Wordless except for opening and closing remarks, an occasional phrase of commentary and a key at the back, this album of carefully framed but un-retouched photographs captures letter shapes in vines and tree branches, tufts of moss, rock formations, strands of seaweed, a lizard’s tail and other natural objects. The pictures, arranged several to a spread, were shot mostly in California—but children anywhere will find in them an invitation to “collect” the letters that can be found all around: sometimes hidden, more often in plain sight. Shelve near Kjell Block Sandved’s similar Butterfly Alphabet (1996) or Stephen Johnson’s photorealistic Alphabet City (1995). (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: May 1, 2006
ISBN: 1-59714-021-X
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Heyday
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2006
A quiet, warm look at the bond between grandfather and grandson.
After a visit, an African-American grandfather and grandson say farewell under a big yellow moon. Granpa tells Max it is the same moon he will see when he gets home.
This gently told story uses Max’s fascination with the moon’s ability to “tag along” where his family’s car goes as a metaphor for his grandfather’s constant love. Separating the two relatives is “a swervy-curvy road” that travels up and down hills, over a bridge, “past a field of sleeping cows,” around a small town and through a tunnel. No matter where Max travels, the moon is always there, waiting around a curve or peeking through the trees. But then “[d]ark clouds tumbled across the night sky.” No stars, no nightingales and no moon are to be found. Max frets: “Granpa said it would always shine for me.” Disappointed, Max climbs into bed, missing both the moon and his granpa. In a dramatic double-page spread, readers see Max’s excitement as “[s]lowly, very slowly, Max’s bedroom began to fill with a soft yellow glow.” Cooper uses his signature style to illustrate both the landscape—sometimes viewed from the car windows or reflected in the vehicle’s mirror—and the expressive faces of his characters. Coupled with the story’s lyrical text, this is a lovely mood piece.
A quiet, warm look at the bond between grandfather and grandson. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: June 13, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-399-23342-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2013
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)
Pub Date: March 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-8027-8883-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Walker
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2004
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