A Very Special House
Author: Ruth Krauss
Illustrator: Maurice Sendak
Haper Collins (1953)
We have been reading a lot of books lately and so many of them are delightful. I've only covered the tiniest fraction of great children's literature and I feel overwhelmed by all the wonderous books I am leaving out. I have to remember that this is OUR journey with books, the ones we seek out and the ones we stumble across and there is no way to include every amazing author and illustrator.
Like most people, I've read The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss many times, but I haven't been too familiar with the rest of her body of work. I took A Very Special House out from the library for Mirette and we've read it every night since. It is such a fun read.
I really like books that play with language and this definitely fits the bill. Here's my favorite playful passage: I know a house---
I'ts not a squirrel house
it's not a donkey house
--just like I said--
and it's not up on a mountain
and it's not down in a valley
and it's not down in a hole
and it's not down in our ally
and it's not up in a tree
or underneath the bed--
oh it's right in the middle--
oh it's ret in the meedle--
ohe it's root in the moodle of my head head head
The pages are all yellow with ink drawings and a blue and white boy prancing all over the pages, distinctly Maurice Sendak!
Ruth Krauss (1901-1993) wrote around 40 books for kids. Just like Margaret Wise Brown, she was part of the Writer's Laboratory at the Bank Street School. Some of her books were illustrated by her husband Crockett Johnson and eight were illustrated by Maurice Sendak. She also wrote poetry for adults.
There is not much about Ruth Krauss on the internet. Here's a photo of her and a short bio: http://www.lib.usm.edu/~degrum/html/research/findaids/DG0569f.html, but I am left wondering--who is she really?
As for Maurice Sendak, let's save him for another day!
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