Virginia Lee Burton: A Sense of Place

Plot Summary

This acclaimed PBS documentary offers a unique portrait of Virginia Lee Burton, one of the most significant and groundbreaking author/illustrators of the 20th Century. For over 60 years, her classic picture books, including the beloved Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel and The Little House, have delighted children with their engaging stories and lively illustrations. Her dynamic illustrations, use of space, typeface and design were at the forefront of the developing American Picture Book. Similarly, her themes of team work, overcoming obstacles, meeting challenges, environmental awareness and adapting to change while honoring the past, are evergreen. Burton was also a gifted textile designer who, in 1940, founded The Folly Cove Designers in Gloucester, Massachusetts where she lived with her husband, noted sculptor, George Demetrios. This design collective produced highly sophisticated and detailed textiles that were sold throughout the United States. Virginia Lee Burton was a woman ahead of her time, a Renaissance woman whose art and literature remain an enduring part of America’s cultural heritage. This finely wrought documentary explores Burton’s life and art through a treasure-trove of archival materials, never-before seen photographs, personal documents, sketchbooks, original manuscripts and interviews with family and friends.