Angel Hide and Seek [Hardcover]

Ann Warren Turner (Author), Lois Ehlert (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1998 | Age Level: 5 and up

Walk in the field, watch the sky, climb through the woods and find- cloud angels, hay angels, faces hiding in the wood.

Have you ever looked for familiar shapes in the clouds as they roll by? Sometimes you can see a dragon, or a flower, or an angel with flowing hair. But you don't need to look up in the sky to find angels.

There are angels right here on earth that we can see and feel and touch. There is one in the curve of a butterfly wing; another in the haloed head of a sunflower. Perhaps you have made an angel in the snow, or at the seashore with seaweed hair and shell wings. Nature's angels are everywhere you look. Maybe you'll find only a face in a ripple of water, or a swirling dress in a flying milkweed puff, But if you look, you'll see angels everywhere.

Come turn the pages and find the angels, But look carefully- they like to play hide and seek.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Sky, earth, / cloud, and rain, / show your face / to me again. / Halo nods, / wing unbends, / I see angels / without end." Ann Turner finds angels in the strangest places--in sunflowers, in milkweed fluff, in ponds, in clouds, and in the curve of a butterfly wing. In this boldly colorful, richly textured picture book, she--along with artist Lois Ehlert, creator of the Caldecott Honor winner Color Zoo--plays hide and seek with the winged celestials. In her poem "Sea Angel," an angel is built out of shells and seaweed: "We went treasure hunting / by the shore / and made a picture / on the sand / a horseshoe crab / for the head, / a scatter of shells for wings, / and a hank of green weed / for the sea angel's hair." Ehlert's painted paper collages are a pleasure to behold, even if you can't find the angel in the picture--which is likely. Artist's notes in the back offer background material on sunflowers, monarch butterflies, milkweed, and other wonders of the natural world. (Ages 5 and older) --Karin Snelson

From Publishers Weekly

All the world is a Rorschach test in this imagination-stretching look at nature. In a series of brief scenarios, Turner (Shaker Hearts) describes her sightings of various "angels" in the wild. From Wood Angels (made of "leaves and nuts/ and pinecone petals") to Milkweed Angels ("Wind teased black seeds out,/ each a tiny flier/ in the sky"), she encourages readers to see the delicate, the unexpected, the wondrous. In a superb complement, Ehlert's (Hands; Color Zoo) vibrant multimedia collages combine colors, shapes and textures to compose an intricate visual landscape that begs for exploration. Cool gray stones, fiery autumn leaves and skate-scraped pond ice are among the settings she poetically recreates. The jacket image of an enormous sunflower wearing a subtly discernible smile is particularly cheery. An artist's note at the end offers some facts about the various plants and elements that inspired the illustrations. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins Childrens Books; 1 st ed edition (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060270853
• ISBN-13: 978-0060270858
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,929,240 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born in a small town in Western Massachusetts to creative parents who always encouraged my writing and painting. I went to Bates College, majored in English, and spent a wonderful year abroad in Oxford, England, giving me a taste for neat Scotch, Evensong, and very old churches and buildings. I've been married long enough to break all records and have two grown children. I am especially drawn to telling stories about outsiders, rebellious girls, and people who don't fit in--as I didn't growing up. I was always a bit too loud, too passionate, moved too fast, made up too many stories, and thought that life moved just a tad too slowly for me. I love to cook, garden, swim, pet my wild Jack Russell terrier, talk to friends and my "kids," and laugh at my husband's wild, original stories. I also actually answer letters and emails sent to me by fans, and when I do school visits, I tell people--"Don't ever let anyone tell you you can't do it!"

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful use of Lois Ehlert's talents, November 8, 2000

By 

Amie Norris "migennes" (Las Vegas, Nevada USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Angel Hide and Seek (Hardcover)

This is a great book for both kids and adults. Ehlert is known as a children's book illustrator, and this title takes her talents to the next level. The illustrations contain cleverly designed angels which the reader must find. They range in difficulty from VERY easy and obvious to VERY difficult. There are some that I still can't find! The illustrations are good enough to frame. Ehlert arranges everyday items (or "finds" the arrangement in nature) to resemble an angel. Each one is unique. After going through the book and finding the angels, it is possible to enhance the experience with a child by going back and creating stories for each one. Each page also contains a few lines by Turner which aid in finding the angel. However, the written lines are not as good as the pictures. The words just don't flow. That is the only reason this book has 4 rather than 5 stars. The book reminds me of the _I SPY_ series, or _Where's Waldo?_. In addition to being entertaining, this book stimulates the brain. There is a short section in the back with a few informational lines about each picture, but you can't use them to cheat; they don't give away the hiding spots. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be giving away several as gifts this holiday season.