Gem [Hardcover]

Emma Kallok (Author), Joel Bower (Illustrator)

Book Description

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

Soon after her saxophone-playing neighbor composes a special song, a young girl's baby arrives and receives an appropriate name.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-A young girl is anxious for her new sibling to be born. Her neighbor, Bluesy Walker, is a saxophone player who composes a special "gem" for the baby. When the child is born, the family is proud to announce that "Gem's her name and she's even got her own song." Figurative language and evocative images enliven this simple story: "The silky moonlight slips around me like a cool sheet" and Ma's "prize watermelon belly bulges from beneath her gown." The playfulness and fluidity of the text are also reflected in the stretching and slanting font styles. Bower's warmly textured illustrations depict a loving biracial family. Curved lines and bright light drift through the pages adding a dreamlike quality to the urban setting.-Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 5-8. A girl helps her pregnant mother make pancakes, then goes down the hall to ask their neighbor Bluesy Walker to join her family for breakfast and bring his saxophone to play. After breakfast, Ma goes into labor and they all take her to the hospital. Bluesy, still quietly playing his sax, waits with the girl until Daddy arrives. Together, they all go to see the new baby, and when Bluesy plays a song to the wailing infant, she stops crying. More original than most "new baby" books, this nicely paced story features an urban setting, a biracial family, and a school-age narrator. The story moves easily and naturally from the poetic--"The silky moonlight slips around me like a cool sheet"--to the more concrete--"Bluesy lays his sax in his case, snaps it up-- snap! ^Bsnap!-- and we head home." The illustrations, nicely stylized paintings in warm, muted colors, convey both the warmth of family and friends together and a sense of the music that pervades the story. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Tricycle Press (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582460272
• ISBN-13: 978-1582460277
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,665,952 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent children's book, January 2, 2006

By 

J. Hughes - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gem (Hardcover)

This is one of my favorite books for children. It is dream-like, beautiful written, lyrical. I especially appreciate the relaxed and natural approach to a multiracial family.