As a kid I was lucky to have a lot of great children's books. My family is full of visual artists and serious readers so books were often the gift of choice for me and my sister. It's hard to name a number one picture book from our eclectic collection, but Arm in Arm by Remy Charlip is pretty close. A few Sundays ago, thumbing through the paper, I saw Charlip's picture and name and was delighted for a split second until I realized I was looking at his obituary.
Charlip was a dancer, performer, choreographer, and most importantly to me, a children's book author/illustrator. If you're familiar with his work in any of these disciplines then you know that play is at the heart of all his creations. To him all art was some form of play and playfulness was something to be taken very seriously. Arm in Arm is filled with puns, jokes, riddles, actual "plays," visual gags, tongue-twisters, and songs. The illustrations, mostly watercolor and ink drawings, are shot through with a tenderness that's sweet and wry at the same time.
My sister and I read this book over and over. We performed all the plays, sometimes complete with costumes and props. We recited all of the tongue-twisters, we copied the pictures, and sang the songs. To this day we have several in-jokes based on stuff from Arm in Arm. For my birthday a few years back she even made me tea towels embroidered with Lady Agatha and Mrs. Haggarty. I have never used them and they are among the things I would grab before running out of my burning house.
I used to study the picture on the back of the book of Charlip dancing with a bunch of kids. I remember thinking, wow, those kids are lucky, I would love to meet that guy. I never did meet him or see him in person but I feel a closeness to him that would be puzzling if it didn't come straight from the trusting heart of the child I once was.
Did you know that every time I am outside playing in the snow, or am inside, cuddly warm out of the snow, I recite these following two pages in my mind? Every. Single. Time. Such is the power of Charlip's words and images on the ever-so-slightly-OCD brain.
There are so many hilarious and wonderful things in Arm in Arm, these excerpts are a small example. It's still in print, as are many of his other books, so if you are inspired go buy it for a kid in your life or even for yourself. I guarantee that you will be charmed and it will earn a plum spot on your bookshelf.
So long, Remy Charlip. Thank you for your books and for the memories that are some of the best parts of my childhood.
All images ©1969,1997 Remy Charlip
This made me cry and I have never read them. Bookstore trip this afternoon. X
Posted by: Emily | September 12, 2012 at 10:58 AM
This made me cry too.
Posted by: Kara | September 12, 2012 at 11:23 AM
Ditto.
Posted by: Suzanne Reynolds | September 12, 2012 at 12:00 PM
tell me this is still in print...fingers crossed...
Posted by: julie | September 12, 2012 at 12:48 PM
This almost made me cry too, 'til I remembered that This is not the End....
Posted by: Shaun Reynolds | September 12, 2012 at 06:26 PM
I'd never heard of him before (as far as I remember), but you done brung him to life. Remind me soon to buy some (can't now, "working").
Posted by: braine | September 13, 2012 at 10:09 AM
Oops. Comment was supposed to be here.
Again: I am so ordering this. Thanks for sharing.
Your Presidentss Daye (my research revealed that this is the correct spelling) post was hilarious, by the way.
Posted by: Janet | September 20, 2012 at 10:17 AM
Thanks for this wonderful tribute.
Posted by: Judith Baumel | September 29, 2012 at 10:13 PM