Flowers & Fables - Hardcover

Gruen, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0152013113 ISBN 13: 9780152013110

Publisher: Creative Editions, 1996

Synopsis

Shards of mirror turn to violets, angry snowflakes fall, a boy becomes a sweet pea and then a butterfly in Flowers and Fables, fourteen tales from John Gruen that resonate like "a sweet, sad melody." The haunting paintings by surrealist Rafal Olbinski suggest further unfoldings of the fables. Full color.

About this title

Reviews

Grade 5 Up. Fourteen short, lyrical fables in which the subjects are bewitched by or transformed into flowers or other shapes in nature. A boy playing at changing butterflies into sweet peas, and sweet peas into butterflies suddenly finds himself turned into a butterfly and flitters off toward the moon. A princess covered by poppy petals fades into a memory; some travelers stopping by a brook are turned into tall cypress trees. Haunting, surrealistic paintings complement the esoteric pieces. Although youngsters will be able to read the selections, they are decidedly adult in tone, and have limited appeal.?Sally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NY
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This elegant volume is a fine diversion for teenagers and even older readers, but the peculiar nature of the tales renders it less suitable for a picture-book audience. In each of 14 spreads, a species of flower figures into a brief story and illustration. The text of each fable, in small type with justified margins and exaggerated leading between the lines, aids in conveying their overall tone--mysterious, dark, full of pronouncements, e.g., ``Now the mimosa shall weep her golden tears in an old woman's hand.'' Scents have sound; a man dies of sadness before he finds the maiden of whom he has dreamed and who springs to life from his tears. In fact, a lot of folks die in the course of these moody fables. The accomplished, mesmerizing pictures recall Magritte and Dal¡: a sliver of moon imprisoned in a bird cage; an eye on the back of a hand; wild roots and branches grasping and snaring. The book may be excessively poetic or just excessively indulgent, but it leaves logic too far behind for most children. (Picture book. 12+) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Edition details

• Publisher: Creative Editions
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0152013113
• ISBN 13: 9780152013110
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Olbinski Rafal
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40