I came across today's poetry book when I was visiting the library not long ago, and I fell in love with it. The art was the first thing that caught my eye. I am a huge fan of Barbara McClintock's work and always pick up a book when I see her gorgeous creations on the cover. Then I started to read the poetry and the preface to the book. Natalie Merchant put her heart and soul into this title, and let me tell you, it shows!
Leave your sleep
Leave your sleep
Natalie Merchant
Illustrated by Barbara McClintock
Poetry Picture book (with an audio CD of songs)
For ages 5 to 7
Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2012, 978-0374343682
In 2010 singer and songwriter Natalie Merchant released a
two-disc album. For the album she adapted 19th and 20th
century American and British poetry for children and turned them into new
songs. The project took five years to complete, and was a true labor of love
that Natalie Merchant immersed herself into, heart and soul. Natalie chose poems
that were “parables with lessons on human nature and bits of nonsense to
challenge the natural order of things...”
After the
release of her album, Natalie was contacted by Frances Foster, an editor at
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, who wanted to take her songs and turn them into a
picture book for children. Thus it was that Natalie’s songs, which are a
celebration of the written word, were paired with Barbara McClintock’s lush,
colorful, and wonderfully detailed artwork.
On the pages of the book readers will travel with a little girl to the land of Nod, as described by Robert Louis Stevenson. The little girl wanders beside streams and “up the mountain-sides of dreams,” and sees all manner of strange and sometimes “frightening sights.” The sad thing is that try as she might, the little girl can never get to the land of Nod “by day.” Nor can she “remember plain and clear / The curious music that I hear.”
On the pages of the book readers will travel with a little girl to the land of Nod, as described by Robert Louis Stevenson. The little girl wanders beside streams and “up the mountain-sides of dreams,” and sees all manner of strange and sometimes “frightening sights.” The sad thing is that try as she might, the little girl can never get to the land of Nod “by day.” Nor can she “remember plain and clear / The curious music that I hear.”
Then there is
the tale of Isabel, who met an enormous bear, an old witch, a “hideous giant,”
and a “troublesome” doctor. All of these encounters could have ended very badly for Isabel, but thankfully the little girl was not the kind of child to worry or “scream or scurry.” In every instance, Isabel very firmly, yet calmly, dealt with the threat.
and a “troublesome” doctor. All of these encounters could have ended very badly for Isabel, but thankfully the little girl was not the kind of child to worry or “scream or scurry.” In every instance, Isabel very firmly, yet calmly, dealt with the threat.
This book is,
without a doubt, a real treasure. It is a joy to read and a delight to look at,
and would make a wonderful addition to a child’s library of ‘treasured books’.
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