The TOON Treasury of Classic Children's Comics [Hardcover]

Art Spiegelman (Editor), Francoise Mouly (Editor), Jon Scieszka (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2009

The TOON Treasury of Classic Children's Comics is an unprecedented collection of the greatest comics for children, artfully compiled by two of the best-known creators in publishing and the field of comics--Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly.

This treasury created for young readers focuses on comic books, not strips, and contains humorous stories that range from a single-page to eight or even twenty-two pages, each complete and self-contained. The comics have been culled from the Golden Age of comic books, roughly the 1940s through the early 1960s, and feature the best examples of works by such renowned artists and writers as Carl Barks, John Stanley, Sheldon Mayer, Walt Kelly, Basil Wolverton, and George Carlson, among many, many others.

Organizing the book into five categories (Hey, Kids!; Funny Animals; Fantasyland; Story Time!; and Wacky & Weird), Spiegelman and Mouly use their expertise in the area of comics to frame each category with an introductory essay, and provide brief biographies of the artists. The TOON Treasury of Classic Children's Comics is essential reading for kids of all ages.

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F&P level: T

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Spiegelman and Mouly reinvented comics as pop art in their classic anthology RAW. This time out, they're reclaiming comics as a medium of far gentler thrills in a bountiful collection of story gems from a more whimsical era of graphic storytelling. Cartoonists little known to nonscholars are standouts: Sheldon Mayer's Sugar and Spike—toddler pals who speak their own language, much to the consternation of grownups—are a delight with their sweet hijinks. Andre LeBlanc's oddball Intellectual Amos marries lush artwork to a bald boy who mysteriously soliloquizes about science to his silent imp companion. Dick Briefer's Frankenstein is a gentle freak who longs to play the tuba. But the genius triumvirate of John Stanley, Carl Barks and Walt Kelly dominates—the first two with their wry fables of greed, revenge and childhood hubris. Kelly is simply one of the most endearing cartoonists of all time—every line he draws or character he creates exudes charm. Adults and comics fans will pore over this revelatory treasury for the stunning art; kids will simply pore over it, immersed in worlds of fantasy that are worth visiting again and again. (Sept.)
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About the Author

Art Spiegelman is an American comics writer, artist, and editor. He is the creator of Wacky Packages and Garbage Pail Kids for Topps, and is best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel memoir, Maus. Francoise Mouly is an artist and designer. Together with Art Spiegelman she edited the groundbreaking comics anthology Raw from 1980 to 1991. She is the art editor for the New Yorker, and publisher of TOON Books. Jon Scieszka is the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. He is the author of The Stinky Cheese Man, which won a Caldecott Honor medal, and the founder of Guys Read (guysread.com), a nonprofit literacy organization.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Abrams ComicArts; 1st edition (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810957302
• ISBN-13: 978-0810957305
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 1.4 x 11.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #492,827 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars WONDERFUL STORIES AND ART - FOR ANY CHILD August 26, 2009

By Jerry Edwards

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I took a chance on this book because I enjoyed the better children's comic book stories from the 1940s and 1950s that I had seen over the years. I also trusted the editor Art Spiegelman to edit a quality book.

I'm glad I bought this book - because it is a wonderful, high quality book with excellent story and art content. At about 11 1/2 inches by 9 1/2 inches and over 350 pages, it's a great value at the $40 suggested retail price. At Amazon's discounted price, it's a super bargain!

The stories are mainly 1940s through the 1950s, with one story as early as 1939 and another as late as 1965. I like the five different chapters containing the different type of children's stories - stories about kids, funny animals, fantasy, storytime, and weird & wacky.

There were several stories that I recognized that are among my favorites - such as a Fox and the Crow story titled "The Great Chiseler" from 1951, Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge stories, and the comic book story of the UPA cartoon "Gerald McBoing Boing", which translates well to paper.

I also enjoyed discovering many stories I had never read before - which was fun for me because I had read many such stories over the years.

The large pages and full color will make this book a treat for any child - no matter what age you are. I am 60 years old but I would have loved this book back in my early childhood and all the years in between.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Vintage "Comic" Comics October 15, 2009

By Ganapathy Subramaniam VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is an awesome collecton of some of the nicest comics that one would have read and relished as a little kid.

First of all the book is very well put together physically.

* The size simply stuns you!... humongous book
* Stacked with page after...page after..page of full color comics
* Printed in an amazingly thick matt (non-glossy, non-shiny) paper
* Brings out the vividness of the pen/brush art and the true colors
* The soft off-white page color makes them as they appeared in the originals
* The binding is perfect, nice to grab and handle.
* There is enough margin space, and the author/story name is printed along

Other publishers should take a note from this book. The glossy/shiny papers that we have suddenly become fixated with, ruins the art.

This lovely collection includes comics from the 40/50s of
* Unca Scrooge
* Donald Duck
* Dennis the menace
* Little Archie
* Little Lulu
* Pogo
* Fox and Crow
* Captain Marvel

to name a few.

Each character is present in one,two or three stories max, and hence makes a nice mix of all the nice stories.

There are 67 stories in total grouped into five categories,
* Hey, Kids
* Funny Animals
* Fantasyland
* Story Time
* Wacky & Weird

This is a must for the oldtimers who want to get back in time to catch up on some of their best times, and this is awesome for newcomer kids(as well as adults ofcourse) to get introduced to some of the nice stories and comics of a simple, innocent and happy era.

Kudos to the editors and the publisher. we want to see more of these.

You can't go wrong with this one, that too with the steep discounted price!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It's clear that this book has mass appeal November 17, 2009

By GraphicNovelReporter.com TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

This redoubtable collection is a celebration of everything that makes comics worth celebrating: the sheer joy and innocence of discovering what happens when you mix lively art with more than a dab of color and throw it together sequentially to tell an exciting narrative. That the book is edited by two of the true luminaries of the field speaks to the quality of the work contained within.

Neither needs an introduction, but it would be a disservice to not mention that Art Spiegelman is the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of Maus and his wife, Françoise Mouly, is the art editor of The New Yorker. Together, they run Toon Books, which has the delightful mission of creating comics that are suited and age-appropriate for kids.

The expansive treasury covers a wide gamut of the Golden Age of comics publishing and represents just about every genre conceivable within that time. There are superheroes, funny animals, pure fantasy, swashbuckling adventure, and some very familiar faces (Sugar and Spike, Dennis the Menace, Little Lulu, Uncle Scrooge, among others). The stories in the book are grouped into five sections ("Hey, Kids!," "Funny Animals," "Fantasyland," "Storytime," and "Weird and Wacky"), so it's easy to go right to the type of tale you're in the mood for.

Some kids might skip past the insightful introduction by author Jon Scieszka and the much longer foreword from the two editors, but adults will enjoy the commentary. The foreword in particular is a veritable treasure trove of information about the history of what's contained in the rest of the book, as well as charming explanations from the editors about why they included what they did and why they left other things out.

At $40, this is a pricy kids' book, of course, and is perhaps more of an adult one. Wherever it ends up in the library or home, it's clear that it has mass appeal. There was a time when comics weren't so edgy or controversial but instead just had a distinct charm that kids could easily relate to. Kids nowadays will still feel it, and no doubt adults will want to relive it as well.

-- John Hogan