Dahlov Ipcar's
Farmyard Alphabet
$10.95, Board Book
ISBN: 978-1-934031-43-8
Finalist, 2011 Maine Literary Awards
Bronze Medal, Board Book category
2011 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards
ABOUT THE BOOK
For the first time in more than 20 years, legendary Maine artist and author Dahlov Ipcar has a new book. Dahlov Ipcar's Farmyard Alphabet is her first board book, pairing her fresh, original verses with timeless illustrations from eleven of her books, many of which are out of print.
From apples and barns to vegetables and wood stoves, both the unique text and bold, bright artwork celebrate farm life in Ipcar's inimitable style. Strong proud horses, fat happy pigs and playful kittens will charm toddlers, and Ipcar fans will be delighted to see illustrations from The Wild Whirlwind, Bright Barnyard and Black and White, as well as those from eight other books.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dahlov Ipcar was born in Vermont, raised in Greenwich Village, and summered in Maine after her parents (the famed sculptor William Zorach and artist Marguerite Zorach) bought a farm on Georgetown Island in 1923. Thirteen years later, eighteen-year-old Dahlov, an aspiring artist, married Adoph Ipcar. The young couple left New York City in 1937 to live on the Maine farm where they first met.
By the early 1940s, Ipcar had nearly given up thoughts of writing and illustrating books, but was contacted by a New York publisher to illustrate The Little Fisherman, the latest title by Margaret Wise Brown. The struggling young artist jumped at the chance, and this charming title helped launch a four decade run that saw her write and illustrate more than thirty children's books of her own.
Today, Ipcar's intricate, distinctive, and fanciful artwork is known worldwide, with pieces of her work in the collections of numerous renowned museums, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Meanwhile, Ipcar still lives and paints in the 1860s farmhouse that she shared with Adolph for nearly seventy years. She once said she didn't want celebrity or fame; she just "wanted to be recognized." In retrospect, a fairly modest statement for a Maine – and American – treasure.
EXCERPT
“
A is for apples, red on the tree.
B is for barn, where the animals stay.
C is for cat, neat and clean.
D is for dogs, who run and play.
”
Maine Alphabet