Jannis Deckchen

by Arthur Miller, Gerhard Holtz-Baumert (Translator)

In his only work for children, the author of Death of a Salesman offers a different kind of story: the heartwarming illustrated tale of a child's growth and maturity. Jane couldn't go to sleep without her pink blanket but when she gets big and it becomes small, she lets it comfort creatures littler than herself.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books

29 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Works of American playwright Arthur Asher Miller include Death of a Salesman (1949), for which he won a Pulitzer Prize, and The Crucible (1953).


This essayist, a prominent figure in literature and cinema for over 61 years, composed a wide variety, such as celebrated A View from the Bridge and All My Sons , still studied and performed worldwide. Miller often in the public eye most famously refused to give evidence to the un-American activities committee of the House of Representatives, received award for drama, and married Marilyn Monroe. People at the time considered the greatest Miller.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_...

Reviews

[Classic reverie · Rating 5 out of 5]

First and foremost thanks to my Goodreads friend, Radwa who brought attention to Arthur Miller's Jane's Blanket through her review. I was surprised that Miller had written a child's book and this interested me greatly. I have several plays of his on my list to read this year and I wanted to read this too.

This is illustrated and of course a quick read. At first I was wondering what could be so special, that happens to the little girl's blanket but Miller makes something so basic quite classy and wonderful. This will help little ones who of course can not stop from growing up but come to a happy understanding that makes them feel it is okay.

As a middle age approaching my senior years, I enjoyed this and it brought memories of childhood and my own special possessions that I needed to let go.

Bravo Arthur Miller!💖💟

[Radwa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The one and only children book written by Arthur Miller

I still can't understand why he didn't write more books for children

I just loved it. Jane reminded me of myself when I was little.

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to my 4 year old niece via Skype.

Here is her review:

"Really loved it and it was kind of nice. I loved the best part of the blanket, which was when she was a baby and wrapped in the 'bata' and when it was so soft."

She also thought the pictures were "Really nice."

4 out of 5 stars from both of us.

I would like to thank the publisher, Dover Publications for allowing me a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Storywraps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arthur Miller, the author of "Death of a Salesman," penned his only book for children, "Jane's Blanket." The book I review today is a reprint of the original which was published in 1963. He published the book the same year as the birth of his second daughter Rebecca, but dedicated it to his firstborn daughter, Jane, who was nearing 20 years old at the time. The blanket in the story represents himself as the father and his diminishing importance in Jane's life as she matures and grows up.

This heartwarming tale follows a little baby girl named Jane who bonds immediately to her soft, warm, cuddly pink blanket. She calls it "bata" because she can not pronounce blanket. She is inseparable from that little square of cloth and each night snuggles down with it and receives peace and security.

Jane grows even bigger and one night she discovers her bata is missing. She seeks out her mom to ask where it has gone. Her mother retrieves it and shows it to Jane telling her beloved daughter that she is growing big and her blanket has grown smaller. Her mom points out that much revered bata is tattered, frayed and full of holes with threads sticking out all around it. She tells Jane she is too old for it now and should release it, but Jane disagrees.


Jane returns to her bedroom and tries to cover herself like old times, snuggle down with it once again and finally comes to realization that even though she would love to keep holding onto it ... it's time to let it go. She lovingly places on her windowsill hoping tomorrow she may figure out what to do.

In the morning she opens her eyes and discovers a bluebird pulling out threads from her blanket and then flying off. What could that bird possibly be doing with those threads? Jane's parents explain to her how her blanket is being recycled and will now be used by that special mother bird to comfort and keep her babies warm and safe. That explanation made Jane very happy indeed. She then understood that her bata would always belong to her whenever she thought of that cozy little bird family taking refuge in their nest together.

The illustrations are sketches and the only colour added is to Jane's pink blanket which is delightful. The story is heartwarming and relatable especially if you have had a little one that bonded with their bata and had separation anxiety when it was put to rest.

