Hey, everybody! Welcome back to Tumnus’ Bookshelf, where we review any and all books written by, about, and inspired by CS Lewis, The Land of Narnia, and The Inklings. For today’s review, we will be looking at Katie Wray Schon’s children’s book Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien.
TITLE: Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien
AUTHOR: Katie Wray Schon
PUBLISHER: Waxwing Books
ISBN-10: 1956393153
ISBN-13: 978-1956393156
SUMMARY:
Discover the story of one of the undisputed heroines of the world of Narnia. From author and illustrator Katie Wray Schon, comes a picture book biography celebrating the life and art of the beloved children’s book illustrator Pauline Baynes, the woman who breathed creative life into the imaginative worlds of CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien through her timeless illustrations.
REVIEW:
While the writers of some of our favorite stories do deserve the proverbial lion’s share of praise for introducing us to these incredible worlds, these enchanting places would have been empty without their incredible illustrations. Whether it was John Tenniel’s peculiar oddities inhabiting Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, William Wallace Denslow’s caricatures capturing the subtle political satire of L. Frank Baums The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, John Leech’s engravings for Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol that captured the strange juxtaposition of Yuletide warmth with Gothic horror, or Arthur Rackham’s master strokes that captured the eerie autumnal atmosphere that occupied Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, these images became as much a part of our collective imaginations as the stories themselves. The same is true for the world of Narnia, and there have been no shortage of great illustrators that have passed through the wardrobe doors to bring new life to Narnia.
Yet the land of Narnia would feel strangely empty without the contributions of one particular artist who is almost as synonymous with the books as Lewis himself: illustrator Pauline Baynes. If Friends of Narnia were to make a list of the people who greatly impacted the creation of Narnia and the life of CS Lewis, undoubtedly Pauline Baynes would make the top of the list. When we think of the land of Narnia, not only do we remember Lewis’ stories, we remember her illustrations. They are such an indelible part of the books, that among the many things that fans approved of with the Walden Media adaptation of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, was the inclusion of animated versions of her illustrations with the end credits to the film, to the point many of us wondered why they didn’t do that from the beginning with The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. In fact, when Harper Collins released Brain Sibley’s seminal book The Land of Narnia back in 1989 prior the 40th anniversary of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and Pauline included previously unreleased art from the Narnia books, including an illustration of Lucy and Tumnus together in Aslan’s Kingdom in The Last Battle, and of both a Lion and a Lamb for Aslan for the chapter looking at the symbolism behind Him, the pictures were so perfect and made such an impact on my imagination I was certain I had seen them in the original Narnian books.
Imagine my delight and wonder when a rare meaningful Facebook recommendation popped up on my feed. This recommendation led me to finding out about Katie Wray Schon’s brand new picture book biography Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien. I smiled with delight as I read the press release. Finally, someone was telling the story of one of the greatest illustrators in 20th century children’s literature, and it is absolutely delightful and enchanting!
I’ll admit like most fans I didn’t know much about her save for her illustrations of Narnia and what I’ve encountered in letters and journals form Tolkien and Lewis about her artistic contribution so their work. However, I more than recognize the importance of her illustrations and treasure each one as I page through my beloved Narnian books. Reading through Schon’s book I discovered that Ms. Baynes story is just as encouraging, heartbreaking and inspiring as that of the illustrious mythmakers, as like them she was sent away to a stuffy boarding school and felt alone and ostracized until she found her talent.
I was most surprised to learn that she served in the war effort during the second World War, having helped paint and design maps for the allied forces, and that she even contributed art work for Bible story books and tales from Greek myth. Further, readers learn that she was even responsible for drawing one of the iconic maps of Middle-earth for Tolkien, and even drew the cover art for the first paperback editions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. A timeline on the cover reveals that her work in artwork for fantasy literature extends well beyond the realms of Narnia and Middle-earth and by the time I finished the book I came away with a better appreciation of her art.
Schon acknowledges that there are discrepancies in the accounts as to how Lewis came to collaborate with her, and to her credit Schon doesn’t bother to editorialize her point of view. It’s not important to Pauline’s story exactly how Lewis came to be acquainted with her, what matters is that her work imbued his stories with life and brought joy and wonder to millions over the years.
Schon’s illustrations are warm, magical and endearing, with just a hint of whimsy, just like the pictures in the Narnia books, and I’ll admit I’ve read Painting Wonder several times already, taking time to carefully appreciate each illustration. She admits that there are no pictures available of Pauline as a child and that she had to guess based on what pictures of her we have. Looking at her depiction of Pauline, I was almost reminded of Mary Lennox in Frances Hodsgon Burnett’s The Secret Garden: a sweet, wide-eyed, innocent, imaginative child, full of wonder, and yearning for home and her family. Instantly I was drawn into her story and wanted to know more. She seems like the kind of girl I would have loved getting to know as a child, and considering her friendships with Tolkien and Lewis, there is no doubt we could have found plenty to talk about.
Pauline Baynes illustrations have enchanted friends of Narnia for generations. Thus, it is fitting that Katie Wray Schon’s Painting Wonder tells the story of the woman who drew Narnia with the same sense of wonder, magic, and enchantment. A perfect book for children of all ages who are seeking inspiration to create their own art, and a delightful story for Friends of Narnia young and old alike.
Five out of Five shields
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