From Publishers Weekly
Rendered in brilliant candy-shop colors, Joanna Isles's folk-art designs, whimsical characters and striking typestyles put a beguiling face on a beloved work: Abrams's edition of Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses glows with charm and vitality ($14.95, all ages ISBN 0-8109-3196-6, Dec.).
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 4-Goode applies her characteristically charming illustrations to Stevenson's poems with appealing results. She captures the exuberance of childhood in many pictures, such as those for "Rain" and "My Shadow." Other depictions are appropriately whimsical and dreamlike, as for "The Land of Nod," in which a sleepy child floats among animal-shaped clouds. The only drawback to the book is the stereotypical depiction of children playing Indian in the poem "The Gardener." While one can't fault the author for his 19th-century perspective, it is the 20th-century illustrator's decision on what parts of the poem to select and depict. The collection is well designed, with a generous amount of white space, varied one- and two-page spreads, and alternating black-and-white with full-color illustrations. The endpapers are reminiscent of the decorative floral wallpaper of a nursery. Children of both genders and mixed races are depicted in 19th-century clothing. Overall, an attractive interpretation of these classic verses.
Robin L. Gibson, Muskingum County Library System, Zanesville, OHCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
