The First Song Ever Sung (A Picture Puffin Book) - Softcover

Melmed, Laura Krauss

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140554572 ISBN 13: 9780140554571

Publisher: Puffin Books, 1995

Synopsis

Animal and human friends provide lyrical answers to a young boy's musical query

About this title

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-- Picture book artistry at its best. A perched eagle on the cover soars across the title page, pointing the way to a panorama of snow-covered peaks and a line of Japanese mountain people in traditional costume, carrying with it an aura of stories, legends, and tradition handed down through the generations. A young boy poses the question, "What was the first song ever sung?" to each member of his family, his dog, the minnows in the brook, the birds in the sky. They each respond in short poetic prose that embodies their own focus in life. Young has enhanced the character descriptions of the text by portraying each person as both human and animal--father as wild cat, brother as bull, sister as dancing crane, grandmother as spider, grandfather as dragon. Inky blue washes in a variety of shadings serve as backgrounds for the 14 provocative paintings, which have the appearance of batik overlaid with oil pastel or paint--each with its own ambiance, texture, appeal. The borderless double-page illustrations meld perfectly with the text; each one seems more intriguing, more stunning than the last, until the penultimate closeup of mother and child in large-as-life animal form--a strong evocation of love and warmth. A final vignette is a soft portrait of the inquisitive boy on his mother's lap--a quiet ending to a lovely bedtime lapbook. Powerful! --Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

Melmed and Young strike up a singularly harmonious collaboration in this incandescent picture book. A child asks his relatives to name the first song ever sung, and each supplies a different response. Melmed's text is strikingly musical (the child's brother says, "The first song ever sung was a proud song, a loud song, a stomping, shaking, shout song," while the sister says, "The first song ever sung was a rope song, a swing song, a jumping, twirling, leap song"). Young, meanwhile, heightens the lyricism by setting the story in a long-ago Japan, his scenes a balance between the slightly abstract and the clearly representational, between the fabulous and the natural. Just as Melmed's ( The Rainbabies ) words invite close attention, Young's imagery compels careful scrutiny--while each spread is immediately arresting, the full impact comes across slowly and luxuriously. The palette is dramatic, occasionally enhanced with metallic inks, yet it never overpowers the story. And because the final response to the boy's question is that of his mother, who sings him a lullaby, this title can double as a bedtime book, ensuring the richest of dreams. Ages 3-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0140554572
• ISBN 13: 9780140554571
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32