Roland

PreS-Gr 2—François, a Hungarian-born French artist who contributed New Yorker covers from the 1960s through the 1980s, established an aesthetic that influenced many contemporary children's book artists. It is not surprising, therefore, that his children's books, long out of print, are currently experiencing a mini-resurgence. This title, first published in the United States in 1958, features an eponymous hero very much like Crockett Johnson's Harold, in that both are able to draw objects that become real, although Roland's ability extends to bringing anything to life with a single word. Roland's classroom drawings produce a tiger, a zebra, and a winter landscape severe enough to force the teacher to suspend class, and that is only the start of his antics. In essence, Roland is the naughty child who creates havoc but suffers only mild rebuke, a successor to Beatrix Potter's Peter and precursor to David Shannon's David. Stéphane's zany story, while timeless, is set in a chic pre—World War II Parisian neighborhood that may date the book for adults but will be accepted by children as part of the fantastic adventure. François's expressionist style lends the illustrations, rendered in broad brushstrokes and flat color, a childlike quality.