Publisher's Weekly Review
Folk art and folk music join in two-part harmony in this attractive picture book adaptation of song lyrics, made famous on recordings by Nanci Griffith and Bette Midler. The words convey a utopian vision of a world where people can live in peace, concentrating on their similarities rather than their differences: "From a distance/ You look like my friend/ Even though we are at war." Reminding readers that "God is watching us from a distance," Gold also urges adherence to a common morality. Ray (The Story of Christmas) makes the most of Gold's ideas of near and far perspective, creating intricate, creamy-hued paintings that are more conceptual than her previous works and tell a distinct story of their own. With each turn of the page, the scenes become increasingly focused and detailedÄan effect akin to working a camera's zoom lens. Beginning at a lush, yet universal mountaintop community, Ray homes in on a particular village, depicting families in strife as soldiers and refugees march through the streets and military helicopters whir overhead; two girls pictured together in a window become the aforementioned friends who view each other "from a distance." When army tanks roll away from the bombed village, its residents find the strength to rebuild, and the friends are reunited. An appreciation by singer-musician Griffith concludes this uplifting, elegantly designed volume. All ages. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Library Journal Review
What all this war is for...."-Liza Graybill, Worcester Public Library, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
