The WAY HOME - Hardcover

Richardson

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0027761452 ISBN 13: 9780027761450

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 1991

Synopsis

Unable to convince her baby to leave the beach where they have spent the day playing, a mother elephant uses inventive means to draw her young one away to home and safety.

About this title

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-- For a delightful romp through the jungle, join Savi, a perky, mischievous "elephant's child." This baby pachyderm is so entranced by her day at the beach that she refuses to let it end, even after her weary mother strongly encourages her to return to their jungle home. With the shadows lengthening, Savi finally leaves the refreshing water, only to find that she has been left alone. Cold and hungry, she is relieved to follow a well-marked banana trail, and is soon reunited with her patient mother. Trunk to tail, the twosome wind their way through the jungle palms, their path lit by a bright, banana-shaped crescent moon. Mavor's creative, unique collage illustrations make this picture book distinctive. A combination of soft sculpture and embroidery, with added decorations of found objects, the scenes are reminiscent of Rousseau's primitive and haunting jungle settings. The variety of textures is a feast for the eye, and the repetition of the glowing yellow shapes of the bananas lends continuity to the story, as well as to the sequence of pictures. Young readers will be attracted to the varied, colorful shapes and materials, uncovering ingenius details through repeated readings, both in the borders and in the scenes of beach and jungle. The book could be paired with Baker's Where the Forest Meets the Sea (Greenwillow, 1988), a stylistically similar artistic endeavor. --Martha Rosen, Edgewood School, Scarsdale, NY
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

Savi is a baby elephant with a mind of her own. At the beach, she stays in the water even though her mother "stamped her feet and trumpeted" that it is time to go home. And when mother finally leaves without her, Savi doesn't mind in the least: not until she is cold and hungry does she head homeward. The delinquent pachyderm spots a banana in the sand, and then another--a trail of bananas that leads Savi right to her mother. When Savi covets one last banana, Mother explains, "That banana is the moon. It will help us to see our way home." Young readers will readily identify with this engaging protagonist: her independence is admirable, and her reunion with her mother comforting. What makes the book truly memorable, however, are its painstakingly detailed fabric relief illustrations. In her debut picture book, Mavor has created a series of captivating cloth masterpieces. The colors are bold, the use of patterns is ingenious and the different textures lend a compelling three-dimensional effect. This deceptively simple story is loaded with child appeal. Ages 3-6.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0027761452
• ISBN 13: 9780027761450
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32