Come a Tide [Hardcover]

George Ella Lyon (Author), Stephen Gammell (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

A girl provides a lighthearted account of the spring floods at her rural home.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Four days and nights of rain and snow in the mountains and, Grandma predicts, it'll "come a tide." And indeed, fragile gardens are swept away, pigs and chickens float merrily by, and families scramble for higher ground. When the water recedes, everyone pitches in, excavating household goods--their "buried treasures"--with good cheer. This is a gem of a picture book, a seamless collaboration between author and artist. Lyon's folksy narrative captures the cadence of country speech without striking a false or condescending note. And Gammell memorably renders the strength and individuality of mountain folk. Using drips and splotches of watercolors as well as drawing more traditional, slanting rain, he brings the reader into the storm, making it seem as though it has rained on the book itself. One feels buoyed by the characters' matter-of-fact resilience; this is a striking and thoroughly captivating portrait of grace and humor, in the face of adversity. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreS Grade 2 --In the hills, in March, it snowed and then rained four days and nights. Grandma said, "It'll come a tide." It did, washing away gardens, porches, pigs, and chickens. Four families on a hillside cope with the flood, driving to higher ground to wait it out, fetching their boat, and gathering stray family members. After the narrator's night at Grandma's, the rain stops and they all return to "make friends with a shovel." The story is lyrically told with sly humor, and expanded to hilarity by Gammell's rollicking, wet, full-of-action, full-color cartoons. The characters could get together with those he did for Rylant's The Relatives Came (Bradbury, 1985). The underlying colored-pencil technique is in his typical style, but for rain he uses watercolor. His work is jolly as always and brimming with life, but there is one small nit to pick: the chickens and the pigs smile as the water sweeps them away. The jovial art may also tend somewhat to counter the final lines of the book: ". . . I'll hold my breath/ and hope Grandma won't say,/ 'Children, it'll come a tide.' " That is quibbling, however. Children and adults alike will love this big-hearted book. Reassuringly, it shows feisty people coping with trouble and coming out all right, thus taking some of the fear out of a potentially terrifying experience. --Helen Gregory, Grosse Pointe Public Library, MI
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Orchard Books (March 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531058549
• ISBN-13: 978-0531058541
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,859,571 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Paint a picture, October 21, 2011

By 

Rebecca, art teacher (Greenville, South Carolina) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Come a Tide (Hardcover)

The words are carefully chosen to give a local flavor as well as tell a story. The artwork gives expression and character to the various participants in the story. For extra fun, look for this book read by Dixie Carter on an old Reading Rainbow episode. This book reminds me another favorite illustrated by Stepehen Gammell- The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant.

4.0 out of 5 stars Love the artwork, too., March 18, 2009

By 

R. NOLEN (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Come a Tide (Orchard Paperbacks) (Paperback)

I love the language of this story. It reminds me of good times with friends and family.