Dear Everyone ~
I’ve recently delivered (a delightful garden-drop visit) Bradford Matson’s second storybook for his grandson Charlie, who will turn two in July. Bradford’s first book for Charlie, It’s Cold, was a Christmas gift last December. You may have read my blog post about it at the time. You can see and read about Bradford’s and my collaboration at the top of the Project Gallery in Storybook: by Bradford for grandson Charlie.
In March, at the beginning of the shelter season, Bradford called to say he had finished his second storybook for Charlie. He added that it seemed a good time to do what he could to help support the businesses he values. I was so grateful, and also thrilled to have his second book to work on!
Bradford arranged a contactless drop-off of the pages, I assembled some bookcloth swatches that I thought would complement his wonderful watercolours, and we scheduled a contactless pick-up, including waxed-linen thread options for the stitching. Bradford made his selections, and voilà, I knew everything I needed to know to begin binding The Story of This Guy.
Bradford likes to illustrate on a 9 x 12 watercolour sheet, so I had made the first book that size. The second book is the same size—the beginning of Charlie’s set of books from Bradford. The book structure is also the same: Japanese style binding and a pocket in the back for Bradford’s note to Charlie.
The palette of Bradford’s drawings was a mix of pale greens & blues (how apropos for the beginning of spring). I thoroughly enjoyed selecting some pastel linen bookcloth options to coincide with the season and complement Bradford’s charming illustrations.
I of course asked Bradford about Charlie’s response to It’s Cold, and Bradford provided such endearing details that I asked his permission to share them.
“ We were on a video call the other day, and Charlie asked Nora, his mom, to get ‘Da’s book.’ He knows the story and acts out certain parts. For the first title, ‘It’s cold,’ he wraps his arms around himself and says Brrr. When the people say ‘No more,’ he wags his finger and says No more, and mimics the faces in the crowd. When he sees the captain with the spyglass, he points to his own eye, remembering that I have a spyglass that he played with while he was here. On our call, he instructed me to Get it. He was disappointed that I couldn’t pass it through the screen. ”
“ Needless to say, he’ll get the spyglass for his birthday. You can imagine how much my heart swells watching him enjoy our book. ”
Bradford’s plan is to give The Story of This Guy as a birthday gift for Charlie. He plans to do a new book for Christmas. I asked him about his inspirations for this book.
“ The genesis for This Guy is pretty simple. I got tired of all the anti-intellectual, anti-science thinking that somehow gets a voice in today’s discourse, and want Charlie to read about evolution early on. Like most of my stuff, the illustrations started with a random doodle I did when I was still working. It’s the image at the beginning of the book, with our hero looking back over his shoulder at fish walking. ”
Bradford shared one more Charlie story that is irresistible.
“ Charlie has been looking through a photo album and asking his mom who works. When he asked if Da works, his mother, Nora, said Not any more. Charlie asked, What does he do? Her answer was Paint, cook, and garden. I am sitting in the back garden on this beautiful afternoon feeling a deep sense of well being. I am a lucky man. ”
And I am a lucky bookbinder, to have gotten to work on Bradford’s new book for Charlie!
In anticipation, Bari