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(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Ted Rand.
Rand's double-page spread watercolor illustrations attractively interpret the classic Christmas poem. Using a palette of deep blues and rich red, he creates the magic of that winter night. This "gift edition" is packaged with a wooden ornament.
32 pp.
| Clarion
| May, 2004
|
TradeISBN 0-618-15970-3$$16.00
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Ted Rand.
After asking her great-grandfather about the song he's singing, Brenda Gail learns that his "mountain song" is made up of bits of his memories of life. Brenda Gail realizes that she can think of memories for her own song. An old-fashioned and more rural Kentucky is seen, heard, and tasted in the illustrations--dusty dog, creaky porch, homemade strawberry jam, and all.
40 pp.
| Holt
| September, 2004
|
TradeISBN 0-8050-6785-X$16.95
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Ted Rand.
In 1915, when the song "Danny Boy" first comes out, Grandpa Danny and Kathleen sing it together when she visits. As time passes, Grandpa's mind becomes "shadowy," and he moves in with Kathleen's family. Still, Kathleen connects with him through their song. The quiet language, echoing the words of "Danny Boy," and the expressive illustrations make this a touching if sentimental story.
(1)
K-3
Illustrated by
Ted Rand.
"Boneless, translucent, / We undulate, undulate, / Gelatinously." Jellyfish, and sixteen other animals, describe themselves in haiku. Adroit and memorable, Prelutsky's poems use words that convey meaning through both sense and sound. Rand's double-page spread art is equally eloquent; some illustrations are fittingly reminiscent of Japanese ink paintings, with their transparent brush work and elegant, calligraphic lines.
32 pp.
| Holt
| May, 2004
|
TradeISBN 0-8050-6816-3$$16.95
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Ted Rand.
Island resident Mrs. Paradise adopts and raises a stray lamb. But Mary the lamb roams freely and peskily, becoming a community pet, until everyone agrees to take her to a mainland petting zoo where she can be more appropriately contained, cared for, and visited often. Bright, frisky illustrations and a satisfactory resolution make this a pleasing story.
32 pp.
| Clarion
| October, 2003
|
TradeISBN 0-618-15960-6$$16.00
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Ted Rand.
A young girl describes how every year members of her small town, including prison inmates (one is her uncle), build an ice palace for a winter carnival. The narrator makes a somewhat heavy-handed suggestion that the prisoners get a new perspective on life through their involvement with the carnival, but otherwise the book, featuring Rand's frosty watercolors, has a light, lyrical touch.
(3)
1-3
Illustrated by
Ted Rand.
Anna spends all her free time in her father's bookbinding workshop. When her father is upstairs in their apartment, awaiting the birth of his new son, Anna completes the work on his latest commission and is rewarded with her parents' love and respect. The warm, old-fashioned story is complemented by realistic watercolors ably depicting the turn-of-the-century setting.
32 pp.
| Putnam
| April, 2003
|
TradeISBN 0-399-23417-9$$15.99
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Ted Rand.
"Mother frowning, / Sarah, tall. / Bodice binding, / Dress, too small." Illustrated with cheerful, realistic watercolors, this story in rhyme follows colonial Sarah through many of her everyday chores, culminating in the day that her work provides her with new clothes. The telegraphic rhymes are sometimes choppy and grammatically muddled, but the portrait of colonial life is accurate and engaging.
32 pp.
| Scholastic/Orchard
| March, 2002
|
TradeISBN 0-439-31766-5$$16.95
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Ted Rand.
In sometimes clunky rhyming verse, an African-American boy describes the rigors and pleasures of life on a family farm: e.g., "A mule / a tiller / work till dinner. / A stump / a rock / pull till you drop." Illustrated with delicate watercolor images, the story takes a serious turn when the farm, threatened by urban sprawl, is sold.
32 pp.
| Holt
| November, 2002
|
TradeISBN 0-8050-6467-2$$16.95
(4)
PS
Illustrated by
Ted Rand.
On alternating pages, Cummins contrasts Ben's country life with Jody's life in the city: e.g., Ben's school bus drives many miles on country roads, while Jody takes a crowded city bus to school. In a feel-good ending, they meet and become friends at Camp Eagle Ridge. Although the text is less a story than a listing of differences, the handsome illustrations bring the children and their environments to life.
