Birches [Hardcover]

Robert Frost (Author), Ed Young (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1988 | Age Level: 8 and up

In this first picture-book version of Frost's popular poem, Ed Young has used his own powers of observation and imagination to create an extraordinary series of paintings that, rather than merely providing a literal interpretation, complement and extend Frost's work. Full-color illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

On the title page of this work is a rough silhouette of a farm; with this minute touch, Young expresses his affinity, and perhaps affection, for the poet's work and observations. Frost himself makes a dabbled appearance in watercolor in these pages, a white-haired man out strolling with his dog: "So was I once myself a swinger of birches. / And so I dream of going back to be." Done in an impressionistic style, these paintingswith shadows darting like children among the birchesrepresent the recalled images of memory rather than concrete images of nature. This, too, seems a close representation of the poem's meaning. A final bittersweet spread reveals that the walker in the woods has gone on, leaving only tracks through the snow and his dog looking after him. Emotionally sound and visually arresting, Young's interpretation of Frost's work is one of unqualified beauty. Ages 6-10.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3 Up Frost's spare phrases conjure up vividly concrete mental pictures which are not reflected in Young's lovely, but often abstracted and incongruent, watercolors. In double-page spreads above the cream band that contains the few lines of text per page, Young's flowing atmospheric washes catch the New England landscape in all seasons and moods, but neither their sweeps and splotches nor their impressionistic shapes that blur into precision get across that crucial central image of the bend of those trees toward earth. Their perspective is sophisticated and does convey something of the climb and descent imagery, but as a whole, the paintings provide a musical background rather than illumination of the poem. A literal interpretation isn't necessary, or perhaps even desirable, but there should be some congruence between art and text; and these softly frenzied abstractions tend to be disconcerting and dissonant. The full-color (but with an autumnal cast) pictures stand back; while adults may appreciate the non-interference with the text, children will find it distancing. The complete poem is reprinted at the end of the book, offering an intriguing contrast to seeing it page by page and illustrated. A Swinger of Birches (Stemmer House, 1982), a collection of 38 Frost poems for young people, illustrated by Peter Koeppen, is much less dramatic artistically, but a better straightforward introduction to the poetry. Susan Jeffers' illustrations for the picture book edition of ``Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening'' (Dutton, 1978) offer a better example of expansion of the text without contradiction or confusion. Nancy Palmer, The Little School, Bellevue, Wash.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holth & Co (J); 1st ed edition (June 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805005706
• ISBN-13: 978-0805005707
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,037,220 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sexual Overtones in Birches, August 20, 2010

By 

Gerald P. Murphy - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Birches (Kindle Edition)

It's interesting that a seemingly simple poem about climbing birch trees should have so many interpretations. The following lines are often described as containing distinct sexual imagery. I had my doubts about this at first, but I suspect Frost might have been toying a bit with Freud here because there are definitely overt sexual overtones:
One by one he subdued his father's trees
By riding them down over and over again
Until he took the stiffness out of them,
And not one but hung limp, not one was left
For him to conquer.