Scarecrow - Hardcover

Rylant, Cynthia; Stringer, Lauren; Bowen, Shelly

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 015201084X ISBN 13: 9780152010843

Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books, 1998

Synopsis

Scarecrows. They perch high above gardens and fields, with borrowed coats and button eyes and pie-pan hands that glint in the sun. What else is there to know about them? Perhaps more than we realize. Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant&;s rich and poignant story, powerfully illustrated by Lauren Stringer, will resonate deeply in the hearts of readers, who just might find themselves seeing the world in a whole new way.

About this title

About the Authors

Cynthia Rylant is a Newbery medalist and the author of many acclaimed books for young people. She's well known for her popular characters for early readers, including Mr. Putter & Tabby and Henry & Mudge. She lives in the Pacific Northwest. www.cynthiarylant.com.

   

LAUREN STRINGER is the award-winning author and illustrator of Winter is the Warmest Season and the illustrator of many other picture books. She lives with her family in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Visit her at www.laurenstringer.com

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 2?More meditation than story, this picture book examines what one might call the essence of the scarecrow. It's an appreciation of silence, of patience, and of the beauty and changeable quality of the natural world. Rylant uses casual, conversational language with simple elegance and pleasing rhythms: "His hat is borrowed, his suit is borrowed, his hands are borrowed, even his head is borrowed. And his eyes probably came out of someone's drawer." An occasional tendency toward vagueness is evident as well; e.g., "It takes a certain peace, hanging around a garden" is followed some pages later by, "There is a certain wonder going on around him." Stringer's acrylic paintings are magnificent, with color and light as beautiful as those found in the type of bucolic world depicted here. The scarecrow is seen from above, behind, below, and every which way. These dynamic perspectives make an interesting contrast to his unwavering, peaceful expression. Overall, this is a lovely, gentle book that may appeal more to sentimental adults than to children.?Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A scarecrow with a friendliness toward birds takes the long view on what constitutes a satisfying experience. His physical construction is borrowed bits and pieces, a hat here, a suit there, button eyes out of someone's drawer. But he is more than the sum of his parts: He possesses a peace and wisdom born of quiet observation. He sees seeds that transform into giant sunflowers and mammoth pumpkins, and takes in the sun and the moon, owls in the evening, and rabbits at dawn. Birds keep him company as he watches the passage of the seasons, and as he watches a girl, preparing, planting, tending, and harvesting her bountiful garden. Rylant (The Islander, p. 200, etc.) is in fine form with her lyrical, understated prose, and Stringer's big, bold acrylic illustrations do a lovely job of amplifying the text, bringing in the child who is not directly mentioned. The art captures the scarecrow's point of view, from the sweeping panorama of rolling hills and wide sky, to the close-up details: a morning glory twining around his feet and a mouse building a nest in his hat. (Picture book. 6-12) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Ages 5^-8. Scarecrows are erected in fields to keep away pesky birds, but Rylant reveals that those truly soulful characters actually like birds: "It takes a certain peace, hanging around a garden all day. It takes a love of silence and air. A liking for long slow thoughts. A friendliness toward birds." The lilting text, coupled with large acrylic paintings, captures the serenity of the countryside and the peacefulness of a scarecrow's life, a life with which the scarecrow is completely content. Rylant keeps the pace slow, enabling children to see the world the way the scarecrow does, and she speaks with a humanity and a gentleness that reach out to all things, even a seemingly inanimate object. Children will have the greatest respect for the next scarecrow they see after meeting Rylant's gentle being, who spends his day appreciating the earth and conversing with birds, rabbits, and bugs. Helen Rosenberg

Edition details

• Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 015201084X
• ISBN 13: 9780152010843
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40