32 pp.
| HarperCollins
| April, 2002
|
TradeISBN 0-688-16022-0$$15.95
|
LibraryISBN 0-688-16023-9$$15.89 1985
(3)
PS
Illustrated by
Ted Rand.
After parading to bed with her animals, Hattie explains to her parents why all nine of them must sleep with her. This new edition of a bedtime counting book features expressive, cozy artwork that suits the comfort of a recognizable bedtime ritual.
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Ted Rand.
In this picture book, adapted from a sequel to Julie of the Wolves, Julie's brother Amaroq raises a wolf pup, Nutik, and his heart is broken when Nutik must return to the pack. Rand's realistic illustrations depict native Alaskan life and Amaroq's growing relationship with the wolf pup; they show as well Amaroq's joy when Nutik chooses to stay with his human family instead.
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Ted Rand.
When Amaroq, a young Eskimo boy, follows Nutik, his pet wolf pup, out onto the tundra in search of his football taken by the village pranksters, he gets lost. But Nutik's good nose finds not only the ball but the way home again. The intense colors in the pastel and painted illustrations depict the northern Alaskan summer in this story featuring characters from the Julie of the Wolves books.
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Ted Rand.
In this story based on the experiences of the nineteenth-century Madsen family, a young girl named Matilda narrates how she and her three siblings grew up aboard the John Ena, a four-masted cargo ship captained by their father. Lively illustrations nicely capture the seafaring family as well as the breezy tone of the text. Historical photos of the Madsens and an afterword provide additional information.
32 pp.
| Clarion
| August, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-395-86146-2$$15.00
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Ted Rand.
Because she misses her mother, who died three years ago, and resents her new stepmother, Laura refuses to join in a family project and instead dwells on the stories represented by the buttons on her memory string, a family heirloom. When the string accidentally breaks, scattering the precious buttons, her stepmother's compassion and understanding help the two of them forge a new bond. Rand's sensitive watercolors are dappled with light.
48 pp.
| Harcourt
| March, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-15-202022-5$$16.00
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Ted Rand.
This enjoyable collection of poems captures the many faces of dogs, whether they're trembling in anticipation of the vet, visiting an elderly woman in a nursing home, or waiting for King Henry VIII to throw them bones from his meal. The poems use a variety of forms and range from humorous to touching, while the diverse styles of illustration, from watercolor to pencil to oils, reflect the poems' changing moods.
32 pp.
| Putnam
| March, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-399-23039-4$$13.99
(3)
PS
Illustrated by
Ted Rand.
A boy cries, "Let's play rough, Daddy!" and jumps on his father, who responds enthusiastically. When the roughhousing becomes a bit overwhelming, the boy calls a halt, whereupon Daddy stops and offers a hug. Reassured, the boy begins another bout of rowdy play. Wavy lines of type reflect the rambunctious mood, which is further enhanced by uncluttered illustrations.
32 pp.
| Dial
| May, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-8037-2059-9$$15.99
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Ted Rand.
When is a dog more than just a dog? To his owner, a happy-go-lucky golden retriever can be everything from a prancing pony (when carrying a stick) to a slick seal (when given a bath) to a hibernating bear (when napping with the young narrator) as he goes about his daily activities. Exuberant illustrations fill each double-page spread with movement and capture the loving relationship between a boy and his dog.
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Ted Rand.
Mandy's stepfather, Mr. Long, declares that only the boys in the family need to learn to drive their new Model T. But after Mama takes Mandy on a crazy drive around their farm, Mr. Long is obliged to agree that a woman can drive, too. The car's wild proportions in the illustrations match the story's larger-than-life atmosphere and capture the chaos and excitement of driving the new motorcar.
32 pp.
| Scholastic
| February, 1999
|
TradeISBN 0-590-89830-2$$16.95
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Ted Rand.
McNulty explores the probable evolution of modern whales from large land-dwelling animals that lived during the time of dinosaurs, carefully delineating likely changes that occurred over many millions of years. Readers will easily follow the almost poetic explanation of how modern whales came to be. Rand's illustrations, executed in acrylic, watercolor, and chalk, are appropriately watery.
Reviewer: Ellen Fader
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 1999
26 reviews
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