It’s always fun to stumble upon a new-to-me book by a beloved
author, especially when that writer is deceased. Such was the case for
me with One Was Johnny, a counting book written by Maurice Sendak
in 1962. At half a century old, the book is fairly simplistic and
doesn’t quite reflect the inventive brilliance of which Sendak was
capable, but the illustration style is recognizably his, as is his
fondness for mayhem.
The book is small, about seven inches tall and five inches wide, and contains 42 pages of story, though only about half of those pages contain text. The rarely-broken pattern finds a picture covering two pages, with two lines of text on the right page. The first page rhymes with the second, and so on. Additionally, nearly every page with text begins with a number – first 1 through 10, then 9 through 1. The number 10 is a bit of a cheat, since every other number correlates to how many living beings are in the room. However, it makes an effective mid-point to the story.
Sendak seems to have been having fun with this book, despite the ornery attitude of the main character, a solitary boy named Johnny. All of the animals in this book are up to some sort of mischief, so things have gotten pretty wild by the time Johnny decides he needs to put a stop to it. Sendak also comes up with some rather inventive rhymes such as “Havana” and “banana.”
As is typical of books from this time period, One Was Johnny includes some color, but it still has a fairly drab look to it. Mostly, he uses shades of blue and yellow to augment the black and white drawings. One might think all the blue in Johnny’s house could be indicative of a sad spirit, but watching his facial expressions change from page to page, it’s quite evident that he is perfectly happy with his life as it is and the only thing that brings him misery is too much company.
I suppose one could say, then, that the tone of the tale is a bit anti-social, but any introvert can appreciate this young man’s need for alone time. As a man who spent much of his life writing and drawing in some degree of seclusion, I imagine that Sendak would have been annoyed by such a barrage of uninvited guests too. It’s probably worth noting that when the book begins, Johnny is reading, truly an endeavor worthy of a little space.
There are other counting books that I prefer to this, but if you’re looking for something simple yet entertaining, this quick romp through a little room filled with a boy and eight interlopers is an enjoyable option.
The book is small, about seven inches tall and five inches wide, and contains 42 pages of story, though only about half of those pages contain text. The rarely-broken pattern finds a picture covering two pages, with two lines of text on the right page. The first page rhymes with the second, and so on. Additionally, nearly every page with text begins with a number – first 1 through 10, then 9 through 1. The number 10 is a bit of a cheat, since every other number correlates to how many living beings are in the room. However, it makes an effective mid-point to the story.
Sendak seems to have been having fun with this book, despite the ornery attitude of the main character, a solitary boy named Johnny. All of the animals in this book are up to some sort of mischief, so things have gotten pretty wild by the time Johnny decides he needs to put a stop to it. Sendak also comes up with some rather inventive rhymes such as “Havana” and “banana.”
As is typical of books from this time period, One Was Johnny includes some color, but it still has a fairly drab look to it. Mostly, he uses shades of blue and yellow to augment the black and white drawings. One might think all the blue in Johnny’s house could be indicative of a sad spirit, but watching his facial expressions change from page to page, it’s quite evident that he is perfectly happy with his life as it is and the only thing that brings him misery is too much company.
I suppose one could say, then, that the tone of the tale is a bit anti-social, but any introvert can appreciate this young man’s need for alone time. As a man who spent much of his life writing and drawing in some degree of seclusion, I imagine that Sendak would have been annoyed by such a barrage of uninvited guests too. It’s probably worth noting that when the book begins, Johnny is reading, truly an endeavor worthy of a little space.
There are other counting books that I prefer to this, but if you’re looking for something simple yet entertaining, this quick romp through a little room filled with a boy and eight interlopers is an enjoyable option.
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