• By: Ingri and Edgar D'Aulaire

• Pages: 64

• SKU: 9781893103603

• Media: Paperback

• Reading level: Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th

Not since 1957 have readers been able to enjoy the full beauty of the d’Aulaires’ stone lithographic work, the very artwork that earned them the Caldecott Medal in 1940. This 2015 paperback edition from Beautiful Feet Books changes that.

Working with Timothy Young, curator of the Beinecke Rare Books and Manuscript Collection at Yale University Library, Beautiful Feet Books restored the original art through brand new reproductions of the 1939 lithographic proofs. Printed with careful attention to color, this edition finally allows contemporary readers to see why the d’Aulaires’ artwork was held in such awe by those who first encountered it.

“This facsimile edition shares a similar dedication to detail and wonderfully conveys the sense of joy and beauty found in the original.” — Timothy Young

About the Authors

Ingri Mortenson and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire met in Munich in the 1920s while both were studying art. Ingri had grown up in Norway; Edgar, the son of a noted portrait painter, was born in Switzerland and had lived in Paris and Florence. Shortly after their marriage they moved to the United States and began creating the picture books that would establish their reputation for unique craftsmanship.

Their process was as extraordinary as their results. Stone lithography, an old world craft in which both were expert, involved tracing images directly onto large slabs of Bavarian limestone, producing the vivid, lasting color their books became known for. Their research was equally meticulous, taking them to the hills of Virginia for Washington, the wilds of Kentucky and Illinois for Lincoln, and across Europe for Columbus. Fluent in five languages, they worked as a team on both art and text throughout their long careers. Since their deaths in the 1980s, their work has been kept alive by their two sons, Ola and Nils.