The Summerfolk and We Were Tired Of Living In A House
Among Burn’s influences were author/illustrator Robert McCloskey (Make Way For Ducklings, One Morning In Maine), who similarly drew inspiration from the sights and sounds of island communities where he lived. The narrative in The Summerfolk (1968) incorporates a gentle tension between characters who are year-round island dwellers and the “pesky” strangers who visit from the city during the summer months.
In the illustrations shown here, islander Willy becomes aware that “someone is watching” him as he lazes in his boat. On the next page, readers are greeted by the first, striking sight of the character of Fedderly.
Throughout The Summerfolk and works represented in this exhibit, we see examples of the careful, effective placement of text and images to help build narrative momentum. Physical page turns are preceded by the promise from Fedderly of a new sight or experience soon to be revealed (“we’ll make a flotilla”). Readers come to recognize and anticipate these patterns, including the humor of Willy’s responses, as he tries in vain to remain unimpressed and resist the appeal of the summerfolk. These two images to the right are the grand flotilla from The Summerfolk, with Fedderly’s boat followed by those of Willy, Rosebud, Cork, Spinner and Twyla Loo.
“Our tree” from We Were Tired Of Living In A House (1969), written by Liesel Moak Skorpen and illustrated by Doris Burn. The characters in this book create their own entertainment in this tree-house, and then - after tumbling out – move on to a nearby pond, cave and the sea. Minor mishaps at each location simply lead them on to their next adventure. As in Andrew Henry’s Meadow, the book closes with characters returning happily home and reuniting with their parents.