Maxfield Parrish: A Treasury of Art and Children's Literature

Although tastefully executed, this homage to the great illustrator Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966) seems more resurrection than rediscovery. An art dealer and Parrish collector, Gilbert chooses about 35 works produced between 1897 and 1923, from the beginning of Parrish's career until its height. Illustrations for tales from the Arabian Nights, fairy tales, verses by Eugene Field, Mother Goose rhymes and myths allow for plentiful exposure to Parrish's unique style. Nevertheless, the grainy quality of the reproductions interferes with a full appreciation of the art. The text doesn't seem chosen with children in mind, either. A number of Field's poems, for example, are for Edwardian tastes only. Gilbert herself retells the stories, condensing them from the expansive versions of Charles Perrault, Nathaniel Hawthorne et al. so that they don't occupy more than one or two pages. Unfortunately, her renditions are pedestrian and feel rushed, completely unreflective of Parrish's enigmatic eroticism. An afterword, pointing out such hallmarks of Parrish's style as the artist's ``use of heroic drapery billowing magnificently around his figure,'' simply preaches to the converted. Ages 8-up. (Oct.)