MAGIC mirror
Anonymous Donor’s Legacy
Come Paint with Us!
Largest LGBTQ+ Collection
in the Nation Grows
A Librarian’s Bequest,
A Tribute to Lydia Kuhn
Tea Time with Alice for
ANCA Life Members
A Warlord’s Treasure,
a gift from Virginia Walton Pilegard
DISCO Fundraiser:
Studio 54 Meets Fulton 55
The Arne Nixon Center is a unit within the Special
Collections division of the Henry Madden Library
Eric
Gansworth
2019 Artist in Residence
T H E
Newsletter of the Arne Nixon Center
#33
Arne Nixon Center for the
Study of Children’s Literature
The Arne Nixon Center is one of the West Coast’s largest and most significant research
centers for the study of children’s literature. With an emphasis on diversity, the Center’s
collection includes more than 70,000 books, original artwork, letters, photographs,
newspaper clippings, ceramics and other ephemera, including:
■■ The largest English language LGBTQ+ collection of books for young people
in the world
■■ A World Languages collection of books in over 50 languages.
■■ Over 2,100 Spanish-language children’s books.
■■ Over 2,100 editions by, about and inspired by the works of Lewis Carroll.
■■ The Helen Monette Amestory collection of 6,000 books on cats.
■■ Archives for Leo Politi, Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy, Margarita Engle,
Michael Cart, Steven Mooser, Robert San Souci and more…
The Center promotes scholarly research and student success through our collections,
services, programs, exhibitions and conferences. We cultivate collaboration and
partnerships with professors and organizations on campus and in the community to
create an awareness of the relevancy of children’s literature and the Center’s resources.
www.arnenixoncenter.org
ArneNixonCenter
The Magic Mirror is published by
the Arne Nixon Center for the Study
of Children’s Literature
Curator
Jennifer Crow
Email: jcrow@csufresno.edu
Library Services Specialist
Jami Helwig
ANCA Board of Directors
President
Arturo Mendoza
Vice President
Randy Morris
Treasurer
Jessica Galvan
Recording Secretary
Jennifer Crow
Directors
Kristin Baer, Nicole Settle,
James Tyner, Pedro Urena, Ellis Vance
ANC Advisory Committee
Alma Flor Ada, Steven Mooser
ANC Governing Committee
Del Hornbuckle, Michael Cart,
Leonard Marcus
Public Affairs Communications Specialist
Jessica Piffero
Editor
Jennifer Crow
Graphic Designer
Randy Zamorski
Photos by
David Celeya, Jennifer Crow, Rafael López
Arne Nixon Center for the
Study of Children’s Literature
Henry Madden Library
California State University, Fresno
5200 N. Barton Ave. M/S ML34
Fresno, CA 93740-8014
559.278.8116
“ It is the function of
some people to be a lamp
and some to be a mirror.
I have been very pleased
to function as a mirror of
others’ work. ” Arne Nixon
Cover illustration from The Simple Jaggajay written and illustrated by Harold Gaze
Eric Gansworth
Gives Us Some Truth
The Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children’s Literature is thrilled to announce its newest artist in
residence for Spring 2019, Eric Gansworth.
Eric Gansworth, Sˑha-weñ na-saeˀ, is an enrolled Onondaga writer and visual artist, raised at the
Tuscarora Nation. He is a Professor and Lowery Writer-in-Residence at Canisius College. In 2016,
he was NEH Distinguished Visiting Professor at Colgate University. He was one of 15 writers chosen
for LIT CITY, a public arts project celebrating Buffalo’s Literary Legacy, and is a 2018 NYFA Artist
Fellowship recipient in Fiction. His visual art is in numerous private collections and some has been
selected for long-term loan to the Iroquois Indian Museum in Howe’s Cave, NY.
His books include If I Ever Get Out of Here (YALSA Best
Fiction for Young Adults, Junior Library Guild Selection),
Extra Indians (American Book Award), Mending Skins
(PEN Oakland Award), and A Half-Life of Cardio-
Pulmonary Function (NBCC Good Reads List). His most
recent book, Give Me Some Truth, was selected for Best
Books 2018 lists for NPR, Chicago Public Library, and
School Library Journal.
During his stay, Gansworth will be embedded in Fresno State English, American Indian studies, and
Education courses. He will also address high school students at SOUL (School of Unlimited Learning)
and give a community presentation.
The Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children’s Literature Artist in Residence Fellowship brings
highly acclaimed authors and illustrators to Fresno State to engage with students in subject related
courses. The week-long program connects students with professional artists in the field to provide
a more personal level of learning engagement and to promote the relevancy of literature for young
people. Interacting with the wider community, the chosen artist also delivers presentations to public
school students and community based organizations.
