Ida Bohatta (1900–1992)

Flipp and Flirr - presumably the two little flower children who appear on the front cover, and in the interior illustrations of this pocket-sized picture-book - tend to the flowers and plants around them in this collection of eight poems. Encountering a bumblebee at lunchtime, bringing comfort to a downtrodden weed, carefully collecting and planting seeds, and weeping for a discarded flower, these two companions are ever attentive to the botanical world around them...

Austrian children's author and illustrator Ida Bohatta (sometimes styled 'Ida Bohatta-Morpurgo'), seems to have published quite a few of these miniature picture-books, with a small selection of poems, and her own distinctive illustrations. Unfamiliar with her work, I stumbled across two such titles - this, and Schneeflöckchen - at an estate sale, and thinking them rather cute (they have a "flower fairies" kind of sensibility to them), snapped them up. I wasn't really prepared for their copious use of diminutives, and more colloquial style, but with some help from a friend (thanks, Gundula!) I sorted through those issues. I enjoyed the artwork here - particularly the scene in which three pansies are all grouped around a weed (Das arme Unkraut) - and appreciated the interplay between text and image. It was really quite humorous to read, in Das vergessene Sämlein, that Flipp and Flirr couldn't understand why the gardener wasn't helping them, in their efforts to save dandelion seeds, and replant them ("Nein, daß der Gärtner uns nicht hilft, das kann ich nicht verstehn" - haha!).

All that said, I'm not sure that this was really to my taste - a little too cute, I think - although I was glad to get a chance to read it, and do plan to read the other title I found with it. Recommended primarily to those looking for cute, flower-fairy style artwork, or who are interested in Austrian children's poetry.… (mehr)

Austrian children's author and artist Ida Bohatta (sometimes published as Ida Bohatta-Morpurgo) produced quite a few of these miniature picture-books during the course of her long career (which began in the 1920s), each containing approximately eight poems, with eight accompanying color illustrations. Her themes were often religious, either overtly or by implication, although her settings were often natural, and her characters, magical (gnomes, fairies, and so on). Schneeflöckchen ('Little Snowflakes') fits squarely into this tradition, using winter landscapes and images to examine God's love for his children. From "Wie Gott will, erblühen sie..," with its message of accepting God's purpose for us, to the final "Wo das liebe Christkind geht," which offers a reflection on creating Christmas within ourselves, the poems presented here are both cute (perhaps even cutesy) and didactic.

One of two of Ida Bohatta's work I picked up at an estate sale - the other being Flipp und Flirr - this is a title I found more interesting, than enjoyable (oh, the limitations of star-ratings!), and although I am glad to have read it, and to have familiarized myself with Bohatta's work (I'd never heard of her before stumbling across these two little books), I feel no inclination to track down additional volumes. The style of artwork is interesting - I was reminded of the work of Sibylle von Olfers and Elsa Beskow - but sometimes a little too cute for me. Still, those interested in Austrian children's poetry, with a specifically Christian (Catholic) bent, might be interested in this one, as will fans of the artist.… (mehr)