A Gift of Days: The Greatest Words to Live By - Hardcover

Alcorn, Stephen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1416967761 ISBN 13: 9781416967767

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2009

Synopsis

The society in which we live has been, and continues to be, inspired by visionaries and heroes from all walks of life: activists and artists, athletes and writers, inventors and explorers, healers and politicians, musicians and moguls. Our world's visionaries and heroes challenge assumptions, push boundaries, and inspire the ordinary to become extraordinary, thereby shaping our world each and every day.

Starting with January 1 and arranged by birth date, A Gift of Days highlights the words and ideas of 366 noteworthy figures -- including Shakespeare and Steve Jobs, Jackie Robinson and Billie Jean King, Beethoven and Buzz Aldrin, Abraham Lincoln and Maya Angelou, Blessed Mother Teresa and Oprah, Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi -- to motivate and inspire readers of all ages to become heroes and mentors themselves, the kind of people who nurture and shape the very best of our culture and society.

With resounding words of wisdom, a stunning selection of portraits, short informative biographies of the visionaries, and an illustrator's note, A Gift of Days celebrates the society of which we're all a part and reminds us that we each have the potential to change the world every day of the year.

About this title

About the Author:

Born in the United States, Stephen Alcorn spent his formative, teenage years in Florence, Italy, where he attended the Istituto Statale d'Arte, an experience that infused his work with an appreciation for history and a passion for experimentation in a multitude of mediums. Since then he has embraced an equally broad spectrum of themes and subjects, including the interpretation of literary classics, interpretation of poetry, nineteenth-century American history, and notably, the African-American experience -- resulting in a stream of award-winning projects for adult, young adult, and young readers alike. America at War is Alcorn's fifth collaboration with Lee Bennett Hopkins.

Mr. Alcorn lives with his wife, Sabina, and four cats in an eighteenth-century farmhouse in the heart of Cambridge, New York, surrounded by the pastoral farmland of Washington County. An overview of his work may be viewed at www.alcorngallery.com.

Born in the United States, Stephen Alcorn spent his formative, teenage years in Florence, Italy, where he attended the Istituto Statale d'Arte, an experience that infused his work with an appreciation for history and a passion for experimentation in a multitude of mediums. Since then he has embraced an equally broad spectrum of themes and subjects, including the interpretation of literary classics, interpretation of poetry, nineteenth-century American history, and notably, the African-American experience -- resulting in a stream of award-winning projects for adult, young adult, and young readers alike. America at War is Alcorn's fifth collaboration with Lee Bennett Hopkins.

Mr. Alcorn lives with his wife, Sabina, and four cats in an eighteenth-century farmhouse in the heart of Cambridge, New York, surrounded by the pastoral farmland of Washington County. An overview of his work may be viewed at www.alcorngallery.com.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4 Up—For each day of the year, Alcorn presents a quotation from a person born on that date. Each weekly compilation devotes one side of the spread to the selected words. The facing page features a stylized portrait of a person born that week. The flat, static block prints with muted colors incorporate elements for which the person is noted. For example, Vincent Van Gogh's face is centered in a sunflower. Rosa Parks cradles a bus in her arms. Athletes, artists, musicians, politicians, scientists, authors, actors, and other celebrities range from Kurt Cobain, Madonna, Tupac Shakur, and Derek Jeter to Clara Barton, Nelson Mandela, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Amelia Earhart. A sentence or two about each figure appears at the book's end. Because the only index is by name, it is impossible to find quotations on a particular topic. The striking page design and intriguing portraits might appeal to graphic arts students, although the primary audience for this volume will probably be teachers, librarians, and other adults.—Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato END

About this edition

• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1416967761
• ISBN 13: 9781416967767
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 128
• Illustrator: Alcorn Stephen