When The Root Children Wake Up - Hardcover

Wood, Audrey

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 059042517X ISBN 13: 9780590425179

Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2002

Synopsis

Complimented with Ned Bittinger's stunning illustrations, best-selling author Audrey Wood's new version of a timeless classic is the perfect read aloud for this spring and gift all year round.

When Old Grandfather Winter disappears into his ice palace high in the mountains, Young Robin chirps her wake-up song to the Root Children deep underground. "Wake up," she sings. "It's time for the masquerade!"

Right away, the Root children set to work sewing their flowering costumes, and painting bugs with rainbows until they sparkle like jewels. Then, they frolic out into the world in a joyous chorus of color and song. They sing and dance through summer. But all good things must come to an end, and as the frosty autumn winds blow away the leaves and flowers, the Root Children must return to their underground bed with gentle Mother Earth.

About this title

About the Author

Don and Audrey Wood have been an award-winning team for over 25 years. “When our son, Bruce, was
very young, the best part of the day for my wife, Audrey, and me was reading him his bedtime picture
books….That's when I fell in love with children's literature and decided to illustrate, and occasionally
write, children's books,” says Don, who grew up on his family's farm in California. Audrey grew up in a
family of artists and is a fourth-generation artist.
Together, Don and Audrey created their first picture book in 1976. Since then, they have collaborated on
several award-winning picture books, including the Caldecott Honor book, King Bidgood's in the Bathtub.
For more information about Don and Audrey Wood, visit: scholastic.com/tradebooks or audreywood.com

Reviews

Kindergarten-Grade 4-According to the author's note, this story was originally written and illustrated in 1906 in Germany by Sibylle von Olfers. Wood's retelling of it is both economic and graceful. The tale itself is a gentle but joyous romp through the seasons. After Grandfather Winter returns to his palace of ice, Mother Earth wakes up her Root children, helps them dress in blossom clothing, and sends them up into the world. They frolic first with kind Aunt Spring and then with jolly Cousin Summer. The arrival of studious Uncle Fall signals a quieter time, and at last Mother Earth calls them back to their underground home and sings them a lullaby, while Grandfather Winter listens outside. The story itself is so evocative that it could be told without benefit of illustration, but in this case the pictures are so beautifully rendered that the words are almost superfluous. Bittinger's oil-on-linen paintings are nothing short of gorgeous. They are rich in texture, vibrant of hue, and rendered with such care and elegance that one is reluctant to leave one page for the next. This is a truly lovely offering from a talented pair.
Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Readers familiar with the original 1906 classic by Sybille von Olfers, which featured delicate art nouveau style illustrations, may find this new version overblown. Wood's retelling of the story finds Young Robin Redbreast awakening Mother Earth's brood in early spring and follows the Root Children through their annual "masquerade" a frolic through the seasons with Aunt Spring, Cousin Summer and Uncle Fall until it's time for them to return once again to their home beneath the ground "for their long winter's nap." The tale's timeless themes of renewal and rebirth have lost none of their resonance, but the narrative bogs down somewhat in old-fashioned cadences that may be a nod to the source but come off as slightly forced ("May love and happiness follow wherever you may bloom"). Bittinger's hazy, soft-focus oil paintings suffer the same fate. Technically skillful (his animals are exquisite), with delicate brushwork and a comely use of light and shadow, the portraits of the multicultural cast of cherubs, decked out in butterfly wings and floral garlands, falter when the brushwork drifts into the kind of calculated lushness found in Thomas Kinkade paintings. It's a laudable effort, but one that's ultimately less than the sum of its parts. Ages 5-10.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 2-4. An Edwardian classic gets a fresh lease on life with a recast text matched to eye-filling, lushly romantic art. Wood shortens Helen Dean Fish's wordy English version of the German original, drops the quaint gender roles, and changes the essence of what the Root children do from work to play. Wakened by Mother Earth, the children sew new "blossom costumes" from rainbows; emerge for a nonstop masquerade with Aunt Spring, jolly Cousin Summer, and studious Uncle Fall; and then retreat to their underground burrow to slip into sleep again, as old man Winter listens at the window to Mother Earth's lullaby. Bittinger's vigorously brushed oils capture the wild rumpus with an array of diminutive human figures--some depicted in pretty, late-ninteenth-century style, others looking decidedly modern--dancing with abandon in impressionistically verdant outdoor settings. For children sophisticated enough to understand the difference between science and metaphor, this is an engaging way of looking at the seasons, and the occasional languorous prose adds an undertone of subtle sensuality. John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Scholastic Press
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 059042517X
• ISBN 13: 9780590425179
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Bittinger Ned
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32