Award recipients of the fellowship receive a $10,000 stipend plus paid travel expenses during the
week’s stay in Fresno, California. The Arne Nixon Center Artist in Residence Fellowship award was
made possible by the generosity of an anonymous donor. The awarding committee consists of
professors from the Fresno State English department; Early, Literacy, Bilingual and Special Education
(LEBSE) department; Chicano and Latin American studies department; women’s studies program and
the Arne Nixon Center’s curator, Jennifer Crow.
Eric Gansworth
on campus
March 18-22
Free catered welcoming reception
and talk Monday, March 18 from
2:00 to 3:00 p.m. in the University
Dining Hall. All are welcome!
The Arne Nixon Center Advocates Board
announces its yearly Life Member Tea on
Wednesday, February 13, from 4-6 p.m. in the
Smittcamp House Library. This year the tea will
celebrate ANCA Life members with an Alice in
Wonderland Valentine's Day themed party. Life
members will dine on the tastiest of morsels
and sip tea from the daintiest of china in the
company of the White Rabbit, Red Queen and
Mad Hatter. Alice, of course, will be along
shortly, once she can adjust her size.
It's not too late to become an ANCA Life
Member. Life Members are those who have
given gifts to the Center of $1,000 within the
period of a year.
If you are interested in adding your name to the
list of 65+ ANCA Life Members, please call the
Center at 559.278.8116 or send e-mail to
jhelwig@csufresno.edu
All in the Golden Afternoon ~ Tea Time with Alice for ANCA Life Members
1
Arne Nixon’s original collection of 22,000 books were mostly published between the 1940’s and late 1990’s. The Center has acquired thousands of books since its opening in 2001. Many new books come directly from the publishers but other older editions are often personal gifts from our generous donors. One donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, has given funds to the Center for the last 10 years to purchase rare and antiquarian books of significance to add to the Center’s collection. With our gratitude to this donor, we share with you now a few of these fascinating volumes.
Ho for Elfland! by Alice Kingsbury. The book, published in 1877, was first released as a serial the prior year in the San Francisco Chronicle. It is considered the first California press children’s title.
Old English Cries, with Attractions to the Notice of Children, in a Set of Pictures. Characteristics of the Various Modes Adopted by Itinerant Traders to Obtain an Honest Livelihood. Chemsford: Printed and sold by I. Marsden. Price: Two-pence. Circa. 1800. This chapbook depicts the street sellers and their cries to passersby as they sell their goods. From one of the pages, “Saucy Suke Mutter, Quickly walking on cries, Fine Fresh Butter!”
The Simple Jaggajay by Harold Gaze. Melbourne, Aukland, Christchurch, Dunedin and Wellington and London: Whitcombe & Tombs Limited, 1919. The text is in verse and features an alligator, an elf named Mite Merry and a strange animal called a Jaggajay (a cousin of the Billibonga Bird). There are three books in the Mite Merry series. Gaze was born in New Zealand and except for a short stint at art school in London, was largely self-taught. He eventually moved to Pasadena where he did some work for Disney Studio. Although he didn’t illustrate a large number of books, his work is distinctive and quite wonderful. Robert Holden in A Golden Age notes that “by Australian standards these titles (Mite Merry) were milestones in the history of children’s book production. Their large quarto format and pleasing typography and layout were indicative of the publisher’s understandable enthusiasm and belief that a major new talent had arrived.”
Contes de Lisba was translated from Russian to French by Mme. Isserlis and M.elle Auroy. The first edition book, published in 1931, contains Russian fairy tales that were illustrated by Ivan Bilibin while he lived in Paris. Bilibin was a Russian illustrator, set designer and a co-founder of the Union of Russian Painter. His distinctive style was inspired by Slavic folklore. The illustrations for Contes de Lisba were original to this book and not reprinted from the Russian version. All pages have beautiful decorative borders.
The New Mother Goose with Cut-out Illustrations by Howard Randolph. Traditional Mother Goose rhymes are presented in both rhyme and prose in this 1907 rare Mother Goose book. Printed on heavy quality paper, there are eight color plates (one for each rhyme) that feature cut-out figures that allow the child to create three-dimensional figures to play with. Illustrated by Elisabeth Bliss, this book was completely unused.
An Anonymous Donor’s Legacy
2The Center honored ANCA life member, Lydia Jean Kuhn
this past December with a display in its reading room of
books and artifacts from her Beatrix Potter donations.
Kuhn, a long-time friend, librarian and avid fan of the
Center passed away on June 29, 2018, leaving the
Center a generous bequest. She had been donating
pieces from her Beatrix Potter collection for the last
several years. Many prized collectible books about
the English author of Peter Rabbit and friends were
included in the gifts as were numerous glass figurines,
plush characters, porcelain tea sets, and British issued
silver coins.
