Something About the Art of Lewis Barnavelt

Drawing conclusions.

An article by Lisa Morrison at the Caustic Cover Critic caught my eye a few weeks ago. She grew up reading Beverly Cleary’s adventures of Ramona Quimby, and she often returns to them as an adult, the way some Bellairs fans return to New Zebedee or Duston Heights:

I’ve always read Ramona books as a cosy treat as an adult. But the even greater joy is how much my own daughter, now seven, also loves them. Now, as a parent, I also find myself identifying with Ramona’s mum, Mrs Quimby. Beverly Cleary was just as on the mark about how adults act and the universal things they say to children. The Quimby’s money worries, scheduling issues, car breakdowns and job dissatisfaction seem so adult and serious now. But, as a child reader, I hardly noticed them. Every Ramona reader would have their own remembrances and fond feelings. So it is such a joy to see the Ramona books and their illustrations celebrated in Anna Katz’s The Art of Ramona Quimby. And Beverly Cleary, at 104, is still around to see it. Katz takes us through each Ramona book in turn, showcasing the work of the five main illustrators that have drawn this spunky girl over the years. They are Louis Darling, Alan Tiegreen, Joanne Scribner, Tracey Dockray and Jacqueline Rogers. Interestingly, the work of Thelma Lambert, who illustrated my edition of Beezus and Ramona, is not mentioned.

What if there were a book dedicated to the art of Lewis Barnavelt? I chose him since he seems to have been presented the most by different artists over the decades. Above, we see his first three appearances by Edward Gorey, Mercer Mayer, and Richard Egielski. There have been numerous paperback editions and a handful of interior illustrations over the years, from France to Japan and Germany to Great Britain. Documenting Barnavelt’s visuals over the years would be exciting but likely only so to a niche audience such as those reading this now. Sadly, Lewis (or Luis or Kevin, as he’s called in some books) is not a “name” capturing the fancy of many readers.

But Bellairs fans would likely eat it up.