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Summary
Summary
Cynthia Rylant and Brendan Wenzel explore the beauty and tenacity of life.
Life begins small, then grows...
There are so many wonderful things about life, both in good times and in times of struggle. Through the eyes of the world's animals--including elephants, monkeys, whales, and more--Cynthia Rylant offers a moving meditation on finding beauty around us every day and finding strength in adversity. Brendan Wenzel's stunning landscapes and engaging creatures make this an inspiring and intriguing gift for readers of all ages.
Author Notes
Cynthia Rylant was born on June 6, 1954 in Hopewell, Virginia. She attended and received degrees at Morris Harvey College, Marshall University, and Kent State University.
Rylant worked as an English professor and at the children's department of a public library, where she first discovered her love of children's literature.
She has written more than 100 children's books in English and Spanish, including works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Her novel Missing May won the 1993 Newbery Medal and A Fine White Dust was a 1987 Newbery Honor book. Rylant wrote A Kindness, Soda Jerk, and A Couple of Kooks and Other Stories, which were named as Best Book for Young Adults. When I was Young in the Mountains and The Relatives Came won the Caldecott Award.
She has many popular picture books series, including Henry and Mudge, Mr. Putter and Tabby and High-Rise Private Eyes. (Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Rylant (Creation) looks to the natural world for wisdom and consolation as Wenzel's (They All Saw a Cat) lush, heavily worked artwork imagines a primordial Earth with few signs of human existence. "Life begins small," Rylant opens; among bare hills, a lone plant sprouts from red earth. "Then it grows." A fantastic gathering of wild animals and birds looks out at readers expectantly. "Ask any animal on earth, what do you love about life?" Each animal has its own answer ("The hawk will say sky"), and its distinctive nature and perception determine the way it sees the world, just as ours do. Difficulties appear and fade, and when low moments come, "trust the rabbit in the field and the deer who crosses your path." Animals are not just wise: twin vignettes of an eager dog and a wide-eyed cat remind readers that "in every corner of the world, there is something to love." Readers in search of inspiration that does not need to be taken on faith will find it in Rylant's message that to live is to grow. All ages. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Veteran author Rylant tackles a subject both as tiny as a leaf and as huge as the cosmos, as various animals are born and work their way through the beautiful, though sometimes scary, world. Most heartening here is the message that when things seem tough, there is always something to love, something to protect, and a reason to arise each morning, if only to find out what happens next. Rylant's poetic text is as spare as Wenzel's artwork is effusive. Occasionally, his nature scenes bring to mind the work of Henri Rousseau, but there is also humor, courtesy of the animals' faces. Both text and art have disjointed moments asking what the animals love about their lives takes away some of the grandeur, as does the one-and-done appearance of house pets amidst depictions of the natural world. But more important, this book gives a shining overview of life's peaks and valleys and conveys the importance of understanding that a curve in the road only starts a journey anew.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2010 Booklist
New York Review of Books Review
There's no children's book creator quite like Willems, and no book quite like this one. Designed as a gag instruction manual for the ride a baby is about to take through life - "There will be music," but also "tears of sadness" - it's for all ages, especially pre-verbal infants in those days when parents wonder if words are even registering. (They are. This book's witty, graphic icons will, too.) The humor cloaks wise and reassuring words that give parents subtle cues, like a recurring reminder of all that happens "while we read this book together." NOW Written and Illustrated by Antoinette Portls. 32 pp. Neal Porter/Roaring Brook. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 3 to 7) "Now" offers a child's-eye view of living fully in each moment: On every page a swingy-haired girl declares something a favorite. Whatever it is happens to be the focus of her current attention. "That is my favorite cloud," she says, "because it's the one I am watching." Portis's ("Not a Box") words and art are both delightfully bold yet controlled. Her thick, black brush strokes slash across white expanses, and she adds washes of interesting color combinations. This book's profundity might sneak up on you, but it will leave you marveling. LIFE By Cynthia Rylant. Illustrated by Brendan Wenzel. 48 pp. Beach Lane. