The combination of this unique character and Russell Hoban’s treatment of universal childhood moments have helped these books to endure.” “She’s opinionated, she’s imaginative, and there is absolutely nothing predictable about her. “She is such a strong individual,” the editor said. The books impart a wonderful sense of their loving kindness.”Īnd inarguably there is the intrinsic appeal of Frances herself. “But her mother and father are so lovingly drawn and always have the perfect response. “Like any child, Frances pushes boundaries and can be very stubborn,” she observed. Tamar Mays, senior editor of HarperCollins Children’s book and editor of the anniversary collection, also emphasized the reassuring nature of the badger’s supportive family. “I think that is a reason that these books have received widespread approval from both readers and professionals.” “The feeling that runs through all these books that problems can be resolved through that kind of loving attention is important,” he noted. He also pointed to the appeal of Frances’s close-knit family. Those songs account for a great deal of the books’ popularity.” I considered them very beautiful.” That fascination led to his first book with Ursula Nordstrom at Harper, What Is It and What Does It Do?, which focused on these machines.ĭiscussing the success of his Frances stories, Hoban mentioned the songs that the title character frequently makes up and sings: “ Bedtime for Frances has no songs in it, but starting with the second book, they all have little songs in which Frances expresses her feelings about the current situation. “At the time, I was a freelance illustrator and in my spare time I used to travel around Connecticut looking at bulldozers, power shovels, and other equipment. “I arrived at Frances by way of earth-moving equipment,” Hoban recalled with a chuckle.

Speaking by phone from his home in London, where he has lived for four decades, Hoban revealed how Frances came to be, and reflected on the success of the books in the series, which have sold more than four million copies for HarperCollins. To celebrate Frances’s 50 years in print, HarperCollins this week is issuing Frances 50th Anniversary Collection, a boxed set of paperback I Can Read! editions of Bread and Jam for Frances, Best Friends for Frances, and A Bargain for Frances. Picture book readers and their parents took an immediate shine to this feisty character, who went on to star in five subsequent stories. A half-century ago, Russell Hoban introduced a decidedly not sleepy young badger in Bedtime for Frances, which featured illustrations by Garth Williams.

Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban