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What can one say about the husband and wife team of Ingri (1904 to 1980) and Edgar (1898 to 1986) Parin d’Aulaire? European immigrants, they were married in 1925 and came to the United States soon after. They were both artists and at first pursued separate careers. In 1931, they collaborated on their first children’s book and then never looked back. In their joint career, they have produced many lovely picture books, with colorful illustrations made by wood block engraving and lithography that have a special charm. But their books, made in a picture book large page format, have text that is sophisticated and informative. They have done biographies of many famous Americans, all of which are worth reading. Their book on Abraham Lincoln won the 1940 Caldecott Medal. The d’Aulaires have produced more fanciful books, such as The Terrible Troll Bird, which is wildly funny, as well as several folk tales from Norway. Their two books on Greek and Norse mythology are the best introductions for children that I have seen.
This review is about one of their lesser-known books, The Magic Meadow. This book is their love story for Switzerland – Edgar was born a Swiss citizen. It has lovely views of Swiss mountain scenery and briefly but coherently tells the story of William Tell. The book then goes on to the modern development of Switzerland, especially in the area of tourism. Reading this book made me want to visit that country! The combination of their artwork and whimsical text make even this lesser-known part of their work worth reading. It is hard to say what the reading level is, just like for all their books. Certainly, any of their books can be read to younger children before they learn to read themselves. A good reader in elementary school could read these books for themselves. But even older readers will enjoy this lovely book and all the other books by this very talented husband and wife team.