Where’s Wallace by Hilary Knight ‘43?. Hilary Knight is well-known for his illustrations of Kay Thompson’s Eloise series, but he has written and illustrated many of his own books. This one invites you to find the venturesome orangutan, who slips his cage at the Central park Zoo, to a variety of venues designed to intrigue the young and the old: the circus, the Museum of Natural History, the ball park, among many others. This work predates the Where’s Waldo books, which undoubtedly owe Hilary a debt. Just to give you an idea of the vibrancy of the illustrations, here’s a picture (which doesn’t at all do justice to the original) I took of one double page:
In addition to the little orangutan in each drawing, there are several other characters who follow him around. Each pictures invites an intriguing search for Wallace and his entourage. My favorite is the knitting lady. Hilary Knight at 91 is still writing and drawing!
