Celeste Davidson Mannis

In her picture book debut, Mannis uses the underlying structure of a little girl in a Japanese garden as the theme for a lyrical counting book with arresting illustrations by Hartung (One Dark Night, 2001, etc.). The author uses haiku as her format to count elements of the garden: one leaf, two carved temple dogs, three bonsai trees, and so on, up to ten lanterns lighting the way into the garden at twilight. The final double-page spread shows all the previously counted items integrated into the idyllic garden, with the little girl catching the leaf that eluded her grasp on the first page. The thoughtful design includes a full-page illustration on the left-hand pages, the appropriate numeral and the haiku in large type on the right-hand pages, and a related textual note in smaller type at the bottom of the page. This format imparts additional information about Japanese gardens and culture without intruding on the effectiveness of the haiku. Hartung’s delicate illustrations with varying perspectives effectively complement the haiku and add touches of visual humor throughout. Just as each element of a Japanese garden contributes to a calming, satisfying whole, the elements of this work—poetry, subtly integrated additional text, illustration, design, and even the endpapers—all meld together into a lovely whole that both entertains as successful poetry and educates as an introduction to several aspects of ancient Japanese culture. Teachers in elementary school classrooms will find this volume useful when studying Japan or the haiku format. (author’s note) (Picture book/poetry. 4-10)

-Kirkus Review… (altro)

An alphabet picture book that gives a rhyme for each letter to do with Queen Elizabeth I's summer holiday royal progress ("An A for adventure. Our spirits are high! Fare thee well London. All's ready. Let's fly!") and then provides a short paragraph explaining a historical aspect of the royal progress. The pictures illustrate the rhyme and the information, often with a little "extra" narrative thrown in. Fascinating and lavishly illustrated, though I am a little "hmm?" about who this book is for. The information and illustrations seem 8+, while the overall format (alphabet book) seems a good deal younger. Perhaps I underestimate older children's willingness to return to "younger" formats if executed well.… (altro)