Across America, I Love You [Hardcover]

Christine Loomis (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up | Series: Across America, I Love You

Describes the various landscapes of America, from the Rocky Mountains and Alaska's wildlands to the giant sequoias of California, relating the parent-child relationship to these natural settings.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Loomis (Cowboy Bunnies) assumes the poetic voice of a mother addressing a child as she draws parallels between this country's natural phenomena and a youngster who is growing increasingly independent. As the narrative opens, California sequoias "cradle the Western sky"; Kiesler's (A Blizzard Year) three-quarter-page illustration depicts a grove of the giant trees, and above the text, spot art features a mother cradling her baby girl. Later, in one of the strongest paintings, spring flowers in a Southwestern desert suggest the girl's own blossoming ("You will surprise me when you bloom all at once and with little warning. I will celebrate your surprises"). Though several of the paintings are disappointingly static and muted, the intentionally grainy oil paintings reflect the dramatic shifts in geographical locales, from the craggy Pacific coastline to the snowy woods of the North. The unwavering, nurturing tone of the text, for the most part, coheres well to the diverse nature scenes depicted, offering reassurance and sound advice (e.g., the mother points out that, like the prairie grass, "Sometimes you must bend and sometimes you must stand against the wind"). A few strained analogies may be lost on young readers, but they'll likely be carried along by the soothing tone of the narrative. An openly sentimental tribute to both America's varied landscapes and to the parent-child bond. Ages 4-8. (June)

Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-A poetic tribute to the special relationship between a mother and daughter. Each page highlights a different aspect of geography or seasons, such as California forests, the Rockies, Florida swamps, and northern winters, and relates it to the stages of growing up and their relationship. ("I am a cove, an inlet apart from the storms,/a shelter when you wish to come home.") This is a lovely mood piece with poignant metaphors and tender phrases. Warm, inviting oil paintings capture the spirit of each scene. The landscapes fill a full page and a quarter and there is an additional thumbnail sketch of the daughter above each block of text. There is no story or plot here, and the intended readers would likely be a very precocious child or a sentimental adult. A charming gift book for a special occasion, but not a first purchase for most libraries.-Beth Tegart, Oneida City Schools, NY

Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (January 1, 1900)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786803665
• ISBN-13: 978-0786803668
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,466,467 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Mother's Love, September 22, 2000

By 

Sheila Beckner (Red Wing, Minnesota USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Across America, I Love You (Hardcover)

After adopting our second son from Korea, I ran across this book in our local bookstore. It seemed to say to my new son what I as a mother needed to say. Through decicate illustrations and lyrical text, the book journeys across America showing how a mother's love stays with a child as he or she journey's through life. The book beautifully describes how a mother is always a part of a child " . . . wherever you are wherever you go. . . " I recently bought a copy for a friend who lost her mother. Many of my friends at work have purchased copies for gifts. Great idea for Mother's Day or for celebrating a new birth.