Girls Standing on Lawns

Girls Standing on Lawns is a unique collaboration between renowned artist and bestselling children's book author Maira Kalman and New York Times bestselling writer Daniel Handler, better known as Lemony Snicket. This clever book contains 40 vintage photographs from the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, New York, more than a dozen original paintings by Kalman inspired by the photographs, and brief, lyrical texts by Handler. Poetic and thought-provoking, Girls Standing on Lawns is a meditation on memories, childhood, nostalgia, home, family, and the act of seeing. The gorgeous visual material sets the stage for what Handler succinctly describes as "a photograph, a painting, a sentence, a pose." Girls, women, families, and even pets from days gone by grace the pages, looking out at us, enticing readers to imagine these people, their lives--and where they have gone.

Praise for Girls Standing on Lawns
"Kalman supplements the mostly black-and-white, anonymous, amateur snapshots with colorful paintings inspired by the photographs. Handler adds alternately wry, pithy, poignant--and always succinct--commentary to most spreads, inviting readers to ponder the people and scenes as well as their own family photos."
--Booklist

"Handler provides free verse that is both spare and sparse throughout the collection, contextualizing the thematic groupings and offering imaginative insight into what might have motivated the preservation of such frozen moments. The project is interesting and the images thought provoking."
--The Bulletin of The Center for Children's Books


Author: Maira Kalman, Daniel Handler
Publisher: Museum of Modern Art
Published: 05/06/2014
Pages: 64
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.60lbs
Size: 8.10h x 6.10w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9780870709081
Audience: Ages 9-12


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 02/24/2014
School Library Journal 04/01/2014 pg. 188
Kirkus Reviews 04/15/2014
Booklist 05/15/2014 pg. 54
Voice of Youth Advocates 06/01/2014 - Recommended - Hard To Beat
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 07/01/2014 pg. 576
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2014 pg. 178 - Recommended, Satisfactory

About the Author
Maira Kalman is a bestselling and award-winning artist, illustrator, and writer whose books include 13 Words (with Lemony Snicket), And the Pursuit of Happiness, and The Elements of Style. Her artwork has been the subject of 14 solo exhibitions and has also been featured in group exhibitions in major museums. Girls Standing on Lawns is the first title in a series of illustrated children's books Kalman will be publishing with MoMA, inspired by MoMA's photography collection.
Daniel Handler is the internationally renowned author of the A Series of Unfortunate Events series, whose books have sold over 60 million copies in 44 languages.