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AFTERNOON ON A HILL

Name: AFTERNOON ON A HILL
Author: Edna St. Vincent Millay
ISBN: 978-1-56846-334-6

by Edna St. Vincent Millay ; illustrated by Paolo Domeniconi ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 12, 2019

Romantic and bracing.

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A poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay gets an illustrated treatment.

The 12 lines of Millay’s 1917 poem provide the whole text for this glorious nature outing. “I will be the gladdest thing / Under the sun!” opens the adventure, as the anonymous first-person narrator runs over grassy hills wearing a short-sleeved calico dress and sneakers. The poem can be read literally as realism, but in the illustrations, a fantasy realm grows. When the lines say “I will touch a hundred flowers / And not pick one,” a single flower grows to the scale of a sapling. The heads of massive birds peer out from between trees, their eyes intense and just this side of ominous. A forest, from a long view, is shaped like an animal, absorbing (not reflecting) sunlight even while the narrator’s peachy skin glows with reflected sun. When the poem lets the protagonist “[w]atch the wind bow down the grass, / And the grass rise,” the grass becomes a horizontally billowing ocean for the child to windsurf on, standing upright on an enormous leaf, arms outstretched, hair streaming. The illustrations are all full-bleed spreads; each has a different light. Domeniconi offsets acute, scientific-feeling, almost overpowering visual details on flowers and birds against vague, generic skies and distant trees. At dusk, lights glow in the distant town, and the narrator beds down—nestled in the antlers of a mighty animal, possibly an elk.

Romantic and bracing. (Picture book. 4-9)

Pub Date: March 12, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-56846-334-6

Page Count: 14

Publisher: Creative Editions/Creative Company

Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | CHILDREN'S POETRY

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THE BALLAD OF THE HARP-WEAVER
by Edna St. Vincent Millay & illustrated by Beth Peck

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A LIBRARY

by Nikki Giovanni ; illustrated by Erin K. Robinson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 27, 2022

A lushly illustrated homage to librarians who provide a welcome and a home away from home for all who enter.

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A love letter to libraries.

A Black child, with hair in two puffballs tied with yellow ribbons, a blue dress with a Peter Pan collar, and black patent leather Mary Janes, helps Grandmother with the housework, then, at Grandmother’s suggestion, heads to the library. The child’s eagerness to go, with two books under an arm and one in their hand, suggests that this is a favorite destination. The books’ wordless covers emphasize their endless possibilities. The protagonist’s description of the library makes clear that they are always free to be themselves there—whether they feel happy or sad, whether they’re reading mysteries or recipes, and whether they feel “quick and smart” or “contained and cautious.” Robinson’s vibrant, carefully composed digital illustrations, with bright colors that invite readers in and textures and patterns in every image, effectively capture the protagonist’s passion for reading and appreciation for a space where they feel accepted regardless of disposition. In her author’s note, Giovanni states that she spent summers visiting her grandmother in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she went to the Carnegie Branch of the Lawson McGhee Library. She expresses gratitude for Mrs. Long, the librarian, who often traveled to the main library to get books that Giovanni could not find in their segregated branch. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A lushly illustrated homage to librarians who provide a welcome and a home away from home for all who enter. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-358-38765-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Versify/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S POETRY

- BOOK REVIEW
I AM LOVED
by Nikki Giovanni ; illustrated by Ashley Bryan

- BOOK REVIEW
LINCOLN AND DOUGLASS
by Nikki Giovanni & illustrated by Bryan Collier

- BOOK REVIEW
HIP HOP SPEAKS TO CHILDREN
edited by Nikki Giovanni and illustrated by Kristen Balouch

- SEEN & HEARD
HBO Acquires Nikki Giovanni Documentary

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MAMA BUILT A LITTLE NEST

by Jennifer Ward ; illustrated by Steve Jenkins ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 18, 2014

A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers.

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Echoing the meter of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Ward uses catchy original rhymes to describe the variety of nests birds create.

Each sweet stanza is complemented by a factual, engaging description of the nesting habits of each bird. Some of the notes are intriguing, such as the fact that the hummingbird uses flexible spider web to construct its cup-shaped nest so the nest will stretch as the chicks grow. An especially endearing nesting behavior is that of the emperor penguin, who, with unbelievable patience, incubates the egg between his tummy and his feet for up to 60 days. The author clearly feels a mission to impart her extensive knowledge of birds and bird behavior to the very young, and she’s found an appealing and attractive way to accomplish this. The simple rhymes on the left page of each spread, written from the young bird’s perspective, will appeal to younger children, and the notes on the right-hand page of each spread provide more complex factual information that will help parents answer further questions and satisfy the curiosity of older children. Jenkins’ accomplished collage illustrations of common bird species—woodpecker, hummingbird, cowbird, emperor penguin, eagle, owl, wren—as well as exotics, such as flamingoes and hornbills, are characteristically naturalistic and accurate in detail.

A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers. (author’s note, further resources) (Informational picture book. 4-7)