Available:*
Item Barcode | Collection | Call Number | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33607002560517 | Picture Books | WOOD | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
The creators of Grandad's Prayers of the Earth return with a look at how each person's experiences in the world are gloriously unique.
Feel the rain kiss your skin or the wind ruffle your hair. Hear the hum of a bumblebee; watch a water strider march across a pond; taste a red, ripe strawberry; whistle with a blade of grass. From Christopher Medal-winning author Douglas Wood and celebrated illustrator P.J. Lynch comes a moving look at the experiences that belong only to us, marking a place on Earth that is ours alone. After all, who but you can remember your own memories? Wonderfully evocative of nature's sensory treasures, here is a perfect gift to share with a child -- or to inspire loved ones of any age as they set out to create their special place in the world.
Author Notes
Douglas Wood is the author of Grandad's Prayers of the Earth, illustrated by P.J. Lynch and winner of a Christopher Medal. He is also the author of Miss Little's Gift, illustrated Jim Burke; Aunt Mary's Rose, illustrated by LeUyen Pham; and the best-selling book Old Turtle. He lives in Sartelle, Minnesota.
P.J. Lynch is the acclaimed illustrator of many beloved books, including Douglas Wood's Grandad's Prayers of the Earth. He won the Kate Greenaway Medal twice, for When Jessie Came Across the Sea by Amy Hest and The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski . P.J. Lynch lives in Ireland.
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-An omniscient narrator addresses readers directly, informing them that people experience things differently. Examples of direct sensory experiences abound, from feeling the rain and wind to savoring a strawberry. Ironically, the book opens with the statement that the most important things in the world are those that "no one can teach you or show you or explain." Then the rest of the book tries to teach, show, and explain those very things. The awkward text attempts to be general and specific at the same time. Every reader is meant to take personally a statement like "Only one person can notice the hum of a bumblebee on a lazy afternoon as he buzzes past your ear...and that someone is no one but you." The issue of who is being addressed may be further confused by the illustrations of realistic, individual children. The book's solemnity is unlikely to hold children's interest, and the odd mix of universal/individual focus may perplex them. In the end, readers may be left wondering why it matters that "no one but you" can experience these special moments, as the significance of such uniqueness is left unexplained. The tender oil paintings of thoughtful, nature-loving children of various ethnicities are full of life, but, along with the sentiments expressed, they are more likely to resonate with adults than with children.-Heidi Estrin, Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Titles of this nature usually accompany a tribute to the unconditional love between parent and child. Here, however, the subject is the relationship of the child to the world, and the magical combination of acuity, empathy, and enthusiasm that determines individual perspective: "No one else in the world can look up at the stars,/ these stars, right now,/ with your own eyes,/ and feel your own special place on this earth," writes Wood (who collaborated with Lynch on Granddad's Prayer of the Earth). Lynch's generously scaled (and occasionally almost life-size) canvas-textured oil portraits capture children's epiphanies from a variety of angles and framings, with the most effective images offering readers a vantage point that a snapshot can't: when a child savors the chill of bare toes dipped into a pond, Lynch provides a literal fish-eye view that looks up through the creamy, dappled aqua water. But the beauty of the pictures can't overcome the book's lack of even a modest dramatic arc. The examples, however heartfelt, feel undifferentiated, and the overall impression is that of a catalogue rather than a reverie. Ages 6-up. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.