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• Today in CT History

On Legislative Business

• Budget Process
• CGA Kickball Game

On Community Resources

• My CT Savings Program
• CT Foodshare
• COVID-19 Updates & Upcoming Vaccine Clinics
• Manchester Community Events 
• East Hartford Community Events

Lillian Hoban: Beloved Illustrator of “I Can Read” Books

Well-loved children's picture books illustrated by Lillian Hoban at a public library - Emma Wiley

By Emily Clark

A rich imagination, a childhood love of reading, and an early talent for illustrations led Lillian Hoban to become one of children’s literature’s most beloved artists of the 20th century. Hoban made a name for herself with her “I Can Read” books and the stories of Frances the badger. Though she was born in Philadelphia, worked in New York, and resided for a time in London, Hoban found a peaceful retreat in the town of Wilton, Connecticut.

A Childhood Love for the Arts

The youngest of three girls, Hoban was born in 1925 to a family which valued and embraced the arts. She grew up reading with her sisters and visiting local libraries with her parents. From a young age she knew she wanted to be an illustrator, busying herself with crayons and pastels and imitating the comics from the Sunday newspapers. Hoban attended the Philadelphia High School for Girls and Philadelphia Museum School of Art and was a frequent member of the Graphic Sketch Club, where she met her husband, Russell Hoban. After marrying in 1944, the couple moved to New York.

An artist in every form of the word, Hoban also showed remarkable talent as a dancer. Once in New York, she abandoned art for a time to study dance at the Hanya Holm School for a decade and later teach dance in various studios in New York and Connecticut. Hoban danced professionally throughout the 1950s, even performing with the modern American dancer and composer, Martha Graham.

Husband and Wife Team Pens Frances the Badger

Wilton Library Dedication in 1918 – Wikimedia Commons, Wilton CT Library History Room

As the Hobans’ family grew, they moved from New York to Norwalk and then Wilton. In Connecticut, the prolific artist began writing short stories, basing them on the childhood experiences of her four children and their friends, though she never lost her love for artwork. In the early 1960s, Russell published the children’s book Herman the Loser for which Lillian provided the illustrations, thus beginning a ten-year literary collaboration that produced 26 co-written books.

A series of books about a mischievous badger named Frances propelled the Hobans to success. Based on a little girl from their Norwalk neighborhood, Frances debuted in 1960 in the children’s book, Bedtime for Frances. Though another illustrator contributed the drawings, Lillian Hoban’s drawings appeared three years later in the second book of the series, Bread and Jam for Frances, and won her a loyal following. Four more “Frances” books followed, penned and illustrated by this husband-and-wife team, along with two dozen more children’s stories in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including The Little Brute Family, The Mouse and His Child, and Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas. Emmet Otter received the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1972. Kirkus Review praised it, saying, “The Hobans, as usual, know what makes kids kick.”

Finding Success with Arthur the Chimpanzee

Lillian Hoban and daughter Esmé in the Wilton Bulletin in 1998 – Wilton Historical Society

Though the Hobans’ careers were a success, their marriage was not. Several years after their move to London in 1969, the couple divorced and Lillian Hoban returned to Wilton with their children. There, she accomplished much on her own as a writer and illustrator, specifically with the “I Can Read” early childhood series. Her stories about Arthur the chimpanzee and his little sister Violet—in addition to her books Joe and Betsy the Dinosaur and Silly Tilly’s Thanksgiving—mirrored some of the same topics she and her husband addressed in the Frances books.

In addition to her individual series, Hoban also collaborated as an illustrator for other writers, including Johanna Hurwitz and Miriam Cohen. A Dell Publishing review for No Good in Art praises both Cohen and Hoban, saying, “Once again Miriam Cohen and Lillian Hoban share their insight and empathy in a book young readers (and young artists) will respond to with unqualified enthusiasm.”

A Lasting Contribution to Children’s Literature

In later years, Hoban became involved in community activities in Wilton, specifically through the Wilton Library and the National Arts Club’s writing program for school-aged children, sharing her love of the arts and never losing her passion for drawing. “When I am writing, I like writing best, and when I am drawing, I like drawing best,” she once said. “But probably what I like better than anything is just messing around with color.”

Throughout her life, Lillian Hoban contributed her talents to nearly one hundred books with her husband Russell and other writers, earning many awards and securing herself a place as one of the country’s best-loved authors and illustrators. Having suffered from heart failure, she died at age 73 in July 1998 at Manhattan’s New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

Emily Clark is a freelance writer and an English and Journalism teacher at Amity Regional High School in Woodbridge.

