Baby boomers' books featured in Elgin
Steven Brezzo has set up plenty of exhibits about wildly popular topics — from “Star Wars” to “The Muppets” and “Dr. Seuss” — but says none elicits the same emotions as the one opening Friday in Elgin.
“This is the most difficult exhibit to install,” Brezzo said about “Tattered Covers and All-Night Reads: The Great Children's Books Our Parents Loved,” “because you're constantly interrupted by seniors who come up and say, 'Oh my God.' Everyone has a story (about the books).”
The exhibit features juvenile literature mostly from the 1940s to the 1960s and some from the 1930s — from “Nancy Drew” to “The Lone Ranger,” “Curious George,” “The Bobbsey Twins,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Eloise,” “Winnie the Pooh,” the “Little Golden Books” and more. It runs through Jan. 31 at Gail Borden Public Library.
Visitors can look at original books along with illustrations, book plates, memorabilia, original radio broadcasts like “Tom Swift and Beatrix Potter,” and vintage clips from “Davy Crockett” and “Fran and Ollie.”
The post-World War II period was a seminal time in the development of juvenile literature — and baby boomers' love for libraries — because publishers focused on the largely untapped children's market, Brezzo said.
A pioneer was Edward Stratemeyer, who as early as 1904 created “The Bobbsey Twins,” followed over the decades by “Tom Swift,” “The Hardy Boys” and “Nancy Drew,” among others, featuring ghost writers through the Stratemeyer Syndicate. “He was the Walt Disney, the George Lucas and the Steve Jobs of juvenile literature,” Brezzo said.
The exhibit also showcases interesting factoids. For example, the 1942 book “The Poky Little Puppy” by Janette Sebring Lowrey was the best-selling hardcover children's book in the 20th century with about 15 million copies.
This is the second exhibit that Brezzo, whose company is Opar, Inc., has curated in Elgin, after bringing “Maurice Sendak — 50 Years, 50 Works, 50 Reasons” in September 2014.
“We were especially pleased to bring an exhibit about these books that evoke such sentiment in people,” library spokeswoman Denise Raleigh said, adding the library will focus on spreading the word to seniors.
“We are anticipating that there will be many multigenerational conversations between people as they share precious memories about how these iconic works shaped their lives and created a love for lifelong reading.”
Typical of its time, the juvenile literature in the exhibit features no diversity, but books starring animals, such as “Lassie,” can have universal appeal, Brezzo said.
The books so loved by baby boomers aren't too different from modern juvenile best-sellers, Brezzo pointed out. “There is a straight line between 'Tom Swift' and 'Star Wars,' a straight line between 'Nancy Drew' and 'Harry Potter' and 'The Hunger Games,'” he said. “There is a formula to attract young readers. It has to be engaging content, it has to be exciting, and it has to have identifiable characters. It basically has to take you away — like all good books do.”
A related program, “Favorite Golden Books from long ago” will take place at 9:30 a.m. Jan. 14 at the Rakow branch, 2751 W. Bowes Road, Elgin.