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 4 and up) "Life begins small," then it grows. That simple idea begins and ends this lovely, spare tribute to being alive, despite the inevitable rough times. Rylant, a Newbery Medal winner ("Missing May"), gleans advice for navigating rockier paths from animals like hawks, camels and turtles, who know "everything is changing" but still greet each day eagerly. Wenzel's ("They All Saw a Cat") twinkling landscapes and charming wildlife capture a mood both intimate and grand. The effect is as calming and heart-opening as a folk song. MR. BENJAMIN'S SUITCASE OF SECRETS Written and Illustrated by Pel-Yu Chang. 48 pp. NorthSouth. $18.95. (Picture book; ages 5 and up) Maybe you doubt that the tragic death of the German Jewish philosopher Walter Benjamin as he crossed the Pyrenees trying to escape the Nazis would make for a good picture book. Let me reassure you: Chang's playful telling is attuned to children's sense of justice, as well as their ear for the ridiculous. She focuses on the heroism of Lisa Fittko, who led refugees to Spain, and on the never-solved mystery of what was inside the suitcase Benjamin lugged with him. Her stunning mixed-media art is whimsical and serious, like childhood itself. QUESTIONS ASKED By Josteln Gaarder. Illustrated by Akin Duzakln. Translated by Don Bartlett. Elsewhere. $14. (Picture book; ages 5 and up) This gem by the Norwegian novelist Gaarder, with sweet, spectral art by the Turkish-Norwegian illustrator Duzakin, is a simple list of big questions all of us would do well to ask about life and how best to live it. As the topics flit around delightfully, it avoids being either heavyhanded or precious. "Can anyone do real magic tricks? Do miracles happen sometimes?" one page asks. Any of these could spur a deep conversation with a curious kid - or adult. "Are experiences more real when I'm awake than when I'm dreaming?" Good question. See an expanded visual presentation of this week's column at nytimes.com/books.
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-A spiritual yet not overtly religious epistle on hope and the many reasons to embrace life. It opens with the notion that "life begins small." Wenzel shows a seedling surrounded by mountains. The next spread declares: "Even for the elephants. Then it grows." A calf is seen looking up to the enormous adults in its herd. Several animals discuss what they love about life, and as the author acknowledges that "life is not always easy," readers observe a bluebird flying through a storm. They are asked to remember that there is always "something to love and to protect." The narrative continues in this vein, promising that "it is worth waking up in the morning to see what might happen." The mood of the child-friendly illustrations shifts appropriately from the darkness of the wilderness to the vitality of life seen in a flock of birds crossing the moon. The illustrator infuses the book with humor where possible, such as in the expression of a floppy-eared, stick-bearing dog or a camel kicking up sand across a spread. However, Rylant's meandering messages on growth, love, protection, new roads, and-oddly-the value of waking up, raise the question of whether this title has an audience, particularly since these themes are unconnected to one another or to a story. Wenzel's exuberant paintings, though, are quite engaging and convey a deep appreciation for the wonders of the natural world. VERDICT Best shared in an interactive setting.-Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Library © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Readers are invited to reflect on life with the help of animals.Addressing readers directly, the narrator opens with a modest statement: "Life begins small." See an elephant grow bigger as it walks underneath the fierce sun and gentle moon, through days and nights. Life, it seems, also promises changeand wonders. A hawk soars in the sky, while elsewhere, a camel stands tall in a desert. Sitting on a rock, a turtle relishes the "rain on its back." Each glimpse of an animal in the natural world elicits a small jolt of joy thanks in part to Caldecott honoree Wenzel's exquisite illustrations, which render these moments with low-key precision. On one page, dark and soft blues bathe an adult elephant and its smaller companion, both gray beacons in a picture of a nighttime march. On another page, a snake blends in with the smeared greens, yellowed brown, and hints of reds that make up the grass. But even with all these merry images, moments of bleakness can follow. The narrator proposes another fact: "Life is not always easy." A small bird flies alone and vulnerable through a storm, seeming lost before it finally breaks through. Thankfully, Rylant keeps the narratorial voice direct and brief during scenes serene or frightful. Flashes of levity in the illustrations and text (think "grassssssssssss") serve to underscore the creators' trust in readers. A splendid tribute to the world and its splendors, with something to offer audiences of a broad range of ages. (Picture book. 4-adult) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
