Reviews

PreS-Gr 3-This beautifully formatted book presents the classic poem about childhood through the eyes of a mouse. The large, shadowy gray, artistic font becomes a part of the exquisite illustrations, spreading across a double page or side by side with the artwork. The lively rodent tumbles, runs, and jumps through a happily cluttered playroom where he has taken up residence. However, there are some problems with the text. Using a mouse as the voice necessitates changing the word "children" to "mice" in the second and third stanzas, thereby disturbing the rhythm of the poem. The word "mom," which has been substituted for "nursie" in the third stanza, is out of place with the quaintly antiquated tone of the poem. Finally, substituting the word "errant" for "arrant" seriously confuses the meaning of the line. The book is a visual delight but changing the wording diminishes the integrity of the work.-Marlene Gawron, Orange County Library, Orlando, FL Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Rand leads the reader through a joyful parade of children from all over the world in his rendition of the poem about a child playing with his shadow. A Chinese youngster plays kickball in front of a stone lion, a boy balances on the edge of a fountain in Italy, an African tyke stares at a puddle of shadow beneath his feet. Unfortunately, the Stevenson text, with its single narrator, is not well synchronized with the subjects of Rand's illustrations, who vary from page to page. For example, a girl in a garden is pictured saying, ``One morning . . . I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup.'' The sentence is completed by a group of children playing on an island beach who say, ``But my lazy little shadow . . . stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.'' Although Rand's often idyllic locales are gorgeously depicted, his settings may not always be clear to readers, adding further confusion to the artistic device. Ages 4-8. (Nov.)