Earthdance

by Joanne Ryder, Norman Gorbaty (Illustrator)

Overview

In dynamic words and dramatic pictures, Earthdance invites young readers to become not just part of the earth, but Earth itself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780805062311
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	03/15/1999
Edition description:	REV
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.69(w) x 11.99(h) x 0.09(d)
Lexile:	AD820L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Joanne Ryder has written more than forty books for young readers. Ms. Ryder lives with her husband in San Francisco, California.

Norman Gorbaty lives in New York City with his wife, Joy.

Editorial Reviews

The poem grows in power as it flows along, and is ably supported by Gorbaty's gorgeous, inventive artwork.” —School Library Journal, starred review

“Ryder's lyrical text invites young listeners to transform themselves into Earth and experience all its wonders.... An obvious choice for Earth Day story hours, this may also serve as a catalyst for children creating their own poetry or as a springboard for creative dramatics.” —Booklist

From the Publisher

A poem asks readers to imagine themselves as the earth; PW singled out the "powerful" artwork, saying that it "captures a world charged with energy and drama." Ages 3-8. (May) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Joanne Ryder creates an imaginative poem, a paean to the majesty of the earth. Imagine you are the earth..."wiggle your shoulders/ and mountains tremble and quake./ Shake your hair and feel windswept grasses tickle your face." The art is an energetic, joyful and playful evocation of the multitudes that inhabit this planet. Each picture is a breathtaking explosion of color and form. What a grand book to share this Olympic year when nations gather to become ONE.

Children's Literature - Jan Lieberman

K-Gr 5-This celebratory poem asks readers to imagine that they are the Earth. Ryder first evokes the celestial body in space, spinning and dancing around the sun, larger than the moon. She suggests that its forests, seas, and deserts form a brightly colored and comforting quilt. And of course, it is home to so many creatures. Earth is personified through striking tactile imagery: "Wiggle your shoulders/ and mountains tremble and quake./ Shake your hair and feel windswept grasses tickle your face." The poem grows in power as it flows along, and is ably supported throughout by Gorbaty's gorgeous, inventive artwork. This is an especially well-designed book, with its use of appealing bright colors and careful placement of text. The illustrations, both stylized and childlike, set a playful mood that nonetheless dovetails nicely with the poet's environmental message: "Dance slowly,/spin gently,/and carry them/ through space. May they hear /your whispers,/feel your strength/under their feet, and treasure you."-Marilyn Taniguchi, Santa Monica Public Library, CA

School Library Journal

Ryder (My Father's Hands, 1994, etc.) addresses readers in the second person, beckoning them to join in a cosmic appreciation of the earth and all it holds. Simple verse shot through with sensory and physical images invite children to imagine themselves as the globe, twirling through nights, days, summer, and winter. Text and art boldly converge in a series of invocations: "Wiggle your shoulders and mountains tremble and quake" and "Shake your hair and feel windswept grasses tickle your face." An innovative book design incorporates the text into Gorbaty's brightly colored paintings, which at first feature one or two images but quickly build into chaotic, celebratory scenes of life on earth. Powerful, pulsing graphics and a valuable, almost incantatory, message.

Kirkus Reviews