If - Hardcover

Kipling, Rudyard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 156846259X ISBN 13: 9781568462592

Publisher: Creative Editions, 2014

Synopsis

When Rudyard Kipling wrote the poem "If—" in 1909, he was addressing his 12-yearold son, John, who would die in battle a few short years later during World War I. The famous author's words soon inspired a nation, and the poem has twice been voted Great Britain's favorite. Italian illustrator Giovanni Manna melds the innocence of childhood with the encouraging sentiments expressed by Kipling's words in this tender portrayal of fatherly advice.

About this title

About the Author

Rudyard Kipling spent the first half of his life shuttling between India, the country of his birth, and England, where he achieved literary fame. He became the first English recipient of a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907, two years before he wrote "If—."

Giovanni Manna was born in Florence, Italy, and has made illustrations for more than 80 books for children since 1995. He teaches watercolor at the International School of Illustration in Sarmede and was awarded the Andersen Prize for best Italian illustrator in 2003.

Reviews

Gr 1–4—A poignant introduction reveals the story behind Kipling's verse, providing a glimpse into the poet's family life. After losing his oldest daughter to a sudden illness, Kipling was inspired to offer this lyrical bit of fatherly advice to his young son, not knowing that just a few years later, the young man would be killed in battle in World War I. The poem begins, "If/ you can keep your head when all about you/Are losing theirs and blaming it on you" and goes on to describe a series of difficult situations the boy may encounter in his life's journey. Kipling hoped his son would take his words to heart; the poem concludes, "Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,/And—which is more—you'll be a Man, my son!" Manna illustrates each line of the poem in a series of winsome watercolors. A sturdy boy appears hiking beneath a stormy sky, fishing on a mirrorlike lake, or climbing a stony mountain in the softly colored paintings. In one fanciful scenario, he and his elegant white dog stand in a crowd of life-size medieval marionettes, accompanied by the lines "If/you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken/Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools." Charles R. Smith Jr.'s rendition (S. & S.) of Kipling's poem illustrated with sports-related photographs has a modern flair. However, Manna's nostalgic interpretation abounds with an old-fashioned appeal entirely appropriate to mark the 100th anniversary of the Great War. This beautifully crafted book will be a fine addition.—Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston, MA

Edition details

• Publisher: Creative Editions
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 156846259X
• ISBN 13: 9781568462592
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Manna Giovannia
• Number of pages: 32