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Summary
Summary
A rainy day. Three kids in a park. A dinosaur spring rider. A bag of chalk. The kids begin to draw...and then...magic! The children draw the sun, butterflies, and a dinosaur that amazingly come to life. Children will never feel the same about the playground after they experience this astounding wordless picture book and the power of the imagination. Bill Thomson embraced traditional painting techniques and meticulously painted each illustration by hand, using acrylic paint and colored pencils.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this wordless drama, a clever twist on the theme of "be careful what you wish for," sidewalk chalk provides three children with miraculous fun until one artist goes overboard. Thomson's (Building with Dad) photo-real acrylic and colored pencil spreads close in on three kids in raincoats who discover a bag full of chalk hanging from the mouth of a playground dinosaur. As raindrops splash, one girl draws a sun on the pavement. When a sun promptly bursts forth and drives the clouds away, the second girl draws chalk butterflies, whereupon monarchs emerge from the pavement. But the boy's hand-drawn dinosaur is a little too real, and the frightening creature pursues them across the playground. Although the kids' expressions of glee, shock, and terror sometimes feel over the top, Thomson's brilliant sun and shadow effects, cinematic shots, and novel angles (one from the POV of the marauding dino) create lots of visual excitement. The story is simple enough so that readers can provide their own narrative, though it might leave some more cautious about picking up strange objects. Ages 4-8. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
One rainy day, three kids find a bag of colored chalk at a park and discover that whatever they draw (e.g., a yellow sun) becomes real (the rain suddenly stops). Like Raymond Briggs's The Snowman, this wordless book will have readers happily suspending disbelief. The photorealistic art, which offers close-ups as well as skewed aerial perspectives, is dazzling. Copyright 2010 of The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
With eye-catching, realistic illustrations, clever details, and some dramatic suspense, this wordless picture book offers a fresh take on the drawings-come-to-life theme. One rainy day, three raincoat-clad children head to the playground and find a bag of chalk. When one girl draws a sun, something amazing happens: clouds break and a sunny blue sky appears. The second kid draws butterflies, which also appear. But when a boy draws a dinosaur, things get almost too exciting. Luckily, a solution is close at hand. Vibrant acrylic and colored-pencil illustrations, rendered with intricate precision, nearly leap off the page, as the expressive, diverse trio experiences magical, exhilarating moments that highlight how familiar materials and settings can inspire rewarding adventures. Varying perspectives, from vistas to close-ups, enhance the drama. A few scenarios, such as those featuring a giant, looming, spiky-toothed T. rex, may be too intense for the youngest children, but many kids will enjoy this testament to the power of creativity and imagination.--Rosenfeld, Shelle Copyright 2010 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Three children discover a party bag on a playground. The chalk inside is magical, creating, as each child picks a color and takes a turn, sunshine, butterflies, and a fierce dinosaur. Luckily one youngster holds a fourth piece. Hyperrealistic acrylic compositions, Magritte-like lighting, and dramatic perspectives heighten the drama. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
