- Hardcover: 32 pages
- Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Ltd. (Mar 20 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0789424843
- ISBN-13: 978-0789424846
- Product Dimensions: 27.7 x 21.8 x 0.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 408 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #672,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
How does a person find courage to face her biggest fear? Jackson (Willy's Silly Grandma) explores this existential question with humor and sympathy, using her sophisticated collage art to create drama through a pastiche of characters and landscapes. The simple plot centers on an old woman whose house sits precariously under an enormous wave. The woman's crankiness hides her all-consuming fear of the wave and the life-threatening disaster she believes will happen at any second. Branding the wave "wasteful," "careless" and "clumsy," she pretends to ignore it until her more adventurous dog plunges into the metaphoric source of life. This is a "once upon a time" story in the true sense, in which fear of the unknown is never outgrown, but is, rather, faced and overcome. Jackson's artistry in telling the old woman's story works, as folktales do, to create an otherworldly landscape and the perspective needed to face life's "waves" fearlessly. By illustrating the tale with gloriously detailed word pictures (many contain phrases that are potential clues to the woman's liberation) Jackson may also inspire readers of all ages to take an artistic approach to problem solving. Even though the deeper meaning may be lost on young readers, there is plenty of drama and whimsy to keep the entertainment level high. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3?If Catherine Cowan's My Life with the Wave (Lothrop, 1997) whetted children's fancy, suggest this delightful story about another human interacting with a wave. An old woman has lived her whole life under a wave that hovers over her house. She is prepared with a boat in case it ever falls, but the daily drips and drops are a part of her routines. The wave loves the old woman, even though she has never noticed its beauty. When a young woman wanders along looking for work, the old woman sends her to the roof to patch the umbrellas that help keep it dry. As the stranger leaves, she observes that the swell "...could take someone a long way, if someone wanted to go." When her dog, Bones, prances into the wave and won't come back, the old woman takes her boat to fetch him, but the view from the crest gives her a new perspective on her world and beyond. Adults will love the underlying message and kids will love the frolicking, quirky story. Stylized collage illustrations incorporate map scraps and segments of type that play against the curl of the blue-green wave that undulates through the page design. The combination of whimsical illustrations and buoyant story make a refreshing splash.?Julie Cummins, New York Public Library
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
beautiful metaphor,
By A Customer
This review is from: Old Woman And The Wave (Hardcover)
I bought this book for my mother after the sudden death of my father.Life is all around us...waiting to be explored. It is our perceptions and attitudes that dictate our experience in life (at least if you are fortunate enough to live in the Western world). I think this book beautifully illustrates the fears and prejudices that prevent us from seeking out joy along with illustrating a lush picture of life's possibilities. The overall message of the book will be lost on most young children but, even without perceiving it's layers, the illustrations and story are lovely and highly entertaining for children to read.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful collage illustrations,
By A Customer
This review is from: Old Woman And The Wave (Hardcover)
I loved this book, almost enough to give five stars. It's wonderful to meet a real, cranky character and the patience of nature who waits for her to find herself. The illustrations give a lot to look at. Certainly NOT just for children 4-8.
4.0 out of 5 stars
What a unique book!,
By Hui Liao (Poeme68@aol.com) (New Orleans, LA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Old Woman And The Wave (Hardcover)
Sometimes we fail to perceive the beauty of a place if we have been there too long. This is what happens to the old woman who has lived at the foot of a standing wave all her life. The wave loves her. It bends low to her as if it is going to kiss her. It tries to please her by offering her gifts such as shadows of dancing fish. But the woman simply sees the wave as an enemy instead of a friend and a possibility--until one day a traveler passes by . . . This book could be used to remind children, as well as adults, that sometimes we simply forget to appreciate what's right around us.The illustrations are gorgeous collage paintings. My five-year-old child enjoys this book. He thinks it is beautiful. Readers who are older will not only love the beauty of its language and illustrations but also the meaning the story connotes.
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