« Le livre illustré pour enfants, ou l'album jeunesse, tel qu'on le nomme plus justement en France, est un domaine de l'édition trop souvent méconnu, insuffisamment étudié, alors même qu'il représente près d'un livre sur quatre acheté sur notre territoire. [...] Raconter cette histoire mondiale en cent et un livres permet de rendre compte de l'extraordinaire foisonnement du genre. D'autant que, pour la première fois, des artistes chinois, japonais ou encore canadiens et camerounais sont conviés dans cette histoire. En donnant à la fois des éléments du parcours créatif et un aperçu des publications les plus marquantes des illustrateurs et illustratrices retenus, Leonard S. Marcus offre une somme fascinante pour tous les connaisseurs de cette production, comme pour tous ceux qui sont curieux de mieux la connaître.
Traduit de l'anglais (américain), Mondes illustrés rend hommage au travail de créateurs et créatrices qui ont joué un rôle déterminant dans la part française de cette histoire, de Nathalie Parain, figure majeure du livre illustré chez Gallimard et des albums du Père Castor, à Tomi Ungerer en passant par Jean de Brunhoff, le papa du personnage Babar, ou Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, l'auteur du plus célèbre des livres illustrés, Le Petit Prince ».
A lavishly illustrated, large-format reference book highlighting the work of 101 essential children's illustrators The illustrated children's book came of age in the 18th century alongside the rising middle-class demand for economic and social advancement. Inspired by philosopher John Locke's prescient insights into child development, London publisher John Newbery established the first commercial market for illustrated "juveniles" in the West, and the impact of the model he set for books tailored to the interests and capabilities of young readers has spanned the globe, spurring higher literacy rates, cultural enfranchisement, and a better life for generations of children. In Pictured Worlds, renowned historian Leonard S. Marcus shares his incomparable knowledge of this global cultural phenomenon in the definitive reference work on children's book illustration. The author of more than 25 award-winning books, Marcus here highlights an international roster of 101 artists of the last 250 years whose touchstone achievements collectively chart the major trends and turning points in the history of children's book illustration. While some illustrators explored in this lively volume (John Tenniel, Maurice Sendak) have become household names, Marcus's wide-ranging survey also shines a light on several lesser-known figures whose unique contributions merit a closer look. The result is a sweeping chronicle of a vibrant art form and cultural driver that has touched the lives of literate peoples everywhere. Over 400 illustrations showcase landmark books from Great Britain, the United States, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Sweden, Czech Republic, Russia, Japan, China, Korea, Bulgaria, Argentina, Cameroon, and more. Each illustrated entry is comprised of an artist's biography and career overview and a deep-dive look at a pivotal book and its legacy. Featured books include Ivan Bilibin's The Golden Cockerel, Leo Lionni's Inch by Inch, Richard Doyle's In Fairyland, Kveta Pacovska's One, Five, Many, Helen Oxenbury's We're Going On a Bear Hunt, Mitsumasa Anno's Anno's Journey, and Zhu Chengliang's A New Year's Reunion, and the books that introduced such iconic characters as Alice, Max, Struwwelpeter, the Little Prince, and Winnie-the-Pooh. At once a celebration of illustrated children's books and an essential reference work, Pictured Worlds encapsulates, in the author's words, "the special nature of the illustrated children's book as a cultural enterprise that is at once a rewarding art form, a bridge across cultures, and a ladder between generations."
