Snow Queen Week: P. J. Lynch

I skipped to Golden Age illustrators the last few days, but was determined to also share P.J. Lynch's illustrations for The Snow Queen. Like so many others, Lynch is experienced with illustrating fairy tales and has many beautiful picture books. While the book was first published many years ago, a new edition (pictured above) was released this year. Or so it was if you live in the UK, for it was not rereleased in the U.S. Perhaps next year...for now, you can order from Amazon.co.uk or order used editions (or should we call them collectables?) from Amazon.com and other used booksellers.


P.J. Lynch also has a wonderful online gallery with images from many of his books available on his website. See The Snow Queen Gallery. And isn't that image from the original cover above very reminiscent of one by Dulac? Well, for that matter the new one is reminiscent of another Dulac, too.


And here are the requisite images of Gerda and the Reindeer.



And because it is that time of year, I also can't recommend highly enough Lynch's illustrations for O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi, my favorite picture book version of the story. And his East o' The Sun, West o' The Moon is one of my favorites, too. (Here's an Amazon link for that one, also out of print, alas.)

Hanshika Motwani Newest Gallery

Hanshika Motwani Newest Gallery  more images after a break.......

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World's Tallest Dog

Standing at nearly 43 inches tall from paw to shoulder and weighing a staggering 245lbs could this be the world's new tallest dog? Pictured here in the parks of Tuscon, Arizona, George, a four-year-old blue great dane, looks more like a miniature horse than a dog. More images after a break.......
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Bull Frog Vs Sparrow

Spectacular captures of the American Bullfrog preying on an unlucky sparrow. Growing up to a length of 20 centimeters or 7.9 inches, the bullfrog preys on any animal that it can overpower and stuff down its throat. Their stomachs have been found to contain rodents, small turtles, snakes, frogs including bullfrogs and birds of course. Ambush predators as they are known for, the bullfrog can be seen submerging large preys (in this case the sparrow) into the water to cut their air supply and defense. Check out the whole sequence of the bullfrog and the unlucky sparrow with 05 more pics after the jump........

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Snow Queen Week: Honor Appleton

Merry Christmas!


I had the opportunity to travel to London in November of 2006. When I was perusing the items in the gift shop at the V&A Museum, I looked down and discovered holidays cards with the above image on the front. I did a doubletake and realized it was one of Honor Appleton's illustrations for The Snow Queen, one that had been on SurLaLune for several years. I was delighted to see it and realized once again how popular images of Gerda and the Reindeer are. Note to illustrators: ALWAYS include the image of Gerda and the Reindeer if you are illustrating this tale.

And that is why this one greets you on Christmas, because it reminds me of Christmas and shopping in London, not something I have done much in my life. I am happily home with family and loved ones this holiday after a frantic month. I hope all of you enjoy this time of year and enjoy some of the magic of the season, whichever holiday you choose to celebrate.

Snow Queen Week: Edmund Dulac

My first taste of illustrations for the Snow Queen were those by Edmund Dulac. I'm sharing three in this post, but there are seven in total by Dulac for the fairy tale, all of which are available on SurLaLune at Dulac's Snow Queen.


I've been looking at these for so many years now that I notice Dulac's influence on other illustrators of the tale, most often in composition, which I think is a compliment to the master Dulac was. I don't consider his Snow Queen overall his best work, but one of my favorite images is the one at the top of the page of Gerda and the Reindeer. This image receives a lot of traffic and was requested for SurLaLune's Snow Queen shop on CafePress years ago. It is also popular this time of year since so many want illustrations of reindeer. Tomorrow I will share Honor Appleton's image of Gerda and the Reindeer, another popular image.


What interests me most about Dulac's illustrations is that Kay is nowhere to be seen in the paintings. His portrayals center around the Snow Queen and Gerda and the supporting characters. Where is Kay? Why no Kay? Oh well, some questions can't be answered.

Finally, Dulac's books are long out of print, of course, and very costly collectables. However, many of his illustrations are available in Dulac's Fairy Tale Illustrations in Full Color compiled by Jeff A. Menges. Only five of the Snow Queen illustrations are included in the collection.


Better yet, you can choose a recent reprint of the original, published by Calla Editions: Stories from Hans Christian Andersen illustrated by Edmund Dulac. It was printed just over a year ago and also includes The Nightingale, The Real Princess, The Garden of Paradise, The Mermaid, The Emperor's New Clothes and The Wind's Tale. The edition is a facsimile of the original edition and quite lovely, imitating the tipped in type of plates (although they aren't tipped in). The colors aren't as vibrant as the original plates, but they are more than satisfactory and it's lovely to have the book at a reasonable price. (My allergies also prefer the new paper.)

Snow Queen Week: Vladyslav Yerko

Vladyslav Yerko has illustrated the Snow Queen and the book has appeared in several editions, most in Europe. The book appears to be out of print in the U.S., but it is available used or through the website designed to promote the book, snowqueen.us.


Here's some information about the book and its sales from the site:

Anderson House Foundation is proud to present one of the best fairy tales of all time, The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen.

This collectible children's book, richly illustrated by award winning Ukrainian artist Vladyslav Yerko, also well known for his illustrations of the Harry Potter books, is a unique Holiday gift for children of all ages.

AHF has exclusive rights to distribute
a special art edition of this children's bestseller across the US and Canada.

The quantity is limited.

All collected funds are used for AHF charitable projects.

Yerko's work is quite lovely and can be found around the internet. Of course, he is well-known for his Harry Potter illustrations as stated above, just not in the U.S. once again. (The wonderful Mary GrandPré is the illustrator known in the U.S. for Harry Potter.)


I only hope his work becomes more prominent in the U.S. as well.