Peter Spier (1927–2017)

Opening with his own translation of The Flood, a poem from Dutch poet and theologian Jacobus Revius (1586-1658), author/illustrator Peter Spier then proceeds to retell the story of Noah's Ark in this otherwise wordless picture book. Many of the pages are split into panels, usually with one large and several smaller paintings, although some two-page spreads contain only one massive painting. The events of the story—the gathering of the animals, their feeding and upkeep during the flood, the show more landing of the Ark on Mt. Ararat—are retold through the artwork, and the story concludes with an image of the abandoned Ark, all chaos inside...

Published in 1977, Noah's Ark won the Caldecott Medal in 1978, and it is not difficult to see why. The artwork here is detailed and expressive, capturing both the pathos and humor of the famous biblical story in unexpected ways. There are amusing scenes aplenty, including those in which Mrs Noah is terrified of some mice, and Noah himself tends to various animals, but what struck me most were the tragic ones. It may be odd to say it, as someone who has known this story since I was a little girl, but I'd never really considered all the animals who didn't make it onto the Ark. The people left behind to perish, yes, I'd thought of them, with pity and horror, but I'd never really thought of all of the OTHER animals, besides the lucky two from each species, that were abandoned to their fate. Here their fate was brought to my attention in a heartbreaking sequence of scenes, as the Ark is closed up and the rest of the animals stand there, slowly being submerged in water. That sequence hit me like a gut-punch, and will be with me for some time. The near-destruction of humanity is heartbreaking of course, but there one can argue (at least within the structure of the story) that their own actions caused their suffering. What wrong did the animals do? None—and yet they too suffered, their fate tied to that of humanity. I was reminded of Cú Rua the fox, from Pat O'Shea fantasy masterpiece, The Hounds of the Morrigan, who declared that "it is a sad and puzzling fate to share the world with man, but what can we do?"

I'm not sure my reaction here would be the common one, but I suspect it is not solely owing to my age, and that I would have been likewise struck, as a child. This is a beautiful book, and well worth the accolades it won, but I am rather glad I didn't encounter it as a child... show less

A vulpine adventurer heads to town in this wonderful picture book presentation of the classic folk song from author/illustrator Peter Spier, winner of a Caldecott Honor in 1962. Traveling many miles, the fox passes a farm where he makes off with a grey goose and duck, and pursued by the farmer, heads home to feed his wife and ten little kits. The book closes with the music and lyrics for the song, and an afterword from Spier describing the Vermont countryside which inspired his show more illustrations...

Originally published in 1961, in an edition that alternated between color and black and white scenes, The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night was republished in 2014 in a new edition featuring fully colorized artwork, created by Spier from his original illustrations. It is this latter edition that I read, and greatly enjoyed. The song which provides the text here is from England, and dates back to two 15th-century poems in Middle English, The Fox and the Goose and The False Fox. It was recorded as a song in 1810 in Joseph Ritson's Gammer Gurton's Garland, where it was entitled Dame Widdle Waddle. It's interesting to note that the farmer's wife in this modern version is "old mother Giggle-Gaggle." Although originating in England, the visual setting here is classic New England, with the steeple church and the Civil War memorial on the village green. According to Spier, a Dutch-born American author and artist, the setting was inspired by a drive through Vermont one autumn, and he later studied farms around Newfane, VT for specific details, as well as visiting the Farmers' Museum in Cooperstown, New York and Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts. All of this preparation certainly paid off, as the visuals here are an absolute delight! I enjoyed everything about this book, from the vulpine hero—foxes are a weakness of mine, and I wrote my masters dissertation on three centuries of Reynard retellings for children—to the autumnal setting (my favorite season), to the artwork in general, with its feeling of old-time authenticity and New England charm. After reading it the first time, I then found a wonderful recording of the song itself on Youtube, performed by Apollo's Fire and accompanied by pages from this book, which I also greatly enjoyed! Highly recommended to anyone who appreciates folk songs turned into picture books, foxy tales (and tails!), and gorgeous picture book art. show less

Award-winning Dutch American children's author and artist Peter Spier offers an exuberant celebration of Christmas in this wordless picture book. A close-knit and loving family prepare for the holiday—shopping, decorating, baking cookies, and playing with friends—then celebrates it—church service, Christmas Day dinner with family—and finally recovers from all the festivity in these 90+ color illustrations, culminating in a scene in which the following year' holiday is already show more anticipated...

Published in 1983, Peter Spier's Christmas! evoked an instant and strong feeling of nostalgia in me, for my own childhood, and the Christmases my own family celebrated. The visuals here felt very much of that time—the cars, the way the stores looked, the appliances used in the home—transporting me back to my girlhood. The importance of religious observance at the holiday and how that was handled—a natural part of the celebration, it is emphasized in the church scene, and also in those featuring the family's Nativity set—also struck a chord. The church depicted here felt very familiar to me, having been raised a Congregationalist, and that too gave me a sense of home. All of that said, I didn't feel that the visuals here were so foreign (in either a temporal or cultural sense) that contemporary children couldn't understand them, and there is much that is still current and universal, from the warmth of the family circle—the grandparents coming struck another chord, as my own grandparents were always with us at Christmas—to the fun of the various activities. Recommended to fans of Peter Spier—I really need to read more of his work!—and to anyone seeking wordless Christmas books children can pore over, examining every detail. show less

Award-winning children's-book author/illustrator Peter Spier turns his attention to the creation of the American national anthem in this informative and engaging picture-book. Composed by Francis Scott Key in 1814, as he witnessed the British bombardment of Fort McHenry, during the War of 1812, the song celebrates the continued presence and waving of the American flag, indicating that the fort had not fallen to the enemy. Spier uses the first, second and fourth verses of the song as his main show more text, pairing the famous words with illustrations both historical and contemporary. His extensive afterword gives the story of the song's composition - it was originally a poem entitled "The Bombardment of Fort McHenry" - and of the War of 1812 and the Battle of Baltimore. The musical notation accompanying the lyrics is also presented at the rear, along with a history of the flag flown during that fateful twenty-four hours...

An excellent introduction to the eponymous song and to the War of 1812, The Star-Spangled Banner was originally published in 1973, and then in this new edition in 2014. The text (as could be expected) holds no surprises, and is beautifully matched to the artwork. I particularly liked the two-page spread depicting all the places of worship, although the illustrated end-papers, which show both the evolution of the American flag and the many other flags used by various governmental personnel and military branches, were also lovely. I think Spier's choice to leave out the third verse (which speaks of the defeat and death of the enemy) was well made, given that this is a children's book, and a celebratory one. One wonders how he would have illustrated a line like "Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution," if he had not made this choice. The full version is presented at the back, so no relevant information has been omitted, from a historical and informational perspective. Although not explicitly about the 4th of July, this would make an excellent selection for this time of year, and is one I would recommend to anyone seeking children's books addressing the American national anthem and its history. show less