The Flower
Ball
by Sigrid Laube, illustrated by
Silke Leffler
National Center for
the study of Children’s literature,
June 2006
"A
sophisticated version of the theme of learning tolerance,
The Flower Ball brings together vegetable wannabees
with flower snobs when the Cauliflower and the Carrot crash the
festivities hosted by the highly-prejudiced blooms. However, the
vegetables prove to be sterling dancers and the flowers, dazzled
by their grace, admire and befriend them. At the story's end,
with a mention by Carrot of grandchildren, it seems Carrot has
captured not only the flowers but also the Cauliflower. The
story itself is deftly told, with sly humor in text and
illustration. The watercolor imaginations of vegetable and
flower characters are a studio of varieties. Leffler paints all
kinds of personified vegetables and blossoms with whimsical
skill and a gift for design."
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More about National Center for
the Study of Children's Literature: This Center has two main
arms of extension. One arm reaches to teachers through
continuing education workshops, courses, and seminars. The other
arm reaches to children's literature scholars through symposia,
conferences, lectures, and various other events. Reviews of
outstanding children's literature are posted online monthly and
paired with identical postings on Parents' Choice site, one of
the nation's largest and most highly-regarded independent venues
for evaluations of children's culture as expressed in books,
toys, video games. At the same time, children's literature
faculty and graduate students will continue to write reviews of
contemporary children's books as well as re-issued classics,
author overviews, genre lists, non-fiction, and parent/teacher
resources.
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Silly Horse
by Vadim Levin, illustrated by
Evgeny Antonenkov
Jerry Flack, professor of Gifted
Education, University of Colorado
"Even
if the Supreme Court ultimately declares the law unconstitutional (freedom of
speech and all that!), Congress should immediately pass House and Senate Bills
"Silly Horse" that should read, "This book cannot be read silently anywhere at
any time in the United States." And, if the President fails to sign
Congressional Bill "Silly Horse," he deserves to meet Billy and Mabel's new
Persian cat. Just like that!
*Silly Horse* seems so fresh and original that it is impossible to believe that
Vadim Levin's masterpiece nonsense verse (reminiscent of the great works of
Lewis Carroll, especially Jabberwocky) was first published in Russia in 1969 and
has finally been translated into the English language in 2005.
Levin's verse is so colorful and exuberant that little ones will beg to hear it
read again and again, and slightly older children will crave to read it aloud
ceaselessly. Everyone of every age will fall in love with *Silly Horse* and
Levin's additionally remarkable and humorous poetry confections.
Try to read "A Little Poem About A Big Rain," aloud without smiling:
For a month the sky's been grey.
All we get is rain all day:
Soaking houses, trees, and leaves
Dripping noses, shoes, and sleeves,
Soggy ground is soaked right through,
Parks and fields are soaking too,
And too far away to see
Ships are soaking in the sea.
There is a wonderful point-counterpoint in many of the cleverest verses. A bull
and a turkey have a stalemate over the secret contents of a trunk, "Wicky-Wacky-Wocky
Mouse" had better be alert to the plans of the Wicky-Wacky-Wocky Cat, and "Billy
and Mabel" are no match for a newly in-house Persian cat. Every word of every
poem is an exquisite jewel perfectly set like fine rubies and diamonds.
The illustrations are marvelous. While clearly and singularly the masterworks of
Antonenkov in their great and humorous evocations of Levin's words, North
American readers may possibly view them as somewhat of a possibly bewitched
collaboration between Peter Sis and Lane Smith. A personal favorite is the
double-page blue-dominated spread for the simple poem, "Mr. Snow." Artist Evgeny
Antonenkov's snowy surreal tour de force art breathtakingly illustrates "Mr.
Snow, Mr. Snow/ Will you give another show?"/ "Yes, indeed, one day from now."/
"Thank you kindly, Mr. Snow." The use of white space for the huge amount of snow
present, the warmly dressed tiny children, the snow-crowned pine trees, and even
the old European houses their roofs saturated with snow -- seem all be making
this prayerful plea to Mr. Snow, who is made of snow flakes and flies through
the sky complete with top hat and obviously fully in control.
The design of the book is perfect, too, as is particularly evident in "A Green
Story" in which the delectable nonsense rhymes are alternately printed in black
and green inks. Here, the poem needs especially to be read aloud, but it also
deserves a careful viewing in order to realize its complete verbal and visual
splendor.
*Silly Horse* is a perfect children's picture book and nonsense verse anthology.
Everything from the words to the art is just perfect. Pick up a copy quickly,
read it through and through, and then join this author and hopefully millions of
other citizens in demanding the passage of the Congressional Bill "Silly Horse
Bill!" It should be nothing less than a national agenda."
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About the author: Jerry Flack is a Professor of Gifted
Child Education and the President's Teaching Scholar at the School of Education,
University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. A former member of the Board of
Directors of the National Association for Gifted Children and the Board of
Governors for the
Association for the Gifted (TAG) of the Council for Exceptional Children. A
consultant in children's literature, he has written numerous books and
professional articles about curriculum for gifted children.
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