[Martha Zavala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vi una mención a este cuento en el libro Té con Winnicott
Es la historia de una niña con su colcha rosa y cómo va creciendo y desprendiéndose de ella

La historia del objeto transicional !

Me gustó mucho como describe el crecimiento de la niña y también el final de la historia

Para mí habla del objeto transicional, otros piensan que se refiere a cómo el hijo va necesitando menos a las figuras parentales

Creo que ambas lecturas son válidas y aún puede haber más opiniones

[Beth Lapides · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thi book probably did more to shape my understanding of change and letting go than any other book. When, as an adult I went to check it out I was so surprised to see that Arthur Miller - that Arthur Miller? - yes that Arthur Miller had written it. This cover is different - the beautiful illustration of the earlier edition were part of the experience. Look for that one.

[Andréa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I received a digital review copy through NetGalley.

[Arielle Masters · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books from when I was a kid. Very sweet, very true-to-life. Get your tissues ready!

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received the original back in '63, a signed copy given to my parents who 'knew' Miller.
One of my favorites more so for the drawings that influenced my later art.

[Victoria & David Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

So it belonged to my sister, but I loved it.

[beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the most formative book of my childhood. Partly the writing and partly the drawings - the cover here is awful the original drawings are beautiful A story about change and acceptance.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a reissue of an old and loved story about growing up. This book is the only children's story written by playwriter, Arthur Miller.

Jane has a soft pink blanket that she got when she was a baby. The story tells how much she loved her "bata" and how she held it and slept with it all the time. The blanket eventually wore out, got smaller and was put in the bag of rags. When Jane realizes her blanket is missing, she cries until her mother gives her what is left of it. She realized that not only has her blanket gotten smaller, but she has gotten bigger and is growing up. She still wants her blanket at night and she hugs what is left of it. As the story tells of her life changing as she continues to grow up, she becomes less and less interested in her blanket, until one day, when she again notices it is missing. Her mother digs out what is left of it and again she sleeps with it in her room. There is a happy ending to the story.

The illustrations are black and white except for the blanket which adds a nice contrast. A wonderful story to read to children as they are growing up and are beginning to not need that beloved blanket or toy to feel secure anymore. A great book to be on all family bookshelves.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Jane's Blanket' is the only children's story written by Arthur Miller. This version had lovely minal drawings by Al Parker of the Famous Artists School.

The story begins when Jane is just a little baby and she has a favorite blanket that is pink. She loves her blanket and cuddles with it. She can't sleep when she doesn't have it, but eventually Jane grows up. As she grows, the blanket is still important, but is growing frayed from all the use and washings. As Jane grows and the blanket shrinks, Jane has to make some choices about her beloved blanket.

The story would hold up well to modern children, and would make a good quiet time book for bedtime. It's beautifully written and beautifully illustrated. The illustrations are black and white with pink coloring for the blanket. The story deals with growing up and letting go of things, but it isn't melancholy or sad. It's a gently told tale, and I love that it doesn't attempt to talk down to children. This is a master artist and writer telling a gentle and moving tale.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Dover Publications and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this wonderful ebook.

[Elaine - Splashes Into Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a reprint of the original which was published in 1963 and it is delightful! It tells the story of Jane and her baby blanket. The illustrations are all sketches where the only colour (other than black and white) is the pink blanket. It shares some of the things Jane used to do with the blanket as she grew from being a baby to school age, showing how as she grew bigger the much loved blanket grew smaller. Initially Jane is reluctant to let her old tattered blanket go until a bluebird started to use threads from it to line her nest.

This is a sweet book, one that may well end up being as treasured as Jane’s beloved blanket. It could easily be read with children who are a similar age to Jane towards the end of the story - an age when they are beginning to outgrow their own blanket or baby toys. It could help reassure children that this is just part of growing up and not meant to upset them. It is a lovely, if old fashioned, book and one that will stay in the memories of those who hear or read it as a child.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley, too, for letting me read an ARC of this book in exchange for this, an honest review.

