Coda: From the Kerlan, A Few More Words from Lisa Von Drasek
When I first entered The ABC of It at The New York Public Library, I was wonderstruck. The phrase that came to mind was "we stand on the shoulders of giants." First as a bookseller, then as a publishing assistant, then as a public librarian, a school librarian, an instructor of teachers, and now the curator of the Children's Literature Research Collections, I have had a lifetime exploring children's books. I have read widely about children's books and story. I could fill these pages with the names of those who have mentored me in how to read, see, and critically think about children's books and their creators.
Yet it was The ABC of It, an adventure park experience of children's literature, that placed all that I knew in fresh context: the Why. Why these volumes, these stories, these creators all mattered in my education, my teaching, and my living. Many who read this volume might not know two important facts about the Archives and Special Collections of the University of Minnesota Libraries. First, the majority of the materials held in the Children's Literature Research Collections are generously donated by the writers and artists for research and education. Second, the University of Minnesota is an open access institution that welcomes all visitors to our collections.
This coda contains a small selection of contemporary works from the Kerlan Collection that continue to express themes of The ABC of It. Children's literature is an art form that educates, entertains, challenges, and inspires.
-Lisa Von Drasek, Curator
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Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade
Written and illustrated by Melissa Sweet
2011
What the Heart Knows: Chants, Charms, and Blessings
Written by Joyce Sidman
Illustrated by Pamela Zagarensk
2013
