Once A Mouse . . .
By: Marcia Brown
Medal Winner
NOT REVIEWED
"No one shall tell me that I was once a mouse!" roars the tiger. But an old hermit, mighty at magic, does tell him; for it was he who first changed the tiger from a wretched little mouse to a stout cat, to a big dog, and finally, to his proud and royal self. Youngest readers will take special delight in seeing these changes take place in Marcia Brown's dramatic picturing of the tiger's fall from grace. Older boys and girls will read more meaning into the text.
A rajah of ancient India is said to have had such popular animal fables collected as a "mirror for princes" to instruct his errant sons. Marcia Brown retells this fable from the Hitopadesa in vigorous style and illustrates it in woodcuts of exceptional quality. With a fluidity rare in the medium, they achieve the difficult feat of retaining their strong appeal for children while captivating art lovers of all ages.
From the dust jacket
The Day We Saw the Sun Come Up
By: Alice E. Goudey
Illustrated by: Adrienne Adams
Honor
NOT REVIEWED
The children had never in all their lives been out of doors so early in the morning—before their mother and father were up, before the sun itself was up!
And from that first magic moment, this is the story of a boy and a girl and a summer day; of the sunrise and spider webs laced with dew, of shadows that change from large to small and back again, of the earth that changes all day long until the sun disappears beyond the lake. At night there is the after-supper talk with Mother, who helps them understand what they have seen all day.
The author and artist of HOUSES FROM THE SEA have again captured the child's wonder and joy in the world about him, and have simply and carefully answered some of his natural questions about his world.
From the dust jacket
Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night: An Old Song
By: Peter Spier
Honor
Reviewed by: Sherry Early
We love to sing this book together in our family. The fox is such a villain, and the farmer is such a klutz, and the fox family is so cute, and we just like it. If you don’t know the tune, there is music in the back of the book, or I suppose you could make up your own. The words are all printed on one page in the back of the book, too, so that you could make copies and pass them out for everyone to sing along. However you read it or sing it or look at the pictures together, I think you’ll enjoy the book. The illustrations evoke autumn and farm life and New England. The song itself is folksy and catchy, fun to repeat over and over. The pictures will bear scrutinizing over and over, too, with lots of details to catch as you go through the book a second or third time.
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Little Bear's Visit
By: Else Holmelund Minarik
Illustrated by: Maurice Sendak
Honor
NOT REVIEWED
Little Bear and his parents are familiar to almost all beginning readers. And now they will meet Grandmother and Grandfather Bear, whom they are sure to love as much as Little Bear does.
Like all children, Little Bear loved to visit his grandparents. There was always so much to do, so much to see, and so much to eat. His grandfather was never too tired to play (that is, almost never) and his grandmother told him stories about Mother Bear when she was a little cub. Also, like all grandparents, the elder bears indulged their grandson more than his parents did. And Little Bear enjoyed that!
This account of a truly perfect day will enchant beginning readers, who will be able to read it with a minimum of adult help. Once again Else Holmelund Minarik and Maurice Sendak have created a warm and tender world.
From the dust jacket
