Over the Rooftops, Under the Moon - Hardcover

Lawson, JonArno

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1592702627 ISBN 13: 9781592702626

Publisher: Enchanted Lion, 2019

Synopsis

What happens when a bird doesn’t feel like a bird?

Alone with himself, even among his flock, a young bird finds an unexpected connection in the eyes of a little girl. He begins to wonder about the nature of life: What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be a bird? Swept up in his exploration of the human world, he doesn’t notice that his flock has already migrated south for the season. Written by JonArno Lawson and beautifully illustrated by Nahid Kazemi, this sparse, lyrical story is about community lost and found, and what it means to know one’s self.

About this title

About the Author

JonArno Lawson, a writer who has published many books for children and adults, was born in Hamilton, Ontario, and raised in nearby Dundas. He now lives in Toronto, Ontario, with his wife and three children. Lawson won the Lion and the Unicorn Award for Excellence in North American Poetry four times. He is probably best known as the author of the picture book Sidewalk Flowers.

Nahid Kazemi is a visual artist and author-illustrator with a master's degree in painting from the Tehran University of Art. She has published more than sixty children's books and has received awards for her illustrations in Iran, Canada, and China, as well as nominations for the Canadian Governor General's Literary Award and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. She has also taught art and has exhibited her work in Iran, France, Italy, the UK, Lebanon, and Serbia. She lives in Montreal.

Reviews

Gr 2–5—A long-legged white bird contemplates solitude, belonging, and connectedness in this spare, introspective offering. "You can be far away inside,/and far away outside./With others, but still on your own," the book opens, and the bird is shown leaning against a chimney, soaring over the landscape, and in the middle of—yet disconnected from—a flock. As the bird interacts with various people throughout an unnamed city, the colors and patterns they wear emerge in the bird's feathers until it is mottled and vibrant: "Color arrives, sometimes when you least expect it." As the weather turns wintry, the bird comes to realize it is separated from its flock, which has already migrated south, and in a series of wordless spreads, the bird travels in search of the others, ultimately losing its color. At last, it is reunited with the flock, finding itself at once "alone and together/over the rooftops/and under the moon." Teeming with texture and detail, Kazemi's mixed-media illustrations thoughtfully complement Lawson's lyrical text and invite readers to take their time observing and examining the art. VERDICT Though unlikely to appeal to a wide audience, this philosophical title lends itself to interpretation and encourages exploration of the self, both as an independent identity and as part of a community.—Lauren Strohecker, McKinley Elementary School, Elkins Park, PA

Edition details

• Publisher: Enchanted Lion
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1592702627
• ISBN 13: 9781592702626
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Kazemi Nahid
• Number of pages: 56