Learn More

Newspapers

Saxon, Wolfgang. “Lillian Hoban, 73, a Writer for Children, Dies.” The New York Times, August 2, 1998. Link.

Documents

“Russell and Lillian Hoban Papers.” de Grummond Collection, n.d. McCain Library and Archives, University Libraries, University of Southern Mississippi. Link.

• Businesses with 5 or more employees that do not offer a retirement savings plan must register for the program. There is no cost for employers to participate.
• MyCTSavings was designed to be easy through a simple three-step process:
  1. Employers register through a secure, online portal with a unique access code.
  2. They will then be prompted to upload payroll and employee information in the system.
  3. After the employee’s 30 day opt-out period, the employer simply submits their employees’ contributions each pay cycle and keeps the staff lists up to date with new or terminated employees.

This video tutorial will walk you through the registration process.
Fact sheets for employers (in English and Spanish) to share with members.
 
Your Employee’s Role:

• When an employer registers, MyCTSavings will set up a Roth IRA for all employees through the payroll process.
• For employees, the program is optional. Employees can opt-out or change their contribution rate at any time. The Roth IRA is “portable” so if your employee changes jobs, the account goes with them.

If your business is contacted by the program and already offers a retirement savings plan, you will only need to certify your exemption waiver at MyCTSavings/exempt.
 
For more information, visit Program Details - MyCTSavings or call 1-833-811-7435 to speak with a representative.
 

• Tuesday, April 25, 2023 | 09:00 AM - 09:30 AM
• Tuesday, May 09, 2023 | 09:00 AM - 09:30 AM
• Tuesday, May 23, 2023 | 09:00 AM - 09:30 AM

• Monday May 1^st  | 12:30 pm-1:15 pm
• Monday May 15^th   | 12:30 pm-1:15 pm
• Monday June 12^th   | 12:30 pm-1:15 pm
• Monday June 26^th   | 12:30 pm-1:15 pm

 The Teen Center is Back!

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Manchester YSB is opening the center on Wednesdays from 12:30 PM to 6:00 PM and Thursdays 2:30-6pm. Learn more here!

Attend 10 or more times to be eligible for prizes! Pizza is served after group discussion.

Read more here: TEENCENTER-incentive.pdf

Mayor Mike P. Walsh and the Town of East Hartford would like to encourage you to practice spring cleaning in recognition of Earth Day 2023, celebrated worldwide on April 22.

Around the world, the observance of Earth Day is marked with educational efforts encouraging each of us to take actions that protect our environment and conserve natural resources. It also coincides with spring cleaning efforts. The Town of East Hartford offers many opportunities and services with steps you can take to clean winter debris and spruce up your property.

Transfer Station
The Town of East Hartford continues to offer access to its Transfer Station, which is open and operates on a regular schedule. The regular Transfer Station hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Friday from 7:15 a.m. to Noon and 12:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. (holidays excluded), and the first and third Saturdays of the month from 8:00 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. (holidays excluded). The Transfer Station is closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The Transfer Station will be open every Saturday in May from 8 AM to 1:35 PM to encourage spring cleanup efforts.

The checklist below identifies household items and steps you can take to properly dispose of or recycle waste items that will help you achieve your spring cleaning goals!

• Clothing and Textiles
• Electronics
• Leaves (loose or in paper bags, not plastic)
• Paint
• Used Oil & Anti-freeze
• Car Batteries
• Mattresses
• Brush and Tree Limbs
• Metals (including appliances, refrigerators with doors removed, bicycles, etc.)

• Compost – in your own backyard!
• Hazardous Household Waste – via MDC (check site for locations).
• Propane Tanks – Commercial establishments where purchased.

Curious about D & D? Beginning players are welcome to learn the rules and engage in play during this 2 ½ hour session. Players will be given Level 1 characters to experiment with in a combat-style arena to fight enemies and learn the mechanics of the game. Best suited for ages 10 and up. Registration required.

 

Effective Monday, May 1, a portion of Brewer Street in East Hartford will be closed through November 2023. The closure is necessary to replace the bridge over Pewterpot Brook.The road will reopen prior to Thanksgiving.
The closure is limited to the section of Brewer Street between Mill Road and Glenn Road/Contractors Road, but motorists should seek alternate routes if using Brewer Street as a through road. 

All motorists are encouraged to avoid the construction area and seek alternate routes to their intended destinations through November 2023, when the construction is expected to be complete.
For more information click here

Commission on Culture & Fine Arts Presents
Pianist Paul Bisaccia: Live in Concert!

 
This event will be held at 2PM on Sunday, April 30th at First Congressional Church (837 Main Street). Bisaccia will be playing Mozart, Chopin, Liszt, and Gershwin. Admission is free.