Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude [Hardcover]

Jonah Winter (Author), Calef Brown (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 10, 2009 | Age Level: 4 and up

Gertrude
is Gertrude
is Gertrude
is Gertrude.

And Alice is Alice.

And Gertrude and Alice are Gertrude and Alice.

And you are welcome to join them for tea. But beware, for there you will find a bear in a chair, just barely scary. And here is a beard with a man attached to it. And then, of course, some words might appear, uninvited , but delighted in spite of their lightbulbs. But, but, but, but - that doesn't make any sense! Yes!

In a story inspired by the oh-so-modern groundbreaking writing of Gertrude herself, not a lot makes sense. Even so, the oh-so-popular author Jonah Winter, and the ever-so-popular illustrator Calef Brown, and the most popular poodle of all time, Basket, invite you to enter the whimsical world of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5 Up—Winter has cleverly constructed the briefest of introductions to the adult life of Gertrude Stein and the salon era during which she wrote. Using mimicry, he demonstrates the repetitive, rambling, nonsensical style that made the eccentric writer famous: "A sentence can be whatever, if you're Gertrude. You don't have to make sense (if you're Gertrude). You can write 'rose is a rose is a rose is a rose' if you're Gertrude." He describes her relationship with Alice B. Toklas: "Gertrude does the talking and laughing. And Alice makes sure that Gertrude is happy." Words and illustrations simulate the salons of the early 20th century where artists, writers, thinkers—Picasso, Matisse, and Hemingway are featured here—gathered to discuss the arts and culture of the day. The text is written in a variety of font sizes. Bright acrylic illustrations, set against backgrounds of orange, turquoise, rose, yellow, and ochre, meld perfectly with the text. Brown's avant-garde folk-style paintings include people with caricature faces and representations of "modern" paintings ("All art is modern when it's being made"). A short author's note offers a bit of information about Stein. Alas, due to its sophisticated topic, this creative, artistic piece will appeal to a limited audience.—Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
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From Booklist

Gertrude Stein holds court when Picasso, Matisse, Hemingway, and lots of other artists and writers visit. Alice B. Toklas serves tea.Told in verse, with a wink to Stein’s own looping, playful, repetitive narrative style, this ebullient picture-book view of these famous figures becomes something of a dreamy impression. The Rockwell typeface, dancing across the page in ever-changing variations of boldness and size; the almost post-impressionistic acrylic paintings, brash and welcoming all at once; and the evocative bounce of the words all combine to echo the originality of Gertrude Stein’s vision, in a palpable way. Winter’s text creates an infectious, rhythmic web, while Brown’s pictures offer nods to the particular styles of the artists on display. The call for an impressionistic picture-book biography of Gertrude Stein may be limited, but this title’s joyful spirit and the ease with which it reads aloud will help it find a much broader audience. Grades 2-4. --Thom Barthelmess

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (February 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141694088X
• ISBN-13: 978-1416940883
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 11.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #412,941 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not your everyday children's book -- it's intelligent, great illustrations, March 12, 2010

By 

C. McGuire (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude (Hardcover)

I'm surprised that the specs for this book state ages 9-12.

Both of my daughters, ages 2.5 and 5.5 ***love*** this book! It's one of their favorites.

It's written in very unusual style for a child's book -- apparently it's written the way Gertrude wrote.

Alice is also written a central part of her life, and I'm glad they aren't brushing her under the rug.

The illustrations are fantastic, very beautiful, and with a different palette on each page.

The text is all over the place, with font size changing to indicate emphasis, and not all lined up on a horizontal plane -- sometimes it's wavy or stacked.

Highly recommend this book for people who want to read outside the usual stack.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Making abstract accessible, March 18, 2009

By 

A. Vernick - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude (Hardcover)

Modern, fun, silly and also kind of brilliant.

A perfect blend of interesting, lyrical, surprising language and engaging, whimsical illustration, this picture book offers an accessible introduction to a wonderful, modern life.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An intriguing story filled with fine drawings by Calef Brown, June 18, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude (Hardcover)

Gertrude is Gertrude and Alice is Alice and readers are invited to join them for tea. Gertrude is a queen who knows famous writers and has some improbable names for pets in this intriguing story filled with fine drawings by Calef Brown.