Patience Brewster

Patience Brewster is the very talented illustrator and author of countless picture books. Her fine draftsmanship has brought Bear to life in Bear and Roly Poly, Bear and Mrs. Duck and Bear's Christmas Surprise, all written by Elizabeth Winthrop. Titles authored by Patience include Too Many Puppies and the wacky Two Bushy Badgers. And now for something completely different, she recently illustrated The Fannie Farmer Junior Cookbook.

Patience likes to tell of an unusual way that she used books back when she was a child.

"It was usually my father who read to us. It was a heaven for me, the quietest of a raucous litter of six, to listen to his rich baritone voice at the end of the day. He told us stories from his head "Epaminondus", "Icky On, Phooy On, Contleron";or read aloud, animating Uncle Remus, Uncle Wiggly, Ping, Pooh, "Make Way for Ducklings."

"I'll never forget a week we spent sailing out of sight of land. It was wonderful to be inescapably together, but I was awestruck and a little afraid of the endless and powerful Atlantic. After washing the decks and the dishes, we rocked in skinny beds while my father read from "The Yearling". Fear melted away, the world only existed on the pages of that book. We salted the sea with our tears.

"My mother had been trained as a teacher, so she used her talents on her captive audience. We all learned to read before we went to school. I don't remember lessons, but I do remember the sounds falling together while being read to. I could suddenly read along to the memorized poems in "A Child's Garden of Verses". Then I was handed the well worn copy of "Little House In the Big Woods." I devoured it. I was so happy to learn that Laura Ingalls Wilder had provided a whole supply of tales for eager young readers!

"Our only baby sitter was a cheery delicious pillow of a woman. Each time she came, she brought with her a brand new Little Golden Book. It was a brilliant move, because we could hardly wait to go to bed so we could hear it.

"My sister Sarah and I developed a unique appreciation and application for those particular books. When we were naughtily giggling, long after our stories; we would get a warning or two...If we didn't heed those warnings, we would hear loud threatening footsteps on the stairs. Since we suspected a spanking, we slyly shielded ourselves with a Golden Book tucked in the backside of our pajama bottoms. We then fell completely, angelically silent. The exaggerated steps and the protective padding were the last things we remembered. Just another way books helped me as a child!"

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