Every picture tells a story – the magic of children’s book illustrations

The illustrations we see in our favourite childhood books stay with us for life. Which ones bring back memories for you?

By Misti Traya

When I lived in Los Angeles, there was a wonderful shop called Every Picture Tells A Story. The sign on the front described it as “A gallery of original art from children’s books.” Though I was an adult, I loved it. It was my happy place and I’d unabashedly use my kid sister who is 23 years my junior as an excuse to go. This bookshop-cum-art gallery was the most magical place on the street. It was nestled between high-end retail stores, restaurants staked out by paparazzi, and a medical plaza. Going there really felt like you were entering a secret world where you’d find treasure.

Authors would read to children on brightly coloured rugs whilst adults admired the art around them. And what art it was! These weren’t just pictures. They were frameworthy illustrations by the likes of Beatrix Potter, Hilary Knight, and Maurice Sendak. Some of the other work they sold included Garth Williams’ original art and limited edition prints from Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little, as well as Rosemary Wells’ Max and Ruby drawings (below). They even sold giclee prints of Clement Hurd’s work from Goodnight Moon. Of course, they also sold books.

In 2011, Every Picture Tells A Story closed its doors. Mercifully, the creators opened an online gallery, called Art Kandy, where you can still purchase wonderful illustrations.

‘Show me’

At the school gates, I am known as the mum who buys books for presents. If my daughter is invited to a party and I’m taking her shopping, chances are high that the birthday child is going to get a book. Maybe two. I love buying picture books. They are the ultimate gift for all ages.

Illustrations offer illumination. They can help a young child understand what’s happening in a story even if the child can’t quite grasp the meaning of all the words. Pictures allow children to read between the lines and aid visual thinking. For example, even if a child can’t tell from the text that Squirrel Nutkin’s cheeky antics angered the Owl so much that the Owl took Nutkin’s tail, the child can look at the pictures and deduce what happened.  

Staying power

Pictures stick with us. Our reaction to them is visceral. This is why the illustrations we loved in childhood often bring back powerful memories when we see them again in adulthood, especially when reading them to or buying them for our own kids. Or their friends.  

One of my favourite artists is Arthur Rackham who was one of the leading illustrators during the Golden Age of British book illustration. You might not know him by name, but you’d recognise his pen and ink drawings if you saw them. They brought English and Irish fairytales to life. His Wild & Shy Monstrous Creatures look like they could be a leaf from the Book of Kells. His style was dark and lavishly decorated. It was alternately folksy like When Puss Saw the Rats or when depicting The Giant in Jack and the Beanstalk booming out “Fee Fi Fo Fum!”

The picture books we loved in our youth become the benchmark for the books we buy for our kids. It’s a legacy we pass down the line. In my family, this includes Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are, Edward Gorey’s Gashlycrumb Tinies, Kay Thompson’s Eloise illustrated by Hilary Knight, and any Roald Dahl so long as it had Quentin Blake’s drawings in it.

When my daughter received a Winnie The Pooh teddy for her birthday some years back, the first thing she did was remove his shirt. When I asked why, she said because he didn’t wear one in the stories. E.H. Shepard’s illustrations were stuck in her mind. And this made me smile because I knew that one day she’d share these books and their fabulous illustrations with the little children in her life too.

What children’s illustrations do you love best – and are they the same ones your own kids love? Share your memories and stories with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Misti Traya is a writer from London and mum to a 7-year old daughter.

Image credit for E H Shepard’s Winne the Pooh illustration (top).