Caleb Charland

As an undergrad at MassArt back in 2004 I took a wonderful class on children’s literature.  Final projects involved writing and illustrating our own books. It was so much fun to combine words and images, here’s one from the archive I’m rather fond of.

Words and Image by Caleb Charland © 2004

The Glad Ladder

Once there was a ladder who grew so tall
He could not be used for very much at all
When the ladder was young, all the people in town
Would climb him to be up away from the ground

They’d climb to pick fruits and to shingle their roofs
His rungs became smiles in helpful pursuits
But as he kept growing he got much too tall
No one would climb him for fear they would fall

So the ladder got sadder
And it kept getting badder
He moved far away
Cause it all made him madder

So he was alone to grow and to grow
Above all the trees where the wild winds blow
Up above cities beyond all the clouds
Out where the stars start to shine to the ground

So I asked him one day “Ladder why do you grow?
Are you still a sad ladder, are you out of control?

“No little man I’m now a glad ladder
I know what I now want to do.
Just give me some time, I’m almost through
I’ll be the first ladder to reach to the Moon.”