Born on this date:
Henry Francis Lyte, b.1793. Anglican minister, hymn writer and poet. His most well-known hymns are Abide With Me, Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken, and Praise My Soul the King of Heaven.
John Masefield, b. 1878. Poet, novelist, writer of children’s stories, and more. I wrote about Masefield and his poem Sea Fever here. He also wrote two long and famous narrative poems, The Everlasting Mercy and Dauber, and his children’s stories, The Midnight Folk and The Box of Delights. I’ve not read the children’s books, although I have them in my library, but I can say his poetry is worth reading.
James Daugherty, b. 1889. Artist, children’s book author and illustrator. Mr. Daughety wrote Daniel Boone (Newbery Medal winner); Poor Richard; Henry David Thoreau: A Man for Our Time; Of Courage Undaunted: Across the Continent with Lewis & Clark; Marcus and Narcissa Whitman: Pioneers of Oregon; and three books in the Landmark series, The Magna Charta, The Landing of the Pilgrims, and Trappers and Traders of the Far West. He also wrote and illustrated the picture book Andy and the Lion, a Westernized version of the legend of Androcles and the Lion.
Some of Daugherty’s books and artwork are somewhat controversial these days. He describes the Native Americans in his award-winning biography of Boone as “savage demons”, “rats in the night”, “outlandish”, “infesting the woods”, “cat-eyed”, and “copper-gleaming”. And the illustrations that Daugherty provides for these same Native Americans do nothing to soften the images drawn by his words. (My own children hated listening to Daugherty Daniel Boone when I read it to them back in the day. The language was too flowery and poetic for their taste.) Nevertheless, I think Daugherty was quite a talented illustrator and author, and I suggest you try out his books for yourself and form your own opinion.
