Louis Slobodkin, Sculptor and Storyteller

Another repost from a an old series of posts on a few of the author/illustrators of classic children’s literature.

Louis Slobodkin was the illustrator of one of my favorite children’s books, The Hundred Dressesby Eleanor Estes. Before he was an illustrator of children’s books, Slobodkin was a sculptor.

His statue of the young Abe Lincoln (right) was done for the 1939 New York World’s Fair, but it was never exhibited there. Instead, 

when the Slobodkins arrived at the Fair on opening day to inspect the installation, they were informed by a doorman: “‘Taint here any more.” The shocking word quickly went round that workmen had demolished the statue on order of Theodore Hayes, Executive Assistant to the Federal Commissioner for the World’s Fair, Edward Flynn. Five days later, Slobodkin told The New York Times that, according to a source in Washington, his sculpture had indeed been set upon with sledgehammers, reportedly because a lady who “lunched with Flynn” had not found it to be in “good taste.” (source)

It’s hard for me to imagine, looking back, what it was about Slobodkin’s young Abe that the woman found not in good taste. Was it that it was a bit exaggerated and not entirely realistic? And why would anyone think it was a good idea to destroy it? I feel better knowing that the destruction of the Rail Joiner caused plenty of controversy, even drawing Eleanor Roosevelt, who was disheartened by what happened to the statue, into the fray.

Not long after this incident, Louis Slobodkin met Eleanor Estes, who persuaded him to illustrate her children’s book The Moffats. (Doesn’t the picture on the left from the Moffats look as if it was done by a sculptor?) Another book illustrated by Slobodkin, a favorite of many and the one for which he was awarded a Caldecott Medal, is James Thurber’s Many Moons, the story of the little princess who wants the moon.

Louis Slobodkin didn’t just illustrate other people’s books, but he illustrated fifty that he wrote himself. One of my favorites is Hustle and Bustle1, the story of two hippos in the zoo.

They were very good friends—

VERY, VERY, VERY GOOD FRIENDS!

Until the day it became obvious to everyone that the friendship ended.

You can read the whole book here.

Slobodkin also did a few The New Yorker cartoons like the one below.

The caption is “Sure, Jack’s here, but you wouldn’t know him with that G.I. haircut.” What do you think? I think it’s a good thing he focused more on illustrating children’s books.

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1I know, $349. It’s the only link I could find. Kind of makes me wish I still had our copy.

Comments

[Persis]

I had never read Hustle and Bustle before. Thanks for sharing this delightful little book.