From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3–Who is Earth Mother? There is no definition or description but she appears to be a form of Mother Nature, blessing and talking to all of the animals on Earth (including Man), tending the plants, bringing the snow and ice to northern climes, and touching the cycle of life. Depicted as a young African-American woman, Earth Mother is serene and gentle, passing through her day and making everyone aware that all is exactly the way it should be. Unfortunately, the text is dry and static: ‘You are kind to me, Earth Mother,' said Man. ‘You have sent Frog to fill my belly and I am grateful.' Nothing much happens: Man complains that Mosquito bites him, Frog complains that Man eats him, and Mosquito complains that Frog eats him. The magnificent illustrations are classic Leo and Diane Dillon, with a palette dominated by browns, greens, blues, and other earth tones. Soft and elegant, they beg for a brighter text. Still, reading it a few times helps readers realize the book's calming effect. In today's crazy world, an example of things following a routine with soft, caring people and animals is not a bad thing. The art is worth much more than the cover price, and teachers and parents will find a way to use this story.
–Susan Lissim, Dwight School, New York City Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
edition.
PreS-Gr. 2. When this lovely, serene African Earth Mother blows across the mesas of the sage-covered deserts, she becomes the wind beneath a hawk's wings. She gives beetles shiny jackets and guides sunbirds to nectar-filled blossoms. In other words, she is the real thing. In an amusing three-part sequence, Man complains to Earth Mother: Frog is very good eating, he says, but Mosquito is annoying. An Earth with no Mosquito, he thinks, would surely be perfect. Earth Mother listens patiently, but her eyes express her true response! Later, Frog feels free to file a complaint. He loves tasty Mosquito, but Man? He is a dangerous predator. The third complainer, Mosquito, fears Frog but is grateful for Man's blood. At day's end, Earth Mother smilingly ignores them all and bids goodnight to her children of all species: "And the world, in its own way, was perfect." The Dillons' watercolor-and-colored-pencil illustrations, filled with geometric patterns, are magical; each is soft and elegant and as artfully composed as an art nouveau poster. A large, flowering plant stalk overlays each bordered frame, further emphasizing the vitality of nature so well captured in this quietly funny, well-told tale.
Karin SnelsonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
edition.
