Dahlov Ipcar (1917–2017)

This is a re-print of a book from 1969. The artwork feels a product of its time, which means it’s fresh, new, and exciting for modern audiences. This is a simple story of what do cats do at night. It plays up how cats can see better at night than human does. You’ll have one illustration that shows everything dark and asks the reader to guess what the cat is doing or seeing and then the next illustration is what the cat is doing or seeing all in bright colors. It really works for the time and the age that it’s written for and in essence it’s timeless and can be love generation to generation.… (more)

A farmer and his wife work hard on their crops, but must continually chase away various animals - crows, bunnies, hogs, deer, etc. - intent on eating what they have grown, in this rhyming picture-book from the 1970s. Eventually, the couple manage to put away a bounteous harvest, despite their "hard scrabble," and their family enjoys a delicious Thanksgiving meal together...

Originally published in 1976 as Hard Scrabble Harvest, and then reprinted in paperback as Bring In the Pumpkins, this autumn-themed tale is the first picture-book I have read from Dahlov Ipcar, an author more familiar to me through her works of fantasy for older children. I found it quite fun, enjoying both the rhyming text, and the vintage illustrations, which were vibrantly colorful, and made use of bold, stylized patterns that felt quite folk-art inspired. Recommended to readers who enjoy vintage picture-books, and to picture-book readers seeking somewhat quirky Thanksgiving stories.… (more)