He Helped Charlotte Spin Her Web

If you have a child--if you were a child--who loved books, chances are that Garth Williams is a treasured old friend.

You may not know the name, but you know his work: Williams’ whimsical, beautifully executed pen-and-ink drawings of animals and people can be found in a raft of childhood literary favorites--”Stuart Little,” “Charlotte’s Web,” “The Rescuers” and “The Little House on the Prairie” books--to name only a fraction of his output over 50 years.

An exhibit of Williams’ original works from these and other children’s books, will be presented at the Every Picture Tells a Story gallery in Hollywood today through Oct. 20. The 83-year-old artist, who divides his time between his castle in Mexico and a home in San Antonio, had planned to be at the gallery this evening for a special reception to launch the exhibit, but is ailing and unable to travel.

From the couple’s San Antonio headquarters, Williams’ wife Leticia explained that a 1961 bout with hepatitis after his move to Mexico left Williams with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Williams, the son of a professional cartoonist father--”a tremendous artist who was Garth’s inspiration,” according to his wife--and a landscape painter mother, began his own artistic career as a sculptor in England. Back in America (he was born in New York), he found his true calling when he was asked by an editor at Harper & Row to illustrate “Stuart Little,” E.B. White’s 1945 poignant, comic fantasy about a spirited little mouse’s coming-of-age in the world of humans.

From then on, Williams produced an amazing catalogue of work, illustrating his own original children’s stories, books by White, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Margery Sharp, Margaret Wise Brown and scores of others.

His latest illustrations can be seen in “J.B.’s Harmonica,” by Williams’ godson, former Lovin’ Spoonful lead singer John Sebastian, who will appear at the reception.

“Garth loves John like a son,” said Leticia Williams, who expresses deep admiration for her talented husband of 21 years. “Garth came (back) to America with $1 in his pocket and Sebastian’s parents invited him every day for supper and gave him money and never wanted to be paid back.”

Since Williams is “retired now,” she said, he isn’t taking commissions, but he does plan to add a 99th book to his total. His next project is to illustrate a story written by the couple’s 16-year-old daughter.

* Every Picture Tells a Story, 7525 Beverly Blvd., Hollywood, (213) 932-6070. Reception: tonight, 6 - 9 p.m.; gallery hours: Tue.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.