Bill Martin, Jr. (1916–2004) has been called “America’s favorite
children’s author.” He wrote more than 300 books for children,
including the classic texts Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do
You See?, illustrated by Eric Carle, and Chicka Chicka
Boom Boom, illustrated by Lois Ehlert.
Michael Sampson is a New York Times bestselling author of
twenty-two books for young children, including Chicka Chicka 1, 2,
3 and The Bill Martin Jr Big Book of Poetry. He and Bill Martin Jr
wrote many popular books together, including Panda Bear, Panda
Bear, What Do You See? and Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?
Michael Sampson lives in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Melissa Sweet has illustrated more than eighty children’s books,
including the Caldecott Honor books The Right Word and A River of
Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams both written by Jen
Bryant. She also wrote and illustrated Tupelo Rides the Rails;
Carmine: A Little More Red, which was a New York Times Best
Illustrated Children’s Book; and Balloons Over Broadway, a picture
book biography that was named a 2011 Publishers Weekly Best
Nonfiction Picture Book. When she is not in her studio, Melissa can
be found taking an art class, hiking with her dogs, or riding her
bicycle. She lives with her family in Rockport, Maine.
Readers of all ages will be charmed by the warmth of Melissa
Sweet’s illustrations in this celebration of our world. The
illustrations pulsate with greens and blues, laid out in mostly
horizontal double-page spreads, though they occasionally require
the book to be flipped sideways, the spreads shooting up vertically
(appropriate for the large cactus surrounded by gila monsters).
Giant pandas, too, climb a vertical spread, before the long,
snapping crocodile turns the book horizontal once again. Martin and
Sampson’s spare text emphasizes the sounds each of these lively
creatures make: the lion ROARS, of course, but the eagle weee-aaas!
Each sound is repeated several times, allowing plenty of
opportunity for mimicry, and the environment of each creature is
also acknowledged. The book opens with Mommy's wake-up kisses
("Good morning, little one. Can you hear the sounds of our world?")
and ultimately comes
full circle, ending back at home with good-night kisses and the
hope for sweet dreams. End notes include the habitat for each
creature mentioned and a short, interesting fact. There is so much
of interest here that lucky listeners will want to experience it
again and again before sleep. Pair with Mary Logue's Sleep Like a
Tiger (2012) for another bedtime book connected to the animal
world.
*December 15, 2015*
Martin, who gave theworld the beloved Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What
Do You See? and Chicka ChickaBoom Boom, died in 2004, but another
of his works is brought to life by hisfrequent collaborator,
Sampson. It's all further enlivened by Sweet's rosy,greeny-golden
illustrations, which bring to very immediate life the animals
oneach page. A panoply of mommies of various ethnicities offer
wake-up kisses andask, "Can you hear the sounds of our world?" It
is a big world: Gilamonsters in the desert hiss; monkeys in the
jungle cry "Eeee!"; lionson the plain roar (although they are baby
lions, and their roars are clearlysmall if enthusiastic; the cubs
themselves are levitating with excitement).Some of the sounds
supplied do not give a very clear indication of what theanimal
sounds like—"Honk!" for elephants or "Wahhh!" forwhales, for
instance—but careful and alert adults can compensate for this
whilereading aloud. Each animal illustrated is listed at the end,
with its habitat,location, and a fact or two. For the penguin, it
is carefully pointed out thatit is the male penguin who keeps the
egg warm and the female who goes forth andhunts for food. A
delightful new visit with an old friend. (Picture book. 4-8)
*December 15, 2015*
Sampsonand the late Martin (Chicka Chicka 1, 2, 3) offer a nominal
introductionto animals and their homes, as well as a simple call to
action: listen. “In the morning, Mommy gives us wake-up kisses and
says, ‘Good morning, little one. Can you hear the sounds of our
world?’ ” In the windows of many houses, mothers of different
colors kiss their children while the words Listen! Listen!
Listen!appear in the sky above. A page turn shows a parrot and
three nestlings (“Around a giant kapok tree, bright parrots flit
and fly. The rain forest is their world”). In vertically and
horizontally oriented spreads, readers see families of Gila
monsters, bald eagles, kangaroos, elephants, whales, and more, all
shown where they live, all making noises to listen for. At last,
the tale comes full circle as a mother bids her child good night.
Caldecott Honor artist Sweet’s (The Right Word) artwork has a
primitive, folk-art feel in line with her earlier books, with
dreamy, subdued shades of green and blue throughout. Ages 4–8.
*January 4, 2016*
PreS-Gr 1–On the title page of this simple and thoroughly inviting
picture book, the universe appears vast and quiet, but zoom down to
Earth and there are a great many habitats and inhabitants that make
up our world. “Listen! Listen! Listen!” mommies say to their little
ones, as each page turn reveals a colorful spread depicting a
specific ecosystem, related animal family, and appropriate animal
sound.“Around a giant kapok tree, bright parrots flit and fly. The
rain forest is their world. Squawk! Squawk! Squawk!” At first
glance, Martin and Sampson’s repetitive phrasing results in a text
that seems almost mundane, lacking the bounce that makes Martin’s
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? such a pleasure to read
aloud. Yet this book is so visually rich that children will quickly
be searching the pages for words to shout. Some sounds are familiar
(“Hiss!” “Roar!”), while others offer readers something
new(“Weee-aaa!”), but all are engaging and fun to repeat. Once
again, Sweet has masterfully combined watercolor, handmade papers,
pencil, and paint to create horizontally and vertically oriented
pages that are a feast of color, shape,expression, movement, and,
of course, sound. Further facts about the 11 habitats and animals
are provided at the end. VERDICT A delightful introduction to the
variety of environments that make up the world we live in. Highly
recommended.
*February 2016*
When the late Bill Martin Jr.’s name is attached to a picture book,
you want to take notice. The author of more than 300 children’s
books, he’s the man behind the beloved Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What
Do You See?, as well as Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, both staples for
the preschool set. And his newest book, published posthumously and
in partnership with New York Times bestselling author Michael
Sampson, the dean of the School of Education at St. John’s
University, is a charmer.
This is a book that looks at young creatures, including humans, all
over the world. They all wake to a new day with parents by their
sides. The book explores, in very basic ways, their sounds and
habitats. It all kicks off on the first full spread with the sunny,
loving image from Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet of (human)
mother-and-child duos. “Good morning, little one,” the mothers ask.
“Can you hear the sounds of our world?” The following spreads
feature various animals and the sounds they make—and with two
simple sentences on each page, the last one noting which habitat
constitutes “their world.”
With such spare text, Sweet has lots of room to show off her
talents with watercolors and mixed media. Her palette is dominated
by warm earth tones. (The bright red on the spread featuring the
eagles steals the show.) Even if groups of animals are showcased,
she always lets the parent and baby take focus on each spread.
Several times, she switches from a horizontal orientation to a
vertical one, such as with those eagles, who are “high above the
mountain peaks”; the panda bears, whose world consists of the
bamboo forest; and gila monsters, surrounded by the tall cacti of
the desert.
The book closes with further facts about each animal, noting where
in particular Sweet sets her families. These additional notes may
spark further reading for the very young readers at which this book
is aimed.
This is loving, affirming book.
*Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, a children’s literature
blog.*
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