Incoming: Mélisande

Mélisande by Margery Sharp and Roy McKie is a light-hearted rags-to-riches story about a canine opera singer. Like Don Freeman’s It Shouldn’t Happen (1945), Mélisande (1960) is a pantomime story featuring a dog. And like Freeman, McKie is best known for his children’s books— Ten Apples Up On Top is one of my all-time favorites for it’s delightful character designs and simple and expressive brushwork.

Each image in Mélisande is a double-page spread. The art is a cartoony rococo combo that is utterly charming— like a five-year-old playing dress-up. This book was donated by John Fox, a local photographer, who has been dropping off little stacks of interesting material for years.

— James Sturm