Kuhn worked for the Fresno County Library for 33 years before her
retirement in 2003. Although she was in charge of Adult Services, she organized
several library fundraisers for children and families featuring her favorite
storybook characters, Peter Rabbit, Winnie the Pooh, Mother Goose and the Cat
in the Hat. Always engaged in the reading community, she was past president of
the Fresno Branch of AAUW, the Forum, and Friday Club, program
vice president of San Joaquin Valley Town Hall, and secretary
of the William Saroyan Society. Kuhn was also an expert and
collected memorabilia on subjects of the British Royals, the
Titanic, Día de los Muertos, and Frida Kahlo.
A bitter-sweet surprise for the Center was, upon her
death, Kuhn gifted not only her remaining Beatrix Potter
and Winnie the Pooh collections but most of her worldly
assets. Included in the bequest was a fully signed T-shirt
from her favorite book-touring band, the Rock Bottom
Remainders. The band consisted of the published authors,
Stephen King, Dave Berry, Amy Tan, Matt Groening, Scot Turow
and other authors Kuhn enjoyed both reading and rocking out to.
Kuhn’s life will always be remembered through her many accomplishments,
her Beatrix Potter and Winnie the Pooh collections and her kind-hearted gift
to the Center.
A Librarian’s Bequest,
A Tribute to Lydia Kuhn
by Mariah Santos, Nixon Center Intern
The Center is guided by Arne’s value of inclusion
in children’s literature. He believed that stories and
illustrations should reflect the audience of young
people reading or listening to them or as Rudine
Sims Bishop put it, books should be the “windows”
into the lives of those who we see as different and
the “mirrors” that allow us to see ourselves. One
way our staff has consciously encouraged this is by
looking at the groups that are underrepresented in
children’s literature and intentionally adding books
by and about these populations to the collection.
Fortunately, for one of these groups, the LGBTQ+
community, visibility in the publishing world has
increased over the past decade and even more so in
the past few years.
The Center's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender,
Queer/Questioning+ collection of children’s picture
books and young adult literature is the largest of
its kind in the nation and is currently experiencing
a growth spurt. In 2018, we ordered over one
hundred unique titles, including graphic novels,
picture books, YA novels, some non-fiction and
manga books. Additionally, Michael Cart, a longtime
benefactor and friend, gifted the Center a substantial
amount of his collection of LGBTQ+ young adult
(YA) novels. Many of the items, especially earlier
publications, are new to the collection, filling in some
of the blanks missing from the canon. Cart, who is
an author, book reviewer, and retired librarian, has
devoted decades of work to the study of LGBTQ+ YA
literature and many of the copies have his original
notes. The over 400 books, which are currently
being processed, will make a valuable addition
to the collection where they will be accessible to
our patrons.
The number of unique titles in the collection is
somewhere around 1000 but the exact number will
not be known until the collection is updated and
inventoried. Because the books were being used
frequently by patrons, when the number reached
nearly 500, they were physically moved to their
own section for ease of accessibility. Due to the new
acquisition, the books now wrap around to the back
side of the shelves. Another way in which the staff
increased accessibility was by creating an annotated
bibliography of the titles that the Center carries. This
list is revised as books are added. The bibliography
is open access through the Arne Nixon Center
website and is currently being refreshed to reflect
every book the Center owns and coded to increase
user-friendliness. We look forward to the growth and
the response from our patrons, a community that
has increasingly shown interest and support for
the collection.
Largest LGBTQ+ Collection in the Nation Grows
3
Come Paint with Us!
Community Mural Project with Rafael López ~ May 6-11
We know that art has transformative power. It can express ideas and feeling in ways that other communication cannot. But art is often denied those without the funds to visit the establishments where it is housed. Public displays, and murals in particular, bring art out of the realm of the galleries and museums and into the light of the everyday viewer. A community mural takes this idea one step further by transforming that everyday viewer into the active participant—the artist.
Internationally known and award-winning children's illustrator and muralist, Rafael López will work with the Arne Nixon Center volunteers and community members to design and create a community mural to be constructed in Fresno the week of May 6 - 11. López has created mural designs for cities across the United States. Beautiful examples can be found in San Diego, Chicago, Fort Collins and more recently in Pittsburg, CA. Fresno’s community mural will be located at the corner of Cedar and Tulare and has the complete support of the building's owner.
The desired outcome of this project is to unite diverse groups of people from the immediate neighborhood and wider community to create a beautiful work of public art. The hope is also to create a sense of pride and accomplishment in the hearts of those who have worked together to undertake this achievable goal. They will have played an integral part in creating an astounding mural that fosters collaboration and represents the breadth of our human spirit.
