Laura Vaccaro SeegerRecensioni

This book's been getting rave after rave. I liked it, but I didn't think it was a revelation. Plus, I put it prominently on display at my library and it's been sitting there for four days. Maybe my patrons are just not that into the color green.

Can I say I love cut out holes in picture books? Can I say I'm not really sure what cut-out holes are technically called? Die-cut? I must have missed that day in my Children's Materials class.

The point is this book is great and it has cut out holes. It's informational, but instead of just a bunch of discrete facts, Seeger cleverly brings things full circle and, whoah, this picture book just got deep, man!

What I love about wordless (or nearly wordless) books is the depth of emotion that they convey. Just like Aaron Becker's "Journey" trilogy, Laura Vaccaro Seeger does the same with her color trilogy. She says
"I believe that readers should make their own connections with characters in books, but in my mind, the boy we watched grow up in "Blue" is the father of the little girl we see at the end of "Green." And a few years late, that little girl plays a pivotal role in "Red.""

That is the type of storytelling that I am here for!

Laura Vaccaro Seeger is already a two time Caldecott honor winner....and I think it won't be very different with this one!

'Blue" is simple, pretty much a wordless picture book. Yet the words that are present are impactful. It's the story of a boy and Blue...both the name of his dog AND the colors around him. So many shades of blue are present and are used to depict the mood of the book. The illustrations are "acrylic paint on canvas" which is a look I greatly enjoy.

I say it has early literacy capabilities for a couple of reasons. It's a great beginning reader with sight words and repetition. It can also be used to ask "what do you think is going on"..so perfect for dialogic reading. Yes, it is sad. But that's okay. I'm actually debating about using it in a storytime to see how it goes.

Genre
Concept books
Die-cut books
Picture books for children
Toy and movable books
Writing Style
Minimal text
Illustration
Big and bold
Subject
Color

Genre
Animal books
Concept books
Die-cut books
Narrative nonfiction for kids and teens
Picture books for children
Writing Style
Minimal text
Subject
Animals
Biological growth
Developmental biology
Life cycles
Life sciences

For most of the book, this reads more like a concept book about shades of blue than a story -- and then near the end it hits you right in the feels.

Detail-oriented kids will probably be intrigued with how Seeger made the cut-outs be different things on each side of the page. The cut-outs also transition each shade of blue to the next.

Awesome. I absolutely adored this little gem.
Each turn of the page is an exciting mystery.
I'd love to have this in my home library!

NO YOU’RE CRYING

Super into Halloween books right now.

What a wonderful surprise this one was. The die cut pages were a delight, the text is deceptively simple, and the artwork is amazing. Plus, green is my favorite color.

Young children often have fears that are hard to deal with. Fear of the dark, of change, of making mistakes. This girl learns that those fears can be coped with in unexpected ways.

A young bull treats the other farm animals in a bossy and loud manner. When goat finally calls him a BULLY, the young bull is shocked and hurt. The point of view of the bully is an interesting twist.

My favorite color is green that is why I picked the invitation that involved this book. Green remind me of nature so much and they is probably why I love green. This book is cute because it go through pointing out how many different shades of green there are.

Lovely pictures, and a fun guessing game, too!

"First the Egg" by Laura Seeger is a book with not many words. This book shows the relationship between things and what they start as to what they grow to become, for example, an egg to a chicken, a a caterpillar to a butterfly, a word to a story, and paint to a picture. In the end of the book it comes full circle, illustrating a chicken laying an egg. Although simple, this picture book highlights transformation, from something that seems small and meaningless to something beautiful and meaningful.

questions½

A rabbit follows a bear around, constantly asking "Why?" The bear gives short but patient answers ("Because it tastes good"; "Because I am way too big to fit"; "Gravity") and at last says "I don't know." When winter comes and the bear goes to hibernate, rabbit protests, and it's the bear's turn to ask, "Why?" The rabbit answers, "Because then I would miss my friend."

See also: Just Because by Mac Barnett; Why? by Adam Rex; Bonnie Becker's Bear and Mouse books
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Re-read May 2024

I enjoyed this book a lot, It reminds me of a younger sibling or family member that no matter what you do they always want to know "Why?" Rabbit after everything he does or what bear does asks why, because it seems like he may not understand why certain things happen yet. But i like the fact that it depicts a bear being friends with a rabbit, which i can promise does not happen in real life. But it shows no matter how different the two animals are, they can be friends, i think thats deeper message you can teach children from this book.

Wow, who know a book about the color blue could bring tears to my eyes. Seeger does an amazing job by showing different colors of blue as well as emotion in it. I loved the illustrations and the different shaded of blue.

I loved the simplicity of the book showing all different types and shades of green. I think having cut outs showing the different greens are really cool and fun for the kids to see and play with. The illustrations are beautiful.

Perpetually asking "why?," a little rabbit receives answers from his patient ursine friend in this gentle, thought-provoking new picture-book from author/illustrator Laura Vaccaro Seeger. Some questions - why are the birds flying off in formation? why is bear eating honey? - are easy to answer, but others - why has the little redbird died? - are more difficult. Always honest, the bear admits when he doesn't have the answers, and eventually heads for his winter hibernation spot. When the rabbit pleads with him to stay, it is his turn to ask why...

A simple but ultimately thoughtful text is paired with beautiful watercolor artwork in Why?, which highlights the importance both of asking questions and of accepting the fact that we can't always know the answers. This is a difficult idea to grasp sometimes, and not just for children, so kudos to Seeger for exploring it here. The heartwarming ending, in which the friendship between the bear and rabbit is emphasized, allows the reader and listener to close the book with the feeling that, although some things may be uncertain and unknowable, friendship and love can be relied upon. Recommended to young questioners.

Unlike Blue, Green passes the "Does the dog die?" test just fine. On the other hand, without that wordless story running through it, it doesn't have the same power; only the last two pages seem connected (a boy planting a seed, and a man and his daughter looking up at a tree). Cutouts between the pages are entertaining.

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Re-read April 2021

A boy and his puppy grow up together, experiencing every shade of blue, from real to metaphorical. When the dog passes away from old age, the boy - now grown up - still keeps the dog's blue neckerchief with him, even as he meets a new dog, and its attached young woman.

Illustrations are done in acrylic paint on canvas, with little cutouts on each page, previewing the next shade of blue.

See also: Big Cat, Little Cat by Elisha Cooper; The Rough Patch by Brian Lies

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Re-read June 2021

This book is very good for a young audience who is learning about the opposites of things. Its a very interactive book, with being able to flip the same page and open it to reveal the opposite of the item or thing. i would recommend this book for a much younger audience not an older group of kids. It could be a fun book for younger kids.