Do You Know What I'll Do? [Hardcover]

Charlotte Zolotow (Author), Javaka Steptoe (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

One day a little girl said to her brother...

Do you know what I'll do at the seashore?

I'll bring you a shell to hold the sound of the sea.

In a little girl's magical question-and-answer game, Charlotte Zolotow captures, with unerring childlike simplicity, a sister's special love for her little brother. Javaka Steptoe's bold artwork offers a stunning new interpretation of the reassuring, lyrical text and brings to yet another generation of children this well-loved story.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Steptoe's (In Daddy's Arms, I Am Tall) bold mixed-media collages invigorate Zolotow's (Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present) tender 1958 tale of a girl's affection for her brother. As Zolotow's poetic images flow in a rhythmic question-and-answer format ("Do you know what I'll do when it snows?/ I'll make you a snowman./ / Do you know what I'll do when the wind blows?/ I'll put it in a bottle and let it loose when the house is hot"), Steptoe responds in kind. He depicts a bottle of wind containing snowflakes and a tiny image of the snowman built by the girl in a prior spread. His stunning illustrations, comprised of painted plywood, cardboard and paper, along with fabric, ribbons, buttons, seashells and so on, create layered, almost three-dimensional portraits of the striking African-American siblings. Their love for each other is tangible, yet he injects the same playfulness and humor inherent in the text. For "Do you know what I'll do at the movies?/ I'll remember the song and sing it to you," Steptoe shows the sister striking a Billie Holiday pose, complete with flower hair ornaments and a fuchsia feather boa. Simple, rounded lines and a resonant white backdrop set off the brilliant colors (fans of John Steptoe's work can't help but notice a resemblance). Both author and artist prove they know how to convey a strong sense of familial love. Ages 3-7. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-"One day a little girl said to her little brother-Do you know what I'll do when the flowers grow again? I'll pick you a bunch and you'll be happy." So begins this lyric narrative, as a child describes her love for her brother by listing all the things she will do for him. Zolotow's text, originally illustrated by Garth Williams (HarperCollins, 1958), zeros in on that special kind of tenderness between siblings. Steptoe's mixed-media collages, made mostly from wood and paint, have a three-dimensional quality and project the emotion of the text. The artist gets precise detail with broad strokes, and his vibrant compositions leap from and move across the stark white spreads. The layout is simple but effective. The text is only slightly revised, replacing "movie" with "movies," and rephrasing the final question from "Do you know what I'll do when I grow up and am married?" to "-when I grow up and have a baby?" The answer to both is, "I'll bring you my baby to hug. Like this." Steptoe's artwork is decidedly modern, yet timeless in its depiction of an African-American family. It is familiar, yet fresh, just as Zolotow's voice was to the children's book scene over 50 years ago, and continues to be today.
Nina Lindsay, Oakland Public Library, CA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; Revised edition (September 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006027879X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060278793
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 10.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #406,496 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A poetic look at little girl's love for her baby brother., June 26, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Do You Know What I'll Do (Library Binding)

Charlotte Zolotow's words and Garth Williams' dreamy ink and wash drawings evoke the poetic world of a little girl, as she imagines all the things she'll do for her baby brother, whom she adores. The simplicity and grace of this book makes it unique. They don't make 'em like this anymore

5.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarming, January 13, 2011

By 

robmcgwrites (East Northport, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Do You Know What I'll Do? (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my sister last year because the sentiment in it echoes how special she is to me. I'm a children's librarian and had to stop reading it at storytimes because I would tear up every time!

5.0 out of 5 stars Collectible, March 6, 2010

By 

Gayle - See all my reviews

This review is from: Do You Know What I'll Do? (Hardcover)

This is a beautifully illustrated old book about the things a little girl wants to do with her baby brother. She obviously adores him! This is a precious book to read with a child who has a new baby in their life.