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THE EARTH AND I

Name: THE EARTH AND I
Author: Frank Asch
ISBN: 0-15-200443-2

by Frank Asch & illustrated by Frank Asch ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1994

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In this bland consciousness-raiser, Asch (Hands Around Lincoln, p. 63, etc.) casts the relationship between a boy and nature as friendship. ``The Earth and I are friends. Sometimes we go for long walks together.'' Each drop of rain, each fingernail on the boy's hand, each brick of his house is rendered in a ripple of rainbow hues, giving Asch's simple shapes and usually spacious compositions a crowded, overworked look. The ``friendship'' is portrayed largely in figurative, generalized, or symbolic ways. To ``tell her what's on my mind,'' the lad stands on a tortoise whose shell markings suggest a world map; later, coming upon a littered, polluted stream (``When she's sad, I'm sad''), he carries the trash away (to where?) and plants a flower. In the last scene, he hugs a tree. Worthy insight perhaps, but so painfully earnest that readers are unlikely to feel more than a superficial, temporary response. (Fiction/Picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1994

ISBN: 0-15-200443-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1994

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
TACOS
by Frank Asch ; illustrated by Frank Asch

- BOOK REVIEW
PANCAKES IN PAJAMAS
by Frank Asch ; illustrated by Frank Asch

- BOOK REVIEW
THE LENDING ZOO
by Frank Asch ; illustrated by Frank Asch

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SKY COLOR

by Peter H. Reynolds & illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 28, 2012

Share this feel-good title with those who love art and those who can appreciate the confidence-building triumph of solving a...

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Reynolds returns to a favorite topic—creative self-expression—with characteristic skill in a companion title to The Dot (2003) and Ish (2004).

Marisol is “an artist through and through. So when her teacher told her class they were going to paint a mural…, Marisol couldn’t wait to begin.” As each classmate claims a part of the picture to paint, Marisol declares she will “paint the sky.” But she soon discovers there is no blue paint and wonders what she will do without the vital color. Up to this point, the author uses color sparingly—to accent a poster or painting of Marisol’s or to highlight the paint jars on a desk. During her bus ride home, Marisol wonders what to do and stares out the window. The next spread reveals a vibrant departure from the gray tones of the previous pages. Reds, oranges, lemon yellows and golds streak across the sunset sky. Marisol notices the sky continuing to change in a rainbow of colors…except blue. After awakening from a colorful dream to a gray rainy day, Marisol smiles. With a fervent mixing of paints, she creates a beautiful swirling sky that she describes as “sky color.” Fans of Reynolds will enjoy the succinct language enhanced by illustrations in pen, ink, watercolor, gouache and tea.

Share this feel-good title with those who love art and those who can appreciate the confidence-building triumph of solving a problem on one’s own—creatively. (Picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012

ISBN: 978-0-7636-2345-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
I AM WE
by Susan Verde ; illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

- BOOK REVIEW
THE REFLECTION IN ME
by Marc Colagiovanni ; illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

- BOOK REVIEW
ALL WE NEED IS LOVE AND A REALLY SOFT PILLOW!
by Peter H. Reynolds & Henry Rocket Reynolds ; illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

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FOUR SEASONS MAKE A YEAR

by Anne Rockwell & illustrated by Megan Halsey ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2004

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In this rather blinkered tour through the annual cycle, a child tallies the exact dates of the solstices and equinoxes while observing natural changes that mark each season. Some of those observations are simplistic—in spring: “Every day the air gets warmer.” “June 21st is the first day of summer. Green sprouts spring up from the field.” The possibility that seasons might not be so distinct beyond the author’s New England home is acknowledged only in an inconspicuous, small-type note. In characteristically clear, uncluttered illustrations, Halsey places the young narrator/naturalist in a generic rural setting. Previous Rockwell/Halsey collaborations, such as One Bean (1998) and Two Blue Jays (2003), introduce narrower topics to young children more successfully; for a basic but more inclusive introduction to the seasons, there are plenty of other choices. (Picture book/nonfiction. 4-6)