By Jerry Pinkney
This adaptation of the nursery rhyme, "Three Little Kittens," perfectly followed the song that I remember learning in school. The illustrations, however, were absolutely beautiful. I think that just about all children, as they go through the phase of liking books about animals, would love to look at the pictures in this book. Pinkney manages to show all aspects of emotions that the kittens go through--joy, sorrow, anticipation, excitement, and accomplishment--which is, to me, a rather astonishing task. Even though the story is not a new one, I did enjoy seeing it through Pinkney's illustrations, and I can now understand why I recently saw this exact version of the story at my school's book fair. It is a classic story, and the illustrations make it top-notch.
Jerry Pinkney is a Caldecott medalist, and has also received the Caldecott Honor recognition 5 times. After reading only two of his works, I can definitely understand why. His vision of a story, and ability to put it onto paper, is superb. I will definitely try to read more of his works in the future, as well as looking for him as an author/illustrator if I am trying to help my students "see" a story more clearly.
Other titles by Jerry Pinkney include:
Sweethearts of Rhythm, The Lion and the Mouse, The Moon Over Star, Little Red Riding Hood, The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll, The Old African, God Bless the Child, Noah's Ark, Ain't Nobody a Stranger to Me, Little Red Hen, The Nightingale, Goin' Someplace Special, The Ugly Duckling, Uncle Remus: The Complete Tales, The Little Match Girl, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, A Patchwork Quilt, and many, many others.
No comments:
Post a Comment