Reviews: (by author)

Jackson, Kathryn and Byron. Pirates, Ships, and Sailors: Twenty-four Stories and Poems. Illus. Gustaf Tenggren. New York: Golden Books, 1950, revised. ISBN 0-375-83665-9. $14.95

I requested this book for review because I admire the art of Gustaf Tenggren. Most famously, he was largely responsible for the look of Walt Disney’s first animated feature, Snow White. He illustrated scores of books, many of them classic collections such as The Arabian Nights (see our archives for other reviews of his works), having begun to draw and paint at an early age in Scandinavia before emigrating to the USA.

The Jacksons present a fine set of sea stories, one of which is well known, “The Flying Dutchman.” The rest—-stories and poems--are original. The best collaborations are the Jacksons’ 12-line ditties each accompanied by a painting by Tenggren. Sometimes the prose-to-illustration ratio is demanding. But for a confident, committed reader of prose-y stories, pleasant hours will be spent. For the right child, this is a lasting gift. But be aware, the material is dated in pacing, in language and vocabulary, and also in lack of diversity: everyone is white and typically blond. This 21st century observation is being applied to art published in 1950 by a great artist; despite being relative, the comment is nonetheless worth making.

A. Allison, June 2007

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