Available:*
Item Barcode | Collection | Call Number | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33607003241653 | Picture Books | CORDELL | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Summary
Summary
With new life comes infinite possibility in this companion to Wish and Hope , by Caldecott Award-winner Matthew Cordell.
In this stunning picture book, a gorilla family celebrates their young child by dreaming of everything their baby will encounter, who he will be, and what dreams he will eventually have. The simple but touching story perfectly expresses the emotions that parents often find difficult to put into words.
Author Notes
Matthew Cordell is the author and illustrator of many celebrated picture books, including Hello, Neighbor!: The Kind and Caring World of Mister Rogers , and Wolf in the Snow , recipient of the 2018 Caldecott Medal. As an illustrator he has collaborated with many more authors including Gail Carson Levine, Philip C. Stead, and Rebecca Kai Dotlich. Matthew lives with his wife, author Julie Halpern, and their two children in suburban Chicago.
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-In a companion to Wish, Cordell again explores the deeply personal relationship between parent and child. Two gorilla parents bring home a new baby and wonder, "Who would you be? Who would we be?" Following is the dream one of these parents has of watching the baby grow and knowing that the child will at some point leave to see the world. The adult foresees that sometimes there will be discovery and sometimes heartache. Softly hued pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations take readers into a natural world that is slightly anthropomorphic with its hut, crib, paintbrushes, and canvases. Colorful, confetti-like swirls radiate off the child, symbolizing all the many possibilities. Through the passage of time, viewers see the young gorilla emerge as an artist and leave home, and learn how the parents "felt everything." Cordell comes full circle as the parent awakens, back with the infant child. In the spirit of Dr. Seuss's Oh, the Places You'll Go!, this is a parent's dream of possibilities, but it offers children the security of unconditional love and support. VERDICT A well-executed message for quieter moments shared one-on-one between a parent and child.-Danielle Jones, Multnomah County Library, OR © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
As in Cordell's Wish, a pair of animals celebrates the arrival of a child. Two gorillas lean over their new baby's crib; a small arm stretches up out of it. With simple, heartfelt words, the narrator confronts the joy and terror that parenthood brings: "We looked upon you, impossible you, and we felt everything. Who would you be?" An extended dream sequence expresses the child's growing up as the journey of an artist. The child carries a paintbrush everywhere, and as the story progresses, some of the spreads, painted in a rougher, looser style, are meant to represent the child's increasingly accomplished work. "I saw a new you," the gorilla parent says. "Taller. Wiser. Stronger. Strong in body... strong in soul." Animal characters provide a way for illustrators to include all readers, yet using gorillas to represent humans and housing them in a round, thatched hut has uncomfortable echoes. There's no mistaking the text's goodwill, though; Cordell voices the hopes of families with disarming honesty, finding words for feelings that parents can't always articulate. Ages 3-5. Agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.