Edward Ardizzone Revisited: Lucy Brown and the Moral Editing of Art

Edward Ardizzone (1900-1979), a British painter and illustrator, authored a successful set of childrenʹs books known as the “Tim” series, which began in 1936. One of the picture books, however, Lucy Brown and Mr. Grimes (1937), went out of print and was not reissued for 33 years. This article discusses the possibility that the implications of the story line provoked controversy among American librarians in the 1930s. A comparison of the two editions includes these issues. What is a quality picture book and are they just for children? Do revisions meant to modernize a classic make it a stronger work?