| MomÕs View: ChildrenÕs Book
Reviews by Paula Behr Luke's Way of Looking, by Nadia Wheatley, illustrated by Matt Ottley, Kane/Miller Book Publishers. Age Level: Four and Beyond If you have ever had a black-and-white thinker try to stifle your multi-colored layers or put a wet blanket on your fire of ideas, then this book is for you and the budding-Picasso children in your life. Luke's art teacher angrily berates him for his blue-apple kind of drawings in a red-apple kind of world. Luke doesn't understand this internal difference, his imagination's unique viewpoint that expresses itself on canvas, until he inadvertently wanders into an art museum and gains the freedom to express his own inner vision. Finally his own inner paintbrush song sings so brightly as to silence the darkness of his teacher's stifling viewpoint. True self-expression triumphs over the grass-is-green-not-blue mindset when Luke banishes the outer and inner critic, happily paints what he sees and gives the world his own way of looking. Plum, by Tony Mitton, illustrated by Mary GrandPré, Arthur A. Levine Books. Age Level: Four and Beyond What a marvelous jaunt into the land of poetry! The yummy pastel drawings are fun and versatile and mysterious all at the same time. Top it off with the words that are a whimsical whipped word cream that's delicious for the mind and you have this book dessert. My daughter and I laughed as a girl asks to buy a lollipop at Mrs. Rummage's Muddle-up Shop; stuff goes flying everywhere as Mrs. Rummage looks for the treat that's stuck in her hair. There is the plum that bemoans its temporary nature only to be reassured by a hungry bird that the magic of a tree grows within. My daughter's mouth hung open as the tension of walking through eerie "Green Man Lane" became palpable. The twenty poems contained within play on different emotions and the dance between poet and artist is smooth. This book says welcome to the world of poetry and embraces the art of word making with a witty hug. Anything that causes this much fun around reading gets my vote! Paula Behr is a journalist and mother of two. She is dedicated to finding and sharing children's books with gentle and loving messages. Contact her at cyberbehrs@earthlink.net Copyright © 2004 Paul Behr |
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May 2004 |
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