I saved these 2 books from the ” Big Golden Book” series from our childhood collection. My mother was a fan of Alice and Martin Povenson and we had many of their books. I even met Alice about 20 years ago and told her how influential her and her husband’s work was. The Color Kittens was my first introduction to color theory and Funny Bunny is another early example of their work. In my opinion, they were the best at stylizing animals for children’s books, bringing an elegant sophistication that was lacking in other “cartoony” illustration. You can see more of the Provensen’s work here.
- “The Color Kittens” illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen, 1950’s
illustration from "The Color Kittens"
"Funny Bunny" illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen, 1950's
illustration from "Funny Bunny"
end papers from "Funny Bunny"
SALLEY MAVOR 
I remember that book on colors! Loved mixing paints with my Mom. I wonder if the book is still in her house somewhere….
The color kittens is my all time favorite childrens’ book. The illustrations are so charming and the language moves beautifully through the story.
You can hardly do better than Alice and Martin Provensen illustrations.
Brilliant! I hold them dear as well.
Oh, I had a copy of Funny Bunny! I’d forgotten until now, for it’s long gone after the three of us had it in turn. Thank you!
I had a portuguese version of “color Kittens” and I loved it. It’s great to remenber.
I remember reading these books at my GraMuriel’s house when I was a little kid. She had a tiny landing on her stairs, where a little patch of sunshine would provide a cozy reading nook. Hadn’t thought of this for YEARS! Thanks for the memory, Salley.
Vintage illustrations from children’s books are so charming! Wonderful childhood memories arise from seeing these old, beautiful images. Thanks Salley!
My mother, now in her late 60s loved “The Color Kittens” and says it gave her an excellent and very early lesson in color theory. I found it recently at a used book shop and sent her a copy–she was absolutely tickled!
My vote for best Provensen book ever: “Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm.” The pictures are charming and the text grows slightly more hilarious every time it gets read aloud.
WOW, finally I found a site that could tell me the author of Funny Bunny. So many books out there with that name in the title and it was one of my favourite books as a kid and yet I was a child of the 80s. Unbelievable. I had a copy of the book but could not find it for the life of me. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!