1938 - Animals of the Bible, A Picture Book

Animals of the Bible, A Picture Book
Courtesy American Library Association

The first book to be awarded the Caldecott Medal was Animals of the Bible, illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop.

It was originally published in 1937 by J.B. Lippincot, now a part of publishing house Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, as a way to make the Bible more appealing to preschoolers. The text that accompanies Lathrop's artwork was selected by Helen Dean Fish, a children's book editor best known for discovering Hugh Lofting's Story of Doctor Doolittle while working for Frederick A. Stokes as a manuscript reader.

According to the Foreword printed in Animals of the Bible, Fish stated that she found it "delightful" that animals "so frequently play a part in the most dramatic and beautiful happenings and are often referred to with appreciation and gentleness" in the Bible.  And in her acceptance speech for the Caldecott Medal, Lathrop said that while it never occurred to her to make a book of animal stories from the Bible, "It was Helen Dean Fish who for several years cherished that plan in secret, and when she chose me to illustrate it, I was very proud."

Who was Dorothy P. Lathrop?

Dorothy Paulis Lathrop was born in Albany, New York on April 16, 1891.  While working as an art teacher in Albany in 1918, she began doing illustrations.  She went on to become one of the most respected and influential illustrators of the '20s and '30s.

In 1929, Lathrop did the illustrations for Rachel Field's book Hitty, Her First Hundred Years, which went on to win the Newbery Medal  for excellence in American children's literature.

Lathrop was also an author and she wrote The Fairy Circus, which was a Newbery Honor book in 1932.

All told, Lathrop illustrated 51 books, quite a few of them fantasy and fairy tales, and she authored 15 of those books.

You can read her acceptance speech for the Caldecott Medal online.  In it, she talks of her fondness for animals and what it is like to study and draw them.

The Illustrations.

Animals of the Bible is split into two sections, Old Testament with 19 stories and New Testament with 12 stories, all from the King James Bible.

In total there are 27 black and white illustrations, 3 of them are full two page spreads while the other 24 are single page drawings.

A particular favorite of mine was the Scapegoat

I love how the picture just exudes happiness, he has a slight smile of contentment on his lips and his feet are splayed in just a way that you know he really is prancing across the rock, as though he was moving, not a still image on a page.

In her acceptance speech, Lathrop stated: "I wish that I had found the scapegoat when I was a child. I know that I would have rejoiced with him that it was his lot to be let go in the wilderness." I believe that truly comes across in this illustration, not only was the scapegoat rejoicing, so was the artist who brought him to life.

I noticed how a lot of her animals appeared very real, while others looked more cartoonish and child-friendly.

Above are four more illustrations from Animals of the Bible.  The dragon is fierce and beautiful; the bear cub looks like he could have walked off the screen of some animated movie; I adore the image of the lion sitting calmly as the child holds his mane; and the playful little baby monkey who looks to be brimming with mischief.

Lathrop's illustrations are delightful and realistic in many ways and she wasn't afraid to add a personalized spin, as she did in her illustration to accompany 'The Family Dogs'

"Perhaps in Animals of the Bible I have taken a liberty in introducing children into the picture of the family dogs. But I felt sure that, though no children were mentioned in the text, where the dogs were, even in those ancient days, there the children would be also, and helping them to more crumbs than those which normally fell from their master's table. For there is a special link in all ages between children and animals, and this is, of course, why there are so many animal stories written for them." - Dorothy Lathrop's Caldecott acceptance speech.

While reading this book, I found myself stopping to truly study the illustrations.  Lathrop was very talented and had the ability to show the animals in movement in such a way that you swore you could see them moving.  She drew the adults in the book with stoic, but expressive facades. A particular favorite of mine is her Noah from the story 'The Dove Who Served Noah'.

I have to wonder if this book had been published today, or even in the past twenty years, if it would have even been considered for the Caldecott.  That is not a put down of Dorothy Lathrop and her work, but more a view of our modern society.  Religion is a hot button issue, regardless of how or what you worship, it seems to be something people are afraid to openly discuss for fear of being labeled a 'Bible-thumper', an 'extremist', or 'intolerant'.

In 1947, Sing in Praise: A Collection of the Best Loved Hymns , illustrated by Marjorie Torrey; text selected by Opal Wheeler was a Caldecott Honor book; in 1978 Noah's Ark by Peter Spier won the Caldecott; and in 2003 Noah's Ark by Jerry Pinkney was a Caldecott Honor book.  I haven't taken the time to count how many award and honor books there have been, but only 4 books of Christian themes is a drop in the bucket.

There is also the issue of nudity.  Yup, there is nudity in Animals of the Bible. For the story 'The Serpent and Eve', the illustration shows Eve topless. It is a beautiful illustration and we all know Adam and Eve were naked in the Garden of Eden, but with book challenging and book banning running rampant in our schools and libraries, would a topless Eve in a collection of Biblical stories be something that would upset people into challenging the title?  Or would people be open-minded enough to see it for the art that it is?
We all know there are a couple of people out there who would be upset and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if we don't find a few defaced copies in libraries around the country where someone tried to 
"clothe" Eve.

If you're interested in learning more or purchasing your own copy of Animals of the Bible or Hitty, Her First Hundred Years, please click the links below.

1938's Caldecott Honor Books

Four and Twenty Blackbirds, illustrated by Robert Lawson; text: compiled by Helen Dean Fish 
Seven Simeons: A Russian Tale, retold and illustrated by Boris Artzybasheff