#lothrop

June 4 is National Cheese Day, so let’s take a moment to honor the cheddar, the brie, the gouda, the goat, the grilled, and the smoked. Whether you're into classic American slices or artisanal wedges, today is for the cheese lovers!

In Special Collections, we’re celebrating by sharing Some Cheese for Charles by Helen E. Buckley (1918-2001), a preschool and elementary school teacher. It was illustrated by Evaline Ness (1911-1986), a commercial artist, illustrator, and author of children's books. The book was published in New York by Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co. in 1963.

Here’s a little cheesy knowledge for you:

Wisconsin produces more than 3 billion pounds of cheese a year. The oldest known cheese dates back 3,600 years (found in a Chinese tomb!) There’s an entire field of study called fromology — the science of cheese. 

-View more from our Historical Curriculum Collection

View of a boy and girl posing on the grounds of the Lothrop Branch Library, Detroit Public Library. Handwritten on back: "Lothrop Branch, 1936."

View of Eugene Gilmer, counselor at Webber Junior High School, meeting with students during a vocational planning program at the Lothrop Branch Library, Detroit Public Library. Books and "A career for you" sign is displayed on table. Label on back: "Vocational planning program. Lothrop Branch Library. June 29, 1966. Young adults from Leadership Training Institute at Carter C.M.E. Church. Mr. Eugene Gilmer, counselor, Webber Junior High School."

SNOW DAY!

Because of inclement winter weather, Special Collections, along with the rest of the university, will be closed today. Some of us will be working from home, while others might use this opportunity to take a snow day and enjoy the time off (although to be honest it looks pretty bleak out there right now). Nevertheless, with the expectation that it might turn into a full-on winter wonderland, we offer this children's book from our Historical Curriculum Collection: Josie and the Snow by American educator and children's author Helen E. Buckley (1918-2001), with Illustrations by American artist Evaline Ness (1911-1986), published in New York by Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co. in 1964.

Buckley's story is pleasantly simple: a family's day-long rollick in the snow. Ness matches this simplicity with illustrations informed by her career in commercial artwork. Helen Buckley began her career as an elementary school teacher, earned a doctorate in education from Columbia University, and was an English professor at the State University College of New York at Oswego when she wrote this book.

After a long career as a fashion illustrator and model, Evaline Ness began illustrating children's books in 1951. She was at the height of her children's illustration career when she illustrated Jose and the Snow, receiving Caldecott Honors in 1964, 1965, and 1966, and finally receiving the 1967 Caldecott Medal for her own book, Sam, Bangs & Moonshine. The name "Ness" might sound familiar, as she had a colorful, 5-year marriage to Eliot Ness of "The Untouchables" fame.

View of four boys reading books on the steps of the Lothrop Branch Library, Detroit Public Library. Handwritten on back: "1936/37."