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Listen, Listen
illustrated
by Alison Jay
Barefoot Books, 2007
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*Starred
review, Booklist
*Board book edition
*German, Norwegian, Swedish,
Spanish, Catalan, and Korean
editions
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| From
the
book jacket: |
Listen, listen...
What’s that sound?
Insects singing all
around!
It could be the
calming buzz, buzz of summer bees. Or perhaps it’s the
crunch and rustle of autumn leaves underfoot. Listen to insects
chirping, frogs croaking, squirrels scurrying, hearths crackling, boots
clomping...the sounds are all around you!
Phillis Gershator’s
rhythmic verse and Alison Jay’s intricate
illustrations come together beautifully to celebrate the timeless
sounds of the seasons, from summer to autumn, winter to spring.
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| A little
about the book: |
Listen,
Listen
started as a book about fall, beginning and ending with summer’s insect
songs. Editor and Publisher Tessa Strickland said, Why not a book for
all seasons? And our collaboration began. We exchanged seasonal
thoughts, broke up the original rhyme a bit, coordinated our
punctuation (!), and found images to connect with pre-schoolers on both
sides of the Atlantic. Artist Alison Jay told a story on each glowing,
jewel-like page, Tessa added an engaging “can you see” game at the end,
and a book for all seasons was born.
David Gershator wrote a lilting tune for Listen, Listen. You can hear it on
our CD: "This
Is the Day! Storysongs & Singalongs."
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From
the reviews:
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"In a spiritual and aesthetic companion to Jay’s beautiful Picture This (2004), the artist’s
work pairs with Gershator’s simple, evocative rhyming imagery to
conduct viewers on a walk around a small town as season’s change. Jay’s
stylized pictures, with the texture of antique frescos, are a window
into a world in which the buzz of an insect and the whoosh of the wind
lend surprising emotion. Illustrations filled with snowmen,
anthroporphized animals, and people running through a leaf-swept field
will make children long to discover what is just over a hill or around
the next bend. Capturing a summer idyll reading in a hammock with the
same care as a warm evening by the fireplace, Jay invests each image
with both joy and melancholy. This jewel of a book will draw children
back again and again." Starred review, Booklist
"In this ode to the seasons, the sights and
sounds of a picturesque country village are artfully evoked.... Jay's
crackled-varnish paintings have a nostalgic, folk-art quality. The
rhyming, onomatopoeic text wraps around the busy scenes, and the words
and art together provide a smooth transition between the seasons:
'summer's gone' is illustrated with a swarm of insects buzzing off the
page. An appended 'can you see' game encourages close examination of
the changing landscapes. Children will be inspired to 'listen, listen'
in their own environments." Pick of the week, School Library Journal
"Listen for the sounds of the seasons in this
lovely picture book by
Phillis Gershator and Alison Jay. I have to admit that I am partial to
Alison Jay’s art, and that’s what drew me to this book. The spreads are
full of detail but they remain simple as they depict each season’s
coming and going. The crackled look gives the illustrations an old
fashioned feel that complements the nostalgic tone of the book.... I
loved the way the illustrations felt 'alive.' Almost like they were
moving. This movement worked well with the simple rhythmic text, which
will work well with preschoolers.
"A cool touch that makes this book a great choice for one-on-one
sharing
is the seek-and-find activity at the end. Each season gets a page with
an illustration and all the little things you can find in that season.
After reading this book, take your observations outside and see what
you can find in your neighborhood to tell you what season it is for a
simple lesson for your littlest learners. For slightly older students,
you might use the book as a springboard for a writing assignment by
having them write about what each season makes them think of. Either
way, this is a winner." propernoun.net
"...Jay's
magical and occasionally eerie crackle-glaze oil paintings
furnish a visual feast. The text is built around a series of rhyming,
gentle directives to attune one's ears....the richness and detail of
Jay's
universe will utterly captivate children. Ultimately, the real journey
in this book is less about seasons and sounds than where Jay's
imagination takes her and her audience." Publishers Weekly
"...Here is a new twist on teaching children
about the seasons. Often we count on our eyes to be our main way of
undeerstanding the world. But what about our sense of hearing? What
sounds do we hear when autumn comes? The crunch and rustle of leaves
underfoot, the honk of geese flying south. And winter? Boots clomping
in snow, a crackling fire. I love this book. The illustrations are
unique and whimiscal, and the rhythmic verse is captivating and
delightful. It is great fun to read out loud, letting the sounds of the
words roll off the tongue, so little ears hear those sounds as well.
There are pages in the back that ask children to find various things in
the seasonal pictures, so there is double fun to be had by all." Chinaberry
And about the board book edition:
I enjoyed this oversized board book. Kids love
noises, and this book is full of them, from the noises the insects make
in summer, to the silent sounds of winter. I can just hear young
children mimicing the sounds that are read to them in this delightful
book.... An added bonus at the end is an "I Spy" like page for each
season.... Even though this is a board book, usually for babies,
toddlers and preschoolers will enjoy it as well. This is a review for
The Picnic Basket, so this book receives a 4 - recommend without
reservation. www.writeforareader.blogspot.com
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Art by Alison Jay
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