Grandpa dropped his glasses once in a pot of dye,
And when he put them on again he saw a purple sky.
Purple birds were rising up from a purple hill,
Men were grinding purple cider at a purple mill.
Purple Adeline was playing with a purple doll,
Little purple dragonflies were crawling up the wall.
And at the supper table he got crazy as a loon,
From eating purple apple dumplings with a purple spoon.
I love poetry and finding inspiration in them for new illustrations. Recently before going to sleep I was reading one of my favorite poetry books, The Random House Book of Poetry for Children, when I came across this one by Leroy F. Jackson. I thought how much fun it would be to illustrate and grabbed a pencil and paper to sketch out my ideas before shutting off the light. It reminded me of my favorite book, The Wizard of Oz, when the characters arrive at the Emerald City and are required to wear green glasses. Everyone in the city has to wear the glasses- the Wizard's way of fooling them into thinking that the city really is all made of emeralds. I liked the challenge of illustrating a piece using variations of only one color and I'm quite pleased with how it turned out!
11 comments:
I love the look of sheer joyful awe on his face! It definitely makes him look "young" again :) Awesome!
I remembered parts of this poem from my childhood, and googled the first line, and found the whole poem by Leroy Jackson. It was one of my favorites as a child. My Aunt read to us, and I'd always request Grampa's glasses. You have captured the feeling perfectly. I was around 7 or 8 when I first heard it, I am now 66, and still love it. Now have a 1 year old granddaughter, who I will read it to. Thank you for illustrating. Sincerely, "Still a Kid at Heart"
Googled this poem because it was a favorite as a kid and one of the first I committed to memory. Your drawing is perfection. I would love to hang it on my wall. It would be the perfect addition to my daughters bedroom. My little Adeline. ;) Do you have an etsy shop or someway to purchase a copy?
Thank you both so much! It is so great to hear that my artwork from this poem is appreciated! I do have an Etsy shop but still have yet to post prints. I just bought a new printer and I will be ordering paper soon so that I will be able to sell prints. I will definitely let you know as soon as I do!
I remember quoting this poem to my grandpa when I was a little girl. I'm now 59 years old and decided to Google the first line, and here it is! Thanks so much! Love your illustration!
I learned this poem years ago. I recited to my grandson; he loved it. On a subsequent visit, he climbed onto my lap and said, "So, Grampa, tell me about your glasses, again."
Russ States
My teacher did a whole unit on poetry when I was in 3rd grade. We we're required to make a poetry book writing out (in cursive) our favorite poems and one of our own. This one is in my book that I still have from 1963! I illustrated it as well.
I remember reciting this poem to a roomful of fellow geologists while presenting my senior comprehensive project talk in college. The were totally baffled. The poem perfectly encapsulated a point that I was trying to make, perhaps not very succesfully, but which I have since forgotten. Hey - I'm 68. I'm allowed to forget a few things! The poem has stayed with me all of these years and was in my head when I woke up this morning. Thank you for the evocative drawing that captures the sense of whimsey that I've always loved about the poem!
One of my favorite poems. One of my sisters taught this to me. They had all kinds of funny songs and poems.
exactly what I did
My favorite poem as a child. I'm 63.
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