This book is many things. In a brilliant piece of
writing, Clare Pollard produces something of great value and interest.
This deeply analytical biographical overview
of the history of children’s writing begins with poetry books and poets of the
early1800s, and encompasses storytelling.
It reveals the stories behind the
stories written for children.
Origins of fairytales and children’s stories, and
the whys and how of their creation extend to the comparisons of early books
with children’s books of today.
The gender
specific manipulation used by marketing gurus of recent years, also examined
and discussed is both eye-opening and disturbing.
Pollard’s superb research skills have left little
uncovered. As the attention doesn’t focus strictly on the work, we learn about
the creators’ solitary, even deprived lives, and the creative inspiration of
many popular names in children’s books. The characters and storylines of
much-loved books and how they were built and imagined have been deconstructed
and examined in detail.
These stories couldn’t be told without including the
social history that revolved around these writers and the historical setting of
their lives. These additional inclusions produce an expansive expose which
resembles many books in one.
Meanwhile, Pollard shares within the context of the
content, her formative years and influences – children’s books and people –
that led her to writing. Stirred into the biographical information that
abounds, are humorous and entertaining reflections from Pollard’s personal life
which are connected to, or tie in with, books she resourced.
This is a publication full of humour, satire and philosophical
reflection. Sometimes deeply moving, it presents thought-provoking information
taken from the lives and work of her subjects. Studies and papers written about
children’s books have been drawn on, with many excerpts used to support
specific points.
22 Pages of Bibliography plus an Index of 12 pages
is some indication of the amount of research undertaken to produce this
outstanding reflection on the history of children’s books and their creators.
Title:
Fierce Bad Rabbits: The Tales Behind Children’s Picture Books
Author:
Clare Pollard
Publisher:
Penguin Random House, $32.99
Publication
Date: August 2019
Format:
Hardcover
ISBN:
9780241354780
For
ages: All Ages
Type:
Non Fiction