We are excited to work with neighborhood elementary schools to also serve as a bridge to literacy. We will work with teachers to bring a curriculum designed around the book, Maybe Something Beautiful by Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howard and illustrated by Rafael López. The book is a fictionalized account of how one little girl brings color and beauty to her own neighborhood through the help of a muralist. They engage the whole community in creating something beautiful to benefit everyone.
The Center along with its sponsoring parties will hold a culminating dedication party with food, drink, music and celebration!
The addition of community-participatory art will uplift both the physical neighborhood and the spirits of the people in it. This action also provides a platform from which to promote children's literature through the hands-on work of a highly respected and prolific children's illustrator.
Be sure to don your overalls and come paint with us!
4The Arne Nixon Center gratefully
acknowledges our new and renewing
Arne Nixon Center Advocates. Their
gifts were received September 20,
2018 to the present.
New Members
Mariah Santos
Emiko Taketomo
Kerry Watkins
Frans Vischer
Lydia Lucas
Judythe Brown
Renewing Members and
Secret Garden Party Sponsors
Roberta Young and John Barta
Donna Bessant*
Cheryl Caldera
Janet Claassen
Martha Connor
Sharon Darnell
Mary Degroot
Anne Reuland and Michael Gorman
Cherrill Gragg
Susanne Haffner
Susan and Doug Hansen
Pat and John Hardebeck
Eileen & William Hennrikus
Pat Hillman*
Ginny Kamimoto
In memory of Geri Tahajian
Olivia King
Valerie and Waymon Kissler
Shirley Kovacs
Christina Lee
Patricia Libby
Susan Loucks
Janet Nichols Lynch
Anita & Randy Morris
Claire Noland
Kathleen and Patrick Ogle
Alexis O'Neill Boeshaar
Annette Paxton
Kathie Reid-Bevington
Mary Ann Gamegan-Richardson
& Eugene Richardson
Sandy Schuckett
Lisa and James Scroggin
Nicole Settle
Karen Thomas
Louise Wirt
* Life Members
A Warlord’s Treasure
A gift from Virginia Walton Pilegard
The Center wishes to thank author, Virginia Walton Pilegard
for the donation of her author papers. Pilegard is the creator
of the seven book Warlord series as well as other picture
books. The Warlord series, set in ancient China,
depicted different STEM concepts and was one of the
first to encourage children to explore mathematical
and engineering properties through the picture
book genre.
Pilegard’s papers include research findings,
hand written notes, manuscripts, an early sketch
and correspondence with the illustrator, Nicolas
Debon. Papers for The Emperor’s Army, a picture
book history of the terra-cotta warriors and for
Grandfather Ratoncito Perez and the Apprentice
Tooth Fairy are also included in the archive. The
papers will be preserved for housing and a guide to
help researchers find items will be created.
Pilegard holds a B.A. in education and an M.A. in
education with an elementary mathematics emphasis.
She began writing for children while teaching math to third
and fourth graders. The manuscript for her first children's
book, The Warlord's Puzzle, won first place in a National
Writers Association competition, in the children's literature
category. It debuted number two on the Booksense 76
list. Along with The Warlord's Beads, also a Booksense
76 selection, it is listed by the California State Department
of Education as recommended mathematics reading for
second grade.
Pilegard, who lives with her husband in a log cabin in
the foothills below Yosemite, said, “I once heard that a
writer’s childhood is her bank account. Mine was filled with
unspeakable riches—a mountain cattle ranch, an old,
two-room miner’s cabin with neither electricity nor indoor
plumbing, and parents and a brother blessed with optimism
and an enthusiasm for life. Each time my unlikely young
hero solves a problem in his life and wins the respect of
those around him, it’s not difficult to see where that theme
might have originated.”
The Center is grateful to Virginia for encouraging
children’s innovation through the craft of storytelling and
for donating the evidence of her process in creating such
inspiring stories.
Doors open for VIPS at 7:00 p.m.
General admission at 9:00 p.m.
$20 for general admission
$50 VIP ticket includes, early
entrance, champagne toast limo
ride down Fulton Street with
photo op, disco dance lesson,
access to second floor VIP
lounge, photos of VIPs will be
projected throughout the night
in iconic Warhol-style, Live in
the Limelight.
Purchase tickets online
at Eventbrite:
ancdisco.eventbrite.com
or at these locations:
Bebe O's Vintage Boutique
1130 N Wishon Avenue, Fresno
Tower District Records
1930 N Echo Avenue, Fresno
This is a 21+ event only.
No refunds on tickets purchased.
Past Meets Present:
A Community Mural
Project Disco Fundraiser
Saturday, February 23, 2019
Fulton 55 | 875 Divisadero Street, Fresno CA
Featuring DJ Mr. Leonard
Arne Nixon Center
for the Study of Children’s Literature
Henry Madden Library
California State University, Fresno
5200 N. Barton Ave. M/S ML34
Fresno, CA 93740-8014
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
