeth is one of my favorites also. There is nothing better than a inexpensive book-buying spree! You get things you love and can still feel virtuous doing it. :-)

gail said...

Tara,
I especially like studying how he handled water. Simply beautiful! I checked out your blog. Nice work!

gail

Elaine Magliaro said...

Gail,

Thanks for the information on Mike Wimmer. If he lives in the Northeast...I'd consider inviting him to be a speaker. Otherwise, a speaker's expenses can become expensive. Our council was able to share Robert San Souci's travel costs with a couple of school systems in Massachusetts and a couple more on the East Coast.