Dilys EvansReseñas

The stories of children's book illustrators. Impressive combination of art and story.

This book is composed of various poems about magical folk.

The main purpose of the poem is to entertain and explore the creativeness of a young boy imagination who wishes for a pet. I thought the story was good, but there were some parts where I found myself having to re-read as the flow of the words felt strange or abrupt in change. For example, it seems the author’s writing is a bit choppy and doesn’t flow as well as I had hope, “My body a rounded stone with a pattern of smooth seams. My head a short snake, retractive, projective. My legs come out of their sleeves or shrink within, and so does my chin. My eyelids are quick clamps.” I did enjoy, however, the author’s choice to include imaginary and prehistoric animals such as the Pterodactyl and the doze and to describe the qualities of that animal in detail: “His feet are clumsy, wide, and wet.” Young kids may enjoy this as they also are very creative in their own imaginations and love prehistoric animals such as dinosaurs.½

This book has very catchy and fun illustrations, and the book itself is very engaging, for example on page 8, the author says "turn the next page... we'll look in this book," the author is talking to the audience at the end of this page. The book is also a fun read aloud to children, because the whole book is written in short poems. I love the illustrations, because there is so much going on in the pictures that the author doesn't mention so it is important to have the readers examine the illustrations. For example, on page 8 and 9, you see his little sister hiding under his bed, but no where does the author say she is there, the illustrations also show what he is interested in because there is a display of toys and posters all over the room. On the next page, 10 and 11, the illustrations are very funny and they show dogs being dressed up like a bride, a tourist, and an old woman with a bonnet. The children is perfect for children due to the fun rhythm in every poem and the illustrations that are detailed and humorous. The book is also informative, and teaches children about different animals. The author and illustrator also work together to make some of the animals act as humans. For example, on page 16 there is a yak getting his hair done at a barber shop. The book also shows the boy visiting different environments, such as swamps, lakes, and forests. Finally the boy gets a dog, which is a normal pet, because the whole book he is looking at animals that are not typical pets. This book is a fun book to show students and I would highly recommend the book to teachers and parents to read to their kid.

In her very imformative book, Dilys Evans, an author, editor, public speaker and advisor to Caldecott award committees, focuses on the lives and talents of 12 artists who have made their living by illustrating children's books. Some of the more well-known are Brian Selznick, David Shannon, Hilary Knight and Harry Bliss. Others who are featured are Bryan Collier, David Wiesner, Trina Hyman, Paul Zelinsky, Betsy Lewin, Petra Mathers, Denise Fleming and Lane Smith. Each illustrator recalls who were the most influential artists in their lives as well as their uses of different media to create their work. I find it fascinating, probably because I have absolutely zero talent when it comes to artistic endeavors, to learn how the ideas are first formulated, the reasons why certain colors are chosen or even why images are placed a certain way on a page. Although he is not mentioned in this book I was fortunate to attend a speaking engagement by John Rocco (illustrator of the "Percy Jackson" series) at our library and I could have listened to him for hours. The step by step process of illustration is amazingly complex and Dilys Evans gives just a small sampling of this world of fine art.

I liked the content, variety, and illustrations in the book. I liked that the content of the poems is appealing to young readers and listeners. The spooky theme will attract readers to this book. The collection of poems includes scary poems such as, "Monster" and "Hist Whist," as well as some mellow poems such as, "Giant" and "The Power Shovel." This variety of intensity makes the book appropriate for a wider range of students. Another aspect of the book that I liked was the illustrations. The illustrations enhance the poems and make their meaning more clear. For example, the poem, "The Power Shovel" compares a digging machine to a dinosaur. The illustration shows the machine with eyes, teeth, and a long neck, just like the surrounding dinosaurs.

The big idea of this book is to provide a collection of "spooky" poems.

Life stories and some how-to's about the art of some of the best illustrators of children's books - a work of art in itself.

Spooky children's poems that are cute and chilling. These books make me want to rhyme with anyone whose willing.

Young children just love talking about faery folk. This is a wonderful collection of poems for young readers who are interested in the different types of faery folk. The illustrations are fabulous. One can reread this book over and over and always find something new hidden in the illustrations. Learning about poetry might not always sound interesting, but if a teacher uses this book to introduce the topic, kids will listen with their "listening ears" and remember almost ever word. This book could also be used to give inspiration for writing one's own fairy tale. Students can pick a certain type of faery folk and create a story around that fairy.

I really liked these poems and I think that children will enjoy them as well since they are on the subject of animals and pets. Since all the animals included in the poems aren't all practical, it plays on children's imagination very well. The poems are creative and are sure to interest all children.

Summary:
A boy wants to get a pet for his birthday. His parent's let him think of all sorts of animals that he could have. Each poem is about each animal that he thinks of. There are several. There is a Hippo, a bear I do believe and several others. Finally he finds a kitten and that is his pet.

Personal reaction:
I found this book to be quite cute actually. The poems were not too babyish. Simple enough so that all kids could get them and the pictures were great. Good use of color and line. It was wild enough that kids could enjoy it but not so wild as to they couldn't identify. What kids doesn't want some exotic animal like a hippo for a pet at one point in time? I'd still like a hippo for a pet!

Classroom Extension Ideas.
1. Use to talk about animals and the kinds of ones they would like to have.
2. Have them write their own poems about animals wither it's one they have or want.

Children's illustration is such an art, and when it's done well, it's stunning. A fun book that highlights the stories of top illustrators, telling you a bit about their working process and how they got started.

In 1980, Dilys Evans founded The Original Art, an annual exhibition in New York featuring the best children's book illustration of the year. In this fascinating exploration of children's book illustration, she focuses on the work of 12 contemporary illustrators - describing each artist's artistic process, and looking at the marriage of art and text. The illustrators include: David Wiesner; Trina Schart Hyman; Lane Smith; Brian Selznick; Bryan Collier; David Shannon; Petra Mathers; Paul O. Zelinsky; Hilary Knight; Denise Fleming; Harry Bliss; and Betsy Lewin.

A compilation of silly and scary poems for kids.