This is the second book that emerged from the collaboration of Maira Kalman, the accomplished artist, storyteller, and illustrator of children’s books, Daniel Handler, the author of the Lemony Snickett books, and the Museum of Modern Art in NYC.

Kalman and Handler have chosen 48 photographs from MOMA’s rich collection and written prose poems or created paintings to accompany them.  The photographs, mostly from the 1950’s are the work of the acknowledged masters in this medium from the U.S. as well as Europ— Dorothea Lange, Lee Friedlander Henri Cartier-Bresson, Harry Callahan, Garry Winogrand, Helen Levitt, Yves Klein, August Sander, Dora Marr, Eadweard J. Muybridge, and El Lissitzky.  Each photograph shows street scenes of people rushing or standing still, in poses that “ponder the merits of action” and contemplation creating a “spirited reflection on the daily rhythms of life.”

Handler’s aphoristic pieces and Kalman’s brightly colored paintings are the perfect accompaniments for these black and white photos, providing the reader/observer with the pause to contemplate the photograph and wonder at how the artist saw what would be produced when he/she pressed that button and captured a moment in time forever.

One of the joys of creating BookMarks has been the loving gifts that I am sometimes blessed to receive in the form of books (“Read this!”).  This book was given to us by Genie when she stayed with us this month—a dear gift from a dear friend.  The gifted book almost always leads me down paths I would not have discovered on my own, in this case the wonderful artist Maira Kalman.  At 76, Kalman has produced a rich and varied ouevre including her 20 children’s books to the sets for a Virgil Thomson opera about Gertrude Stein. She’s been a contributor to “The New Yorker” for 30 years creating many memorable covers.  Perhaps the best known was the one that portrayed the NYC boroughs as Newyorkistan.

In the same way that this gift led me to Kalman, the internet search of Kalman led me to Maria Popova’s 2016 review of the book in her weekly blog, “The Marginalian”.  If you don’t know Popova’s work, you should take a look.  She’s a terrific critic and commentator and her weekly newsletter almost always contains creative and innovative observations about books and culture.

The bottom line on “Hurry Up and Wait” is that it  is a book for children and adults, one that can be leafed through with a grandchild or quietly sampled  if one can find the time to wait and not ‘hurry up’.  I think you’ll like it.