cartoon kells

luddite i am, but i was raised with saturday morning cartoons. tonight on npr i heard about a wonderful cartoon story about the book of kells. having a budding librarian in my household is interesting. both of my children love and value books, and believe me a stay at home parent reads more books to an eager audience in a household without tv!!! i just recently sent my son a copy of simon's book, one of his favorites from childhood. and tonight  my daughter called from work to tell me there's a cartoon about the book of kells!!!

anyway, the secret of kells is something i don't want to miss. the animation is old fashioned, no glitz, but beautiful layers and flat, medieval stylized figures and objects. it is, perhaps because i have been making old-style books with vellum that i now have a connection to this sort of artifact. but what struck me so much tonight was hannah calling to tell me that there's a movie about the book of kells. she has hopes of working someday with archives and special collections, caring for cultural treasures. 

ink drawing on dyed vellum, before mounting in book

wooden boards over handmade paper, unfinished

what could be better, a snowy evening, a happy border collie, the magic of books and story? perhaps, if i had the book of kells to myself, for just one evening? or no, i would be too frightened to breathe near it.