Just one week before the Christmas holiday -- when many youngsters are impatiently counting the days before Santa comes to town -- another favorite fictional children's friend will be around to excite young imaginations.

"Dr. Dolittle" and some of his animal buddies will be in the Peabody Museum of Natural History -- in the form of three-dimensional life-like images -- as part of a new exhibit celebrating past and present Connecticut authors and illustrators of children's books whose works inspire a reverence for the natural world.

"Children's Nature Books: Connecticut's Legacy," which opens on Sunday, Dec. 19, features the stories, original illustrations and rare memorabilia of such 19th-century authors as Samuel Goodrich, Worthington Hooker and Harriet Beecher Stowe, as well as such 20th-century notables as Hugh Lofting (creator of Dr. Dolittle), John Himmelman, Jean Zallinger and Yale faculty member Lynn Reiser. The exhibit is curated by Dr. David Musto, professor of child psychiatry and the history of medicine at Yale, who is also curator of scientific instruments at the Peabody Museum.

The likenesses of Dr. Dolittle and his animal friends, created by Life Imaging Projections Systems™, are just one highlight of the new display. To enter the exhibit, museum visitors will literally walk through the pages of a book. Once inside, they will encounter three-dimensional images of evocative scenes from children's books, such as an oversized luna moth silhouetted against the moon. This dramatic welcome to the exhibit was designed by Peabody designer John Maisano to emphasize the role both exhibits and children's books can play in introducing young people to the wonders of nature.

Specimens from the Peabody Museum's numerous collections will complement the stories, pictures and other items on view. Among these are original letters written by Hugh Lofting to amuse his children in America while he fought on the western front during World War I. They include drawings of human and animal characters like those that populated the whimsical world of Dr. Dolittle, such as Swizzle, Jip, Gub-Gub, Dab-Dab and Polynesia. The letters and many of the Lofting illustrations on view in the exhibit are on loan from the author's family, and have never before been shown to the public.

Among the 19th-century highlights of the exhibition is Samuel Goodrich's "Tales of Peter Parley about America," which was published in 1827 and is considered the first American children's book. Goodrich was the first of many Connecticut writers and illustrators to contribute to America's heritage of children's nature books. Also featured will be "Uncle Worthy" stories by Worthington Hooker, a physician and pioneer of American medical ethics, and nature stories for children written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of the famous "Uncle Tom's Cabin."

After World War II, America witnessed an explosion in publishing for children, especially in the realm of science, according to Musto. Among the authors and illustrators featured from this post-war period is Jean Zallinger, whose accurate wildlife illustrations were, and continue to be, much in demand. Her image of the great horned owl for the cover of "The Birds of North American Animals," is on display, as are some of her depictions of ocean creatures in their natural habitats. Zallinger, in fact, drew on the collections of the Peabody Museum for her portrayals of creatures of the wild that were difficult to study in their natural habitats.

Lynn Reiser, who is a clinical professor of psychiatry at Yale, portrays nature as it is seen through the perspective of children, according to Musto, while children see the world through the eyes of tiny animals in the illustrations by John Himmelman. The Peabody exhibit features Reiser's book "Beach Feet," which takes readers on an exploration of the world of the sea and its life forms, as well as other books by the Yale author. Included among Himmelman's works on display are his illustrations which demonstrate the ways in which humans can live peacefully with the natural world.

"Children's Nature Books: Connecticut's Legacy" will remain on view through July 4. In conjunction with the exhibit, the Peabody Museum will host a series of family programs and workshops during the spring. These will range from theater presentations to lessons on scientific illustration. Check future issues of the Yale Bulletin & Calendar for information on these events.

The Peabody Museum of Natural History, located at 170 Whitney Ave., is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and noon-5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children ages 3-15 and for senior citizens. Yale affiliates with a valid University I.D. are admitted free. For further information, call the museum's InfoTape at (203) 432-5050 or visit its website at http://www.peabody.yale.edu.

T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S

Yale boasts three Rhodes Scholars

Bulldog coach, players cited for championship season

Interior Secretary will push to expand U.S. parks

Finding sheds new light on the alphabet's origins

Squash courts refurbished with alumnus' gift

Sons' gift establishes visiting professorship

Mandelbrot is appointed Sterling Professor

Former YSN dean is new master of Silliman College

McCain vows to reform government, military as president

Gary Hart warns of impending attack on U.S. mainland

Exhibit features children's books by Connecticut authors

Art Gallery exhibit explores mysterious prints

Students' new creation protects children from loaded handguns

Former tennis star wins prestigious Silver Anniversary Award

Former Bulldog urges Bears to enjoy life off playing field

Film expert's book tells of 'Scrooges' past and present

Architects in training tackle Shanghai project in China Studio

Nathan Jacobson, noted for work in abstract algebra, dies

Sheffield Fellow to discuss 'Internet Learning'

Community invited to help build labyrinth

Study questions who is choosing oophorectomy option

Grant from HHMI will support graduate education in sciences

Talks will explore relationship between faith and science

Sights of the Season

Security Procedures for Recess

. . . In the News . . .

Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus| Calendar of Events|Bulletin Board

Classified Ads|Search Archives|Production Schedule|Bulletin Staff

Public Affairs Home|News Releases| E-Mail Us|Yale Home Page