Ah-Ha to Zig-Zag

September 29, 2014
Only the mischievous Kalman (Thomas Jefferson: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Everything) could make an alphabet book in which “poodle” appears under E. The poodle lives at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City; it’s a 19th-century earthenware figurine with a quizzical look on its face. Kalman’s hand-lettered caption reads, “E. (Except for your dog) this is the cutest dog on Earth.” The text is in black, except for the Es, which are jauntily picked out in red. He joins a selection of design curiosities Kalman has chosen to commemorate the museum’s reopening, and her wonderful loopiness spills out from every page.
Q is for toaster: “Quite the toaster,” she writes. N is for toilet: “Now might be a Good Time to go the bathroom. No worries. We will wait for you.” The idea that objects can be recognized for the quality of their design will be new to many readers, and Kalman’s warm, affectionate gouaches only enhance their charm. Photographs of the objects and a bit of contextual history about the museum round out this romp through its collection. All ages.