May! Marlott described it as "when the world was made."
Chaucer, Shakespeare and many other authors wrote about the loveliness of "the merry month of May."May used to be celebrated with maypoles and May baskets hung on neighbor's door posts. Those days can be remembered by reading Erica Silverman's "On the Morn of the Mayfest" (Simon & Schuster).
"This is the lass
with hair like a nest
who walked in her sleep
on the morn of the Mayfest . . . "
So begins this cumulative tale of a sleepwalker who leads an incredible list of people to the town square while carrying a dove in her nest-like thatch of hair where an egg is hatched on May Day.
In the tradition of "The House That Jack Built," each character adds a dimension to the story, which ultimately ends in a grand hoopIa. The huntsman "fixes" on the dove but is frightened by a mouse, who is chased by a cat, who is pursued by a dog, who is yelled at by the laundress, who is tipped over by a band of jugglers, who is attended by a monkey, who attracts a group of children, who listen to a minstrel, who is kissed by a maiden. And then the kisses are reversed: the minstrel kisses the children, who kiss the monkey and so on.
The chick that hatches kisses the girl who awakens and declares a welcome to spring and the morn of the Mayfest. What a party!
While the lilt and rhythm of the verse makes this a terrific read-aloud, the pictures are worth visiting time and time again. Marla Frazee has tucked in details that will delight readers of all ages, such as the hefty huntsman scaling a tender tree in terror of the tiny mouse. (And since the sapling breaks, he carries it with him throughout the rest of the story.) I love the laundress who protects the cat under her skirts while calling the rambunctious pup a brute. From the cobble-stone paths to the stucco walls, the artist has set the story in a "time of always" traditional lore. Her ink drawings of the people are exquisitely individual; such as the bent old man and his goat, the boy carrying his brother on his shoulders and the child sucking his thumb.
"On the Mom of the Mayfest" is the first collaboration between Silverman and Frazee. The California author and artist have done several books individual, but hopefully will collaborate more and more. They are a perfect match.
Another lovely picture book about this time of year is "The Springs of Joy" (Simon & Schuster), which matches the delicate watercolor works of Tasha Tudor with the words of great writers such as Henry Thoreau, Robert Louis Stevenson, George Bernard Shaw and others. This book reminds us of the beauties of the world at this time of year.
Marilou Sorensen can be reached at marilou.sorensen@worldnet.att.net