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Summary
Summary
In this lyrical picture book from an award-winning poet, a young boy cherishes a neighborhood field throughout the changing seasons. With stunning illustrations and a charming text, this beautiful story celebrates a child's relationship with nature.
There was a boy
named Emile
who fell
in love with a field.
It was wide
and blue--
and if you could have
seen it
so would've you.
Emile loves the field close to his home--in spring, summer, and fall, when it gives him bees and flowers, blossoms and leaves. But not as much in winter, when he has to share his beautiful, changeable field with other children...and their sleds. This relatable and lyrical ode to one boy's love for his neighborhood field celebrates how spending time in nature allows children to dream, to imagine...and even to share.
Author Notes
Kevin Young is the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. He is also the poetry editor of the New Yorker and an award-winning poet who has been a National Book Award finalist, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist, and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Emile and the Field is his first book for children. Follow him on Twitter at @deardarkness.
Chioma Ebinama is a Nigerian American fine artist whose work has exhibited internationally. Her journey as an artist began with children's books; as a kid she learned to draw by copying popular picture book and cartoon characters found in her local library. Emile and the Field is the first picture book that she has illustrated. It's particularly meaningful to her since she's always been enchanted by stories of outdoor adventures but never saw characters that looked like her truly enjoying the outdoors. After traveling all over the world, Chioma currently lives in Athens, Greece, where she enjoys soaking up the sunlight with her little dog, Luna. Follow her on Instagram at @chiomaaaaaa.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
A child forms an intimate connection to a field throughout the changing seasons in this distinctive dual children's debut from poet Young and artist Ebinama. The story opens amid views of a densely flower-filled field in spring, brown-skinned Emile at its center. Light-infused landscapes proceed to show Emile and his black dog wandering the field, following a bee ("The bumblebees would sing/ to him, never sting"), and then--as time passes--romping among rust-colored autumn leaves and orange grasses. When winter brings snow, Emile despairs of sledders "and other, loud kids/ who rode the face/ of the field without/ Emile's say-so," but the experience provides an opportunity for reflection: "if we share.../ and learn to take care,/ it means the field/ will be here/ forever." Young's distinguished poetic lines and Ebinama's gauzy watercolor and ink paintings offer a gentle vision of nature as meaningfully accessible and ample. Ages 4--8. (Mar.)
Horn Book Review
Young Emile, his dog at his side, frequents a field that is "wide and blue" and filled with flowers, bumblebees, and his favorite maple tree. Throughout the seasons, Emile talks to the field, asking if it misses things it doesn't know, such as the sea, and marvels at what the field does know, such as the stars in a mesmerizing night sky. When he visits one winter day with his father, Emile expresses his dismay over having to share the field with others (i.e., a group of loud children, sledding). His father's response brings him comfort and purpose. With gentle rhythms, Young's verse captures the boy's observations with an emotional honesty (Emile wonders why the sledders didn't secure his "say-so" to visit); with an authenticity true to the impassioned feelings of children (Emile is described as being "in love" with the field); and with a tenderness that is touching but never saccharine. Ebinama brings this story of a Black boy having an immersive outdoor experience to life with delicate lines and lush and atmospheric watercolors; Emile in his puffy red coat, making a snow angel, is a reverent nod to Keats's Peter in The Snowy Day. The yellows, in particular, nearly glow in the form of flowers, bumblebees, and the golden hues of fall. What Emile learns from his father ("The field would not, could not be bought! or belong to anyone") is a satisfying conclusion to this exquisite story of one boy's unfettered delight in nature. Julie Danielson March/April 2022 p.(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
The story of a young Black boy who "fell in love with a field." The book opens with a peaceful scene of Emile sitting in a field overrun with wildflowers of various colors. This is his favorite haunt, where he and his little black dog spend countless hours undisturbed, daydreaming and communing with blossoms and insects. Emile--who often whispers lovingly to the field and regards it as a sentient companion--reflects on all the things the field will never get to experience. Although the field knows the four seasons and "how many stars / there were / and just how far," it will never get to see the sea and skyscrapers. When winter comes and snow covers the field, Emile worries, wondering where the field goes when it disappears. And when some noisy children invade the field to sled and build snowpals, Emile hates that he has to share his beloved sanctuary, until his dad teaches him that love is not about possession but appreciation. Although some readers may pause at the unconventional punctuation, Young's gentle, sparely worded narrative endearingly captures the animistic, magical thinking of children and the joy of tranquil childhood hours spent in nature. The impressionistic, atmospheric artwork--rendered in watercolor and ink--underscores the dreamy, spontaneous nature of Emile's outdoor adventures and features open compositions that create a sense of expansiveness. All characters present Black except one White background character. A charming exploration of children's special relationship with nature. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
