A Primer About the Flag - Hardcover

Bell, Marvin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0763649910 ISBN 13: 9780763649913

Publisher: Candlewick, 2011

Synopsis

What is a flag? Noted poet Marvin Bell and award-winning illustrator Chris Raschka offer a whimsical investigation.

We see all sorts of flags every day. But why do we have them, and what are they for? In a book at once playful and thought provoking, Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka illustrates Marvin Bell’s "A Primer about the Flag," a short poem that raises as many questions as it does flags. Whether brandishing flags that spell out an entire maritime alphabet or little flags that pop out of a gun and say BANG, whether displaying bed-and-breakfast banners or flags on the moon, here is an exploration that may inspire children who are creating their own flags, along with poetry fans and inquisitive minds of all ages.

About this title

About the Author

Marvin Bell is the author of more than sixteen books of poetry and has won numerous awards, including Guggenheim, Fulbright, and NEA fellowships. In 2000 he was named the first Poet Laureate for the state of Iowa. He lives in Port Townsend, Washington, and Iowa City.

Chris Raschka is a Caldecott Medal–winning illustrator of many books for children, including I Pledge Allegiance by Bill Martin, Jr., and Michael Sampson; Dylan Thomas’s A Child’s Christmas in Wales; The Grasshopper’s Song by Nikki Giovanni; and A Poke in the I, A Kick in the Head, and A Foot in the Mouth, all by Paul B. Janeczko. Chris Raschka lives in New York City.

Reviews

PreS-Gr 2-Readers expecting information about the Stars and Stripes or other well-known flags will be surprised by this primer. The free-verse poem takes a fun look at less-familiar flags, among them bed-and-breakfast, shipboard signal, and state-fair flags. The biggest surprise: "little flags that come from the barrel of a gun and say, BANG." As for leading a parade, "you usually have to have a flag for people to line up behind. Few would line up behind a small tree...if you carried it at your waist just like a flag but didn't first tell people what it stood for." The lively illustrations help children follow the verse. Unique banners, including branches and leaves spread over two pages, wave briskly across the clean white backgrounds. The vibrant colors of the flags contrast boldly with the heavy-lined, black-and-white figures and structures. Children would appreciate this book primarily for the solid yet simple drawings.-Carolyn Janssen, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A thematic cousin to the Raschka-illustrated I Pledge Allegiance (2002), this peculiar picture book functions less as a primer and more as a collection of various uses for flags. With moody splotches of gray serving as backdrop, the gouache-and-ink illustrations strike a strangely somber tone not fully offset by the colorful, but rarely joyous, fictional flag designs. Some of the flags mentioned could use a bit more description: “There are bed and breakfast flags.” Some of the text could read more clearly: “Shipboard, the bridge can say an alphabet of flags.” And other statements are puzzling; for example, “Enemy flags are not supposed to be beautiful or long-lasting” does not ring especially true, though the spread that accompanies the text is a standout: two charging armies obscured by the gray fog of gunfire. Similarly dark-themed is the four-page focus on a gun, which ends in a novelty flag but still feels rather jarring. Bell and Raschka mesh best during the minimalist episodes, such as showing the flags populating the moon or a cemetery. Striking at times, but of limited appeal. Preschool-Grade 1. --Daniel Kraus

Edition details

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0763649910
• ISBN 13: 9780763649913
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Raschka Chris
• Number of pages: 32