Image of the Week: Frosty
© Durga Yael Bernhard
I've been saving this illustration for a week such as this, in which we in the Northeast are plunged into frigid weather. Roaring winds push gales of frozen air through bare trees. As usual, my daughter is more or less impervious to the extreme cold, while I must bundle up just to walk to the mailbox. The children in this illustration are similarly heedless, though my editor – who works for an educational publisher – would not allow them to fling their mittens off or lose their hats. Textbook kids are usually well-behaved role models for their readers, happily playing well within safety limits, donning life jackets, safety belts, bike helmets, or whatever is necessary to keep the publisher safe from far-fetched litigation.
In addition, this happy trio is ethnically balanced, as I was instructed to show a boy and two girls – one Caucasian, a second Latino, and a third Asian – a tidy representation of America today (the dark-skinned child in the distance is also no accident). These politically-correct parameters struck me as far too contrived at first. But the illustration is paired with a sweet little poem titled Frosty, about three friends frolicking in a winter wonderland – so why shouldn't it picture a poetic ideal? Didn't I, as a parent of young children, want my kids to accept diversity and help build a more peaceful world?
Well, yes – but I couldn't help wondering, would all three kids have nice new snowsuits, too? Hmm . . . did I dare show a little reality in this picture? A ragged snow boot, a mitten with a hole, a child left out . . . ?
Finally I got tired of over-thinking my assignment, and just let the kids play in the snow. My editor loved it.
Wishing you a warm and cozy week –
D Yael Bernhard