Two enchanting new picture books for today's post, in celebration of Picture Book Month! I have long loved Scott Gustafson's books and art. They are perpetual favorites for bedtime reading at my house.
There are eight tales here. As he has done in previous works, Mr. Gustafson uses his formidable talent for elegance and detail in creating the artwork for these familiar stories.
Expressive and emotional, they invite careful observation and are sure to result in discussions that will enhance the tales told. Backgrounds change, as does image placement in the way various spreads are designed. From the sly look in the crow's eye when solving the problem of unquenchable thirst, to a smug pug emperor who is bamboozled by duplicitous foxes, to the lazy farmyard animals who will have no part in helping The Little Red Hen until they hope to reap the rewards of her labor, there is something here for everyone. I was not familiar with The Boy Who Went to the North Wind. Who knew the wind that plagues many of our days in winter could be such a friend and provider?
Lessons taught and learned, memorable characters to be admired or not, this is a book that will be enjoyed time and again.
"Little Tommy Tucker
Sings for his supper.
What shall we give him?
White bread and butter.
How shall he cut it
Without a knife?
How will he marry
Without a wife?"
I have always loved nursery rhymes. As a child, they were definitely my first poetry. We shared them in the car, on walks and in the bathtub when our kids were little. It makes me sad to think so few kids know them today. They have such an effect on language and future success in reading ... kids need the ability to rhyme to help them when they are learning to read.
Full of fun, and with lessons to teach, this selection of 45 rhymes provides a wonderful opportunity for parents and teachers to familiarize their children with characters and situations that have long been popular. Many of the images are elegant and refined, while others hold surprise and humor. Jack and Jill are adventurous, if clumsy, pigs. Tommy Tucker is a feline one-person band who obviously delights the little girl sitting on the stoop with his supper beside her. Humpty Dumpty is a smug scholar, unimpressed by the young king and his entourage as they march past his wall. Jack Sprat is a pencil-thin aristocratic frog munching on a stick of celery while his equally aristocratic and much larger wife nibbles a chocolate doughnut. Can't you just imagine the conversation that will arise. (Kids are sure to note the perplexed, and hungry, ants as they peruse a crumbless plate.)
Love, love, love it!
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