I’m currently working on my next book, the working title of which is Oliver and Jack. I meant to come and post something about how Oliver and Jack are currently lost in the wilds of the Norwood Forest, or something erudite about writing, or something about up-to-the-minute news, but then I came across a series of books called Cozy Classics.
Now, I had seen a Cozy Classic version of Pride and Prejudice some time ago, where the characters looked as though they’d been created from felt.
Then I saw one page of the book. On the left side was the word “muddy,” and on the right side was the character of Lizzie, trudging through the mud to see her sister Jane at Mr. Bingley’s rental shack, Netherfield Park.
The image was perfect. It captured pretty much everything about the character and her love and affection for her sister, and, almost most importantly, how everything else, even her appearance and social standing, faded in the light of her need to get to Jane and take care of her.
I had thought, with the love and attention and the insight into the character, that the book was a one-off, made by a Jane Austen fan. Someone who had made the book for free, as a gift, or just to demonstrate her love for Jane Austen’s writing. Even more interesting to me was the insight that the book gave into the mindset of a fan. For only a fan would think that “muddy” would be enough of a clue for another fan to pick up on the inside joke of how cool Jane Austen was and what a BAMF Lizzie could be when she wanted to. Which was, as you know, pretty much all of the time.
And that, I thought, was an end on it.
Then lo, I stumbled across this image.
Oh my WORD. It’s not just one book. It’s a whole series!
And while it’s not a fan-made creation, Cozy Classics is a series of books that looks like a work of love to me. The books are intended to allow a parent to share the rich history of classic literature with their children from a very young age. And not with a wall-o-words, but just with one word. Or, in this case, twelve. Each book is twelve words long, with twelve pictures, one for each word. A parent can expound on the word, weaving out the tale to connect with the child, and allow the child to connect with the idea. It may sound and look simple, but I think the whole concept is inspired. As did the folks at Creating the Story, where they interview the creators, Holman and Jack Wang, brothers from Vancouver, who came up with the idea.
My favorite of their creations is, of course, Cozy Oliver Twist.
Here is the cover.
And here is Wee Oliver. (He looks like a pretty happy baby. Sadly, he doesn’t know what the future holds for him.)
And here is Somewhat Less Wee Oliver asking for more. (Poor little guy; even getting more gruel will never be enough.)
And here is Sickly Somewhat Less Wee Oliver recovering under the kind eye of his Uncle Brownlow. (Who, as you know, is not really his uncle, but an old friend of his father’s.)
But here is my favorite picture of the ones available on the Cozy Classics site.
The word accompanying this picture is “meet.” This encompasses the moment Oliver meets Fagin, and a very important meeting it is too.
But look at it again.
It’s not just about the moment that Oliver meets Fagin. It’s about the kind of boy Jack Dawkins is, the kind of boy who would meet a lad on the street, and invite him home to a thieves’ den, where he will be dragged into a world of sin and vice, of darkness and fear, of pickpockets and fences.
Then, at the same time, while Jack’s expression is somewhat snarky (just look at those eyebrows!), he did just feed Oliver a ham sandwich and promise him a place to sleep for the night. And he does rather have a gentle, felt hand on Oliver’s shoulder, as if to reassure our boy that Fagin is not to be feared and that everything will get much better soon.
Oliver’s eyebrows are equally expressive. He looked worried as hell about what he’s gotten himself into, and any thoughts he might have had about being the better boy in Fagin’s eyes (so that Fagin will pick him over Jack), go flying out the window with force of a hurricane gale. He’s just a hungry little boy who wants a huge meal and a soft, warm bed to crawl into afterwards.
And, in my eyes, through my Fagin’s Boy-filtered gaze, Oliver is not shying away from Jack’s hand. In fact, he is leaning into the touch, into the curve of Jack’s arm, and the hollow of Jack’s shoulder. For no matter how many interpretations I’ve read or seen of Oliver Twist, I always come away with the feeling that however dicey and dappled Jack’s conscience might be, and however questionable his motives, to Oliver, Jack will always be the lesser evil. The question then remains, without other evils to compare Jack to, without other evils against which Jack will always shine in the better light, would Oliver still feel the same about Jack? Only time will tell.
