Mood Books: The Children’s Stories of Alvin Tresselt and Roger Duvoisin
In 1947, children’s author Alvin Tresselt and illustrator Roger Duvoisin collaborated on their first book, the instant classic White Snow, Bright Snow, which captures a small town transformed by a winter storm. Winning the prestigious Caldecott Medal, it launched a long and successful partnership between Tresselt and Duvosin, who went on to create seventeen more books together. Often described as “mood books,” these stories typically focus on the transformative effects of time and weather, encouraging children to observe the natural wonders of our everyday environments. Drawn entirely from our permanent collection, this exhibition features illustrations from four of their books – White Snow, Bright Snow; Hide and Seek Fog (1965); It’s Time Now! (1969); What Did You Leave Behind? (1978) – to celebrate the enduring union of Tresselt’s poetic storytelling and Duvoisin’s delightful artwork.
Organized by Nicole Simpson, Assistant Curator of Prints and Drawings