Picture Book of the Week: Bedtime for Frahnces

My first featured picture book is the gem Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Garth Williams. Since it has been around since the 1960's, I don't feel the need to describe its plot. I have heaps to share about it in other regards.

The h in Frahnces in this posts's title is not a typo. I first encountered this book read aloud by Glynis Johns, on a long-playing record, which my family checked out from the Lane Public Library in Hamilton, Ohio. If you haven't heard Glynis Johns reading the Frances books, you have missed one of the most charming experiences available in the audiobook world (the recordings are currently available on CD from HarperCollins Audio, titled "The Frances Collection"). Ms. Johns' British accent pronounces the name as Frahnces, and after hearing it that way thousands of times, so do I, my siblings, and their children.

For those reading who may not otherwise know Ms. Johns, I will inform you that she is an actress, possibly most frequently seen in her film role as the mother in Disney's "Mary Poppins". I was delighted decades later to see her as the grandmother in the romantic comedy "While You Were Sleeping".

The illustrations by Garth Williams depict Frances and her parents as badgers, although in the text that identity is not specified. Russell Hoban wrote the story picturing Frances as a little girl, but via Williams' pencil she became otherwise. I very much like the dynamic between the text and illustrations. The story is told sparingly, with no reference to whether the family lives in a house or in a burrow, no mention of paws versus hands, yet on every spread there is more "story" available in the pictures, such as observing Frances' sweet little snout as she reaches up to her mother, or seeing that when Frances and her father brush their teeth, they each have 4 large fangs. The illustrations expand the story, but the text also stands perfectly on its own. Perhaps that is why the audio versions succeeded with my family despite the absence of the books. The experience is like a good radio show, where you never miss having pictures.

I note that in the 1990's, HarperCollins "updated" all the black and white illustrations of the Frabces books by inserting splashes of color in the latest editions. Although it was done subtly, I am surprised they felt it was necessary, and it seems to indicate short-sightedness. I suppose they came to the conclusion that if Garth Williams and Lillian Hoban--who illustrated all the other Frances books besides Bedtime--had full color at their disposal when they made the illustrations, they would have used it; they only kept to pencil because of the limitations of the printing process at the time. My response is that a talented artist does not need to be second-guessed 30 years later. Williams did in fact publish many full-color illustrations, such as his Little Golden Books, and therefore his choice to work in a different style should not be written off as "financial limitations" which we moderns are now free to revise. This is not the only instance I have seen of HarperCollins "revising" classic children's books in various ways (which tangent I will probably pursue in a later post). Suffice it to say that I have given over to shaking my head and muttering, "Remorseless Philistines!".

Hoban uses repetition in his writing, which sets the reader up for wonderful surprises. I love the exchange between Frances and her Father, when her antics have continued past Father's bedtime, and she has succeeded in waking him up. He informs her that the reason the wind is blowing the curtain is because that is the wind's job, and if one does not do one's job, one will be out of a job. However, we learn that if Frances does not do her job, which is to go to sleep, she will not be out of a job--she will be in big trouble.

In conclusion, I invite readers of all ages to pick up this book and savor it--whether for the first time or the umpteenth. Frances has a special place in my heart.