Fireflies, Fireflies, Light My Way - Hardcover

London, Jonathan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670854425 ISBN 13: 9780670854424

Publisher: Viking Juvenile, 1996

Synopsis

A lively rhyming text that features fireflies, beavers, turtles, and other animals celebrates the interconnectedness of the natural world

About this title

About the Author

Jonathan London is the creator of twenty-three books about lovable and enduringly popular Froggy.��� He is also a poet and a novelist. Jonathan and his wife live in Graton, California.

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 2?The versatile author of the wonderfully amusing "Froggy" stories (Viking) and the poetic Eyes of Grey Wolf (Chronicle, 1993) has taken a phrase from a Native American lullaby and creatively expanded it to encompass the wild world of a swamp. The rhythmic text is similar to Bill Martin's Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Holt, 1983). A child looks out over a swamp and says: "Fireflies, fireflies, light my way. Lead me to the place...where the turtles play." He asks each animal to lead him to the next, until at last he comes to a pond where they all play together. Set against rich, deep-blue backgrounds, the acrylic illustrations are stunning, luminously conceived double-page paintings of the creatures in their habitat?turtles, frogs, beavers, catfish, wood ducks, muskrats, raccoons, crawdads, otters, and alligators. Messier's jewel-toned, stylized art is reminiscent of Henri Rousseau's jungle paintings, placing equal emphasis on the surrounding flora as well as the fauna. In each picture, the artist not only hints at the next animal to be visited but also says farewell to the previous one, underlining the theme of the continuity and harmony of living things implied by the text. A beautifully executed book that will be an excellent story-time offering as well as a good independent read.?Judith Constantinides, East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A line from a Native American lullaby spurs this nocturnal jaunt through a bayou-like wilderness: "Fireflies, fireflies, light my way. Lead me to the place... where the turtles play." A relay ensues?turtles, bullfrogs, beavers, catfish, etc., are each asked to "lead me to the [next] place." Then, the story line suddenly whips back?like the surprise alligator's tail?and returns to the fireflies. London's (The Village of the Basket Weavers, reviewed below) verse is simple and predictable?not an imaginative poet's tour de force but an irresistible invitation to youngsters, well-grounded in ecological fact. The final refrain gathers all the animals into a delightful memory exercise for pre-readers. In her picture-book debut, Messier carries the text with luminous, densely saturated acrylics that comfort the eye and stimulate the imagination. Paintings and rhymes combine to entertain the audience into an appreciation of the interconnectedness of life. Ages 3-8.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The luminosity of Messier's acrylic paintings is a perfect complement to the theme of a magical night journey. London's simple verse variations (``Fireflies, fireflies, light my way./Lead me to the place . . . where the turtles play'') are sometimes limp and sometimes forced, but they achieve a narrative thrust as they lead a child deeper into the heart of the forest. There are dangers as well as spectacles there, but the child uses the verse as an incantation against the alligator's roar as well as a summons to the otters. A fortunate match of the author of Master Elk and the Mountain Lion (1995) and an illustrator new to picture books. (Picture book. 3-8) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Ages 2^-6. Inspired by a line from a Mesquakie Indian lullaby, the text of this picture book begins, "Fireflies, fireflies, light my way. / Lead me to the place . . . / . . . where the turtles play. Turtles, turtles, dive so deep. / Lead me to the place . . . / . . . where the bullfrogs leap." Each North American animal leads the way to the next, until the alligators chase the child to the place where all the animals have gathered. The rhythmic, rhyming verse is simple enough for a toddler, yet older children will find it pleasing as well. The paintings reflect the poet's delight in the natural world with double-page scenes featuring the wild creatures of the air, the water, and the forest. Deep blues and greens lit with brighter, warmer colors make this wilderness a most attractive place to visit. Carolyn Phelan

Edition details

• Publisher: Viking Juvenile
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0670854425
• ISBN 13: 9780670854424
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Messier Linda
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32