Baboon - Softcover

Banks, Kate

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0374404739 ISBN 13: 9780374404734

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 2004

Synopsis

On his first trip into the world, a baby baboon meets a very slow turtle and concludes that the world is slow. But then, as his mother takes him farther afield, he sees much more: he watches a hungry crocodile, a thundering herd of elephants, a swift gazelle, a rhinoceros. He feels the heat of a fire, the softness of grass, the warmth of the sun. Throughout the day, everything he experiences expands his understanding, and when night falls, he has seen with his own eyes that the world is a big and varied place.

With its simple, rhythmic text and bold, impressionistic jungle pictures, Baboon is a book to share with children as they explore their own new worlds.

About this title

About the Author

Author Kate Banks and illustrator Georg Hallensleben have collaborated on several books, including And If the Moon Could Talk, winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, The Cat Who Walked Across France, Close Your Eyes, and The Night Worker, winner of the Charlotte Zolotow Award. Banks lives in the South of France with her husband and two sons. Hallensleben lives in Paris.

From Booklist

Ages 3^-5. A baby baboon is introduced to the complexities of the world in this deceptively simple story. Mother takes her child into the great forest. "So the world is green," the young baboon notes. "Some of it," his mother replies. As they progress into the forest, Baboon tries to hold on to the truths he thinks he sees: the world is slow because the turtle takes so long to pass; a crocodile opens his mouth wide, and the world seems hungry. But when a gazelle dashes past, Baboon sees that the world can be fast, and when he spies a monkey in a tree, he realizes that although many creatures in the world are different from him, there are some that are like him, too. As evening falls, Baboon understands that the world is big. "Yes," his mother says softly, "the world is big." In a reassuring yet uncompromising manner, Banks opens young children's eyes to the message that there is more to their universe than they might know or understand. The chunky artwork, executed in jungle hues, features strong central images that work exceptionally well for the age group. A book that will support children's own questioning. Ilene Cooper

About this edition

• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0374404739
• ISBN 13: 9780374404734
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Hallensleben Georg