Wanda Hazel Gag was born in New Ulm Minnesota in 1893. She was an illustrator and children s book author. I first became familiar with the Ms Gag when I spotted this book at a garage sale a few years ago. I was struck but the colors and loved the illustrations within as well. I was recently reading this with my son and decided to find out more about Ms Gag and I am glad I did as I didn't even know she hailed from Minnesota.
I think she is quite stylish in her bobbed hair and apparently she was quite the free thinker in the 20s. She was a feminist advocate of free love.
Daughter of Bohemian artists she too started practicing art at a young age and became well know not just for her children's books but also her lithographs. I love the lithograph below, called progress. It is for sale but the price is a bit steep for me. You can check it and others like it out
here
Her most well know book is Millions of Cats which won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1958 and the Newbury Honor Award. I have yet to read this one but I will try to check it out of the library tomorrow.
I hope to post that giveaway by Monday readers so check back and I hope you all a fabulous weekend.
Oh Wanda Gag, at first I couldn't believe this was an actual name but there it is on the cover of a delightfully illustrated book!
ReplyDeleteThe ABC Bunny is very familiar, I wonder if I had it as a child.
Millions of Cats looks like fun, I'll have to check it out for myself!
On a semi-unrelated note, I've stumbled on New Ulm in my travels, what a lovely little German town!
I see now that the Gag home is open for touring, it looks like an interesting house!
Ginger I saw that about her home too and thought I need to visit it soon. I haven't been to New Ulm since I was a kid I think it would be a fun fall drive one of these weekends.
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