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Item Barcode | Collection | Call Number | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33607003460857 | Picture Books | EGGERS | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Summary
Summary
"[This] charming book provides examples and sends the message that citizens aren't born but are made by actions taken to help others and the world they live in." -- The Washington Post
This is a book about what citizenship--good citizenship--means to you, and to us all: Across the course of several seemingly unrelated but ultimately connected actions by different children, we watch how kids turn a lonely island into a community--and watch a journey from what the world should be to what the world could be. What Can a Citizen Do ? is the latest collaboration from the acclaimed behind the bestselling Her Right Foot : Dave Eggers and Shawn Harris. For today's youngest readers about what it means to be a citizen and the positive role they can play in society. Includes beautiful illustrations and intriguing, rhyming text. "Obligatory reading for future informed citizens." -- The New York Times
What Can a Citizen Do is an empowering and timeless read with an important message for all ages. Great family read-aloud book Books for kids ages 5-8 Picture books for grades K-3
Author Notes
Dave Eggers was born on March 12th, 1970, in Boston, Massachusetts. His family moved to Lake Forest, Illinois when he was a child. Eggers attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, until his parents' deaths in 1991 and 1992. The loss left him responsible for his eight-year-old brother and later became the inspiration for his highly acclaimed memoir "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius". Published in 2000, the memoir was nominated for a nonfiction Pulitzer the following year.
Eggers edits the popular "The Best American Nonrequired Reading" published annually. In 1998, he founded the independent publishing house, McSweeney's which publishes a variety of magazines and literary journals. Eggers has also opened several nonprofit writing centers for high school students across the United States.
Eggers has written several novels and his title, A Hologram for the King, was a finalist for the 2012 National Book Award. His most recent work of fiction, entitled The Circle, was published in 2013. His recent nonfiction books are The Monk of Mokha (January 2018) and What Can a Citizen Do? (Illustrated by Shawn Harris)(September 2018).
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-The creators of Her Right Foot offer a kid-accessible picture book primer on civics. Taking a broadly stroked allegorical approach, the duo employs rhyming verses and dynamic artwork to describe how a group of children come together to build their own community. A youngster wearing a head scarf and another sporting a blue baseball cap and flouncy gold skirt leave behind a distant cityscape and travel to a small island with a single tree (or is it really a backyard?). Much of the story line is presented through the detailed cut-paper illustrations. For example, when one child posts a "No trumpets" sign, three newcomers successfully plead their trumpet-supporting viewpoint ("A citizen can join a cause. A citizen can write a letter. A citizen can help change laws"). Everyone is welcome and the kids work together to build something wonderful (a fantastical tree house complete with domes, spires, and roller-coaster). Ultimately, a new-in-town boy who has been watching (and sketching) the action all along is invited to make his contribution (eye-dazzling strings of lights). Throughout, the visuals sparkle with wit and whimsy, celebrating imagination while also creating a foundation for the empowering text: "So forget yourself a second. Grab a shovel or a pen. Do something for another. Don't you dare doubt that you can!" -VERDICT Blending an appreciation for a child's perspective with a powerful message, this must-have book distills the fundamentals of citizenship into easy-to-digest concepts and emphasizes the importance of caring for others, accepting differences, and taking action to initiate positive change.-Joy Fleishhacker, Pikes Peak -Library District, Colorado Springs © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In manifesto-style language, Eggers (The Lifters) exhorts readers to get together and get involved ("Do something for another. Don't you dare doubt that you can!"), while elaborate cut-paper illustrations by Harris (Her Right Foot) follow a group of children who slowly transform a little island with a single tree into a lively tree house society. When a posted "No trumpets" sign excludes a trumpet player, the founders amend the sign to "OK trumpets," showing that building community, literally and figuratively, demands a willingness to compromise. Eggers's narration is sometimes literal, sometimes oblique ("Yes! A citizen can be a bear," he writes, as the kids welcome a huge bear to their group), but it's never less than stirring. The dimensionality and complexity of Harris's illustrations, meanwhile, beautifully embody the messy realities and exciting potential of the civic enterprise. The cast of characters is forthrightly diverse, including a girl wearing a hijab and a child of indeterminate gender wearing a baseball cap, big boots, and a tutu. As Eggers writes, "Who can a citizen be?/ A citizen is just like you." Ages 5-8. Author's and illustrator's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.