Firefly Mountain [Hardcover]

Patricia Thomas (Author), Peter Sylvada (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

A family experiences the magic of fireflies in this story of anticipation, marked by stunning illustrations, a lyrical text, and a deep and thoughtful connection to the natural world.

A young girl recalls a remarkable moment-how she waited patiently through a long, hot afternoon for night to fall so she and her family could make a journey to the top of a hill to see an amazing sight: a multitude of blinking, winking, twinkling fireflies lighting up a nearby mountain.

Readers will be able to hear the whistles of the bobwhites and smell the sweet-dry clover hay in Thomas's richly detailed prose. Illustrator Peter Sylvada's stunning illustrations beautifully capture the wondrous tone of the story and the expectant child's sense of awe as she looks at the fireflies dance among the stars up on top of Firefly Mountain.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2—"The whole long, yellow afternoon/the sun boiled down so hot/the heat squiggled up in waves from the meadow." So begins a girl's story of one summer afternoon as she enjoys cool lemonade and the sweet smell of clover. She is torn between not wanting the afternoon to end, and longing for evening and the possibility of seeing a "firefly mountain." Thomas's prose is lyrical and engaging as she describes the sights, smells, and sounds of the fading afternoon and gradual coming of night, but Sylvada's oil-on-hardboard illustrations featuring browns and unnatural yellows lend the book a dreary rather than a dreamy quality. The blurred edges and indistinct shapes seem to distance readers from this experience rather than inviting them to engage with it. The magic of a summer night is better captured by Cynthia Rylant and Mary Szilagyi in Night in the Country (S & S, 1986).—Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
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About the Author

Patricia Thomas is the author of several picture books, including "Stand Back", Said the Elephant, "I'm Going to Sneeze!"; "There are Rocks in my Socks," Said the Ox to the Fox; and The One and Only, Super-Duper, Golly-Whopper, Jim-Dandy, Really Handy Clock Tock Stopper. She teaches writing for children at Marywood University and at the Institute for Children's Literature.

Peter Sylvada has illustrated three books: A Symphony of Whales (which was named a 1999 New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book, a NCSS/CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, and a NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children); Gleam and Glow (which was an IRA Notable Books for a Global Society) and Welcome, Brown Bird. He lives in California.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Peachtree Publishers (March 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561453609
• ISBN-13: 978-1561453603
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 11.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,759,424 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars a perfect read on a hot summer day, September 11, 2011

By 

Deborah Sandford "Marian the Librarian" (Madison, NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Firefly Mountain (Hardcover)

An orchestral story told from a child's point of view (child as maestro, if you will), of the family's promise of going out in the evening to see a mountain aglow with fireflies. This long, slow story portrays a long, hot summer day in anticipation of this event. A lovely story to read one-on-one to a child over age five (possibly tedious for the younger set). The soft, muted yellow and brown illustrations emphasize the flushed and seemingly boundless day and sets the scene for the evening's effulgence of fireflies.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!, April 12, 2009

By 

Lora M. Bailin "Josh's Mom" - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Firefly Mountain (Hardcover)

We loved this story about Firefly Mountain. The story is flowing and magical and the illustrations match the story. Its simply wonderful.