Tinker and Tanker
Tinker and Tanker is a children's book series written and illustrated by Richard Scarry, and published in the U.S. by Doubleday from 1960 to 1963.
| Tinker and Tanker (1960)[1]: 153 Tinker and Tanker Out West (1961)[1]: 153 Tinker and Tanker and Their Space Ship (1961)[1]: 153 Tinker and Tanker and the Pirates (1961)[1]: 153 Tinker and Tanker: Knights of the Round Table (1963)[1]: 153 Tinker and Tanker in Africa (1963)[1]: 153 | |
| Author | Richard Scarry |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Richard Scarry |
| Cover artist | Richard Scarry |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Publisher | Doubleday[1]: 47, 153 |
| Published | 1960–1963[1]: 48, 153 |
| No. of books | 6[1]: 153 |
Overview
The title characters live in a place called Tootletown.[2] Upon the first book's release in 1960, Doubleday described both of them as "Tinker, the quick-witted rabbit, and Tanker, the strong, steady hippopotamus."[3] A total of six titles were published within the next three years.[1]: 48
According to Walter Retan and Ole Risom, "[Their adventures] were typical picture storybooks, with simple plots and very little text. The characters were all animals, for the most part behaving very much like humans, and the drawings showed the strong sense of the absurd that would become a trademark of [Scarry's] books."[1]: 48 Cost restrictions at Doubleday caused the illustrations within each book to alternate between full-color and monochrome; this limitation also affected Scarry's work for a compilation of Jean de La Fontaine's fables.[1]: 48–49 Ultimately, Tinker and Tanker only proved a moderate success.[1] Three of the stories were collected for an omnibus edition in 1968.[2]
Titles
References
- Retan, Walter; Risom, Ole (1997). The Busy, Busy World of Richard Scarry. Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 0-8109-4000-0.
- Catalogue information for The Adventures of Tinker and Tanker. Online Computer Library Center (OCLC). OCLC 449311 – via WorldCat.
- Doubleday & Company (November 13, 1960). "When the nights begin to lengthen, it's time for Doubleday for young readers". The New York Times. p. C26.