[Kendrick Goodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jane's Blanket was one of my favorite books growing up. It tells the story of growing up, as we watch Jane grow up alongside her blanket. This book is perfect for younger children, especially for those with blankets who are beginning to outgrow them. What is interesting about this book though, is the author; Arthur Miller. He is a famous playwright and this was his first and only children's book he wrote. This book is especially old and is very rare. However, it is still one of my favorite children's books. The illustrations are not the best they could be, however the story makes up for the lack of the illustrations. This is a perfect book to read aloud to a child or student, perhaps on the kindergarten level.

[Dee/ bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jane's Blanket by Arthur Miller is a story about a little girl who is attached to a blanket and how she grows up and out of the attachment. This book has great illustrations done by Al Parker. The story starts a bit slow, it is about a girl who wants her blanket, especially when she sleeps. But it creates the picture of how attached she is. It goes through how she goes from a baby to when she starts school and beyond. It is beautiful the way the author in the end lets the girls blanket live on and gives Jane a small sense of loss but a bigger sense of worth because she let her blanket mean more in the end. She learned not only to be selfless but to be charitable as well.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

[Su · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful story that young children will deeply appreciate, especially those with a little teddy bear, pillow or blanket they also hold very dear.. The illustrations are also very good and add nicely to the story. Having no color except for the pink of the blanket was a really good call as it serves to highlight its importance for Jane and her attachment to it. I remember having a pink blanket just like Jane's when I was very young and because of that I could really relate to the story. I'm glad Dover Publications chose to republish this story because it's one I feel many kids and parents will be able to relate to. It's a lovely story that I would have loved to share with a child.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

A most surprising curio, this - by which I mean the existence of it, of course, and not the contents, which relate to a young girl and her comfort blanket. With decent enough illustrations it makes for a very pleasant picture book, and one that on this evidence should be more well known. I did see a problem with the mother doing all the talky bits until the final, scientific/positive one, which is where the dad chips in at last, and Jane does seem keen on growing up to be a robot wife in a nuclear family, but on the whole this is a lot more pleasurable than such unnecessary criticism would have you believe.

[Cariadne · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sweet story reminiscent of simpler times -- and by that, I mean the olden days. The illustrations by Al Parker are the perfect match for the bittersweet words by Arthur Miller. And while the illustrations have a very clear retro-Leave-it-to-Beaver black-and-whte style, the story is what makes you realize raising kids is timeless. I myself have a story of my own daughter and her blanket attachment, and this is the 2000s. I thought this might be a sweet story to share with her, but think the story can be best appreciated through more mature beings then my own child who still loves blankets.

[Reggie_Love · Rating 2 out of 5]

WTF just happened. The story of a little girl and her blanket that goes horribly wrong. While drawn and written for a younger audience, it's about Jane outgrowing her blanket and a bird eventually using it for a nest. Nope. I would still breakdown if my favourite stuffed animal was taken from me, and I'm about to turn thirty. I can't see this book doing anything other than make a child run to her/his favourite item and clinging to it for dear life. Definitely wouldn't read it to my child. There are better ways to discuss the topic.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the first books I remember my parents reading to me when I was a child. Must have been in 1963 since I was 4 then. I kept it until I left home and then my niece and nephew got it from my mom. I wish I had kept it for myself.

[Alenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all-time favorite childrens' books!

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite book from childhood!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet book!

[Child960801 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story about growing up and leaving behind babyhood. A little dated, but lovely little illustrations that capture the personality of the main character so well.

[Poongothai · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are all black and white except the pick blanket which is nice. The sweet story deals with growing up of children.

Thanks to netgalley

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute old fashioned book about a little girl who is attached to her baby blanket and never wants to let it go. Eventually she grows up, as all children do and has to learn to let go.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m so sorry to say that I did not enjoy this book.