Tasha Tudor

My maternal grandmother raised 16 children. I think I was about the 80th grandchild (and far from the last). As you can imagine, she didn't have the means or the time to give us many gifts.

 I have two treasures that came from her. One is a hand-quilted dolly blanket she made for me when I was 8 or so and the other is this collection of stories and poems, My Brimful Book, when I was about 6.

This is where my love for the children's book illustrator, Tasha Tudor, began. 

Her beautiful work transported me to a different place and time 

Tasha's drawings depict an ideal childhood. Her enchanting, soft palette watercolors show children's innocence and bring to life an earlier time. Both as a writer and illustrator, Tasha produced over 100 books including two that won Caldecott honors, Mother Goose, 1944 and 1 Is One, 1956.

As a single mother, Tasha raised most of her four children without running water or electricity. She gathered eggs, milked her goats, wove her own linen from homespun flax  and most often went barefoot; living purposefully as if in the1800's. 

She was certainly eccentric but her stories and illustrations have been admired for over 70 years.

Framed illustrations from Mother Goose are available in our shop.