Customer Reviews

Great Joy

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a truly moving book. It brought tears to my eyes. The girl's love and concern for a man that no one else cares for are a great lesson for all kids (and their parents!)

This is a beautiful and sensitive Christmas picture book that is not about snowmen or reindeer or Santa Claus. It gets to the heart of Christmas with a few lines of story and beautiful illustrations of a simpler time in our history on each page. Without being preachy, it preaches a clear message that Christmas is about caring and welcoming the stranger into our lives. Adults may love it even more than children do.

This is a truly lovely story with a beautiful lesson. The illustrations are excellent and there are so many things a teacher can discuss about this book with their students. I read it in the library and can't wait to get a copy of my own. I did feel that the plot was rushed and was surprised when I turned the page and found the story had ended.

I bought this book, last Christmas, for a friend and couldn't wait to get a copy for myself this year. I too was surprised by the seemingly abrupt ending. I am writing in response to the review that had nothing good to say about the book. I agree that this book is more for adults who will grasp its meaning. The person who wrote the review thought it was awful that he, the organ grinder, should be invited in, and then what? Back out in the cold? So, I'm wondering, should we do nothing because perhaps we can only do one thing? Look at the joy on the mans face! In a room that size, full of people perhaps there was someone who could offer him a place to stay. Oh how we limit what God can do when we open our hearts to care. May I also suggest that this may have been the first of many offers to come in from the cold, for a hot bowl of soup, hot chocolate or even a cool glass of lemonade on a hot day! Jesus said when you do kind things to others you are doing them unto him! May I also be so bold as to suggest that this may have been the end of the book, but only the beginning of the story. Think about it.

As a public librarian I have long felt that Kate DiCamillo is one of the best authors writing for children today. Her book Great Joy is another terrific addition to her body of work. Paired with the wonderful illustrator Bagram Ibatoulline again, DiCamillo gives us a lesson in what it means to care for those less fortunate than ourselves, even when that person is a stranger.

While I wouldn't place Great Joy as equal to her best work, Because of Winn-Dixie and the Tale of Despereaux, it is a worthwhile read and it has something to teach.

Having known sensitive children like the young girl in this story, I feel the author and the illustrator together have perfectly captured the concerns and the emotions of the young girl. It is masterful how the author built to the burst of "GREAT JOY" through the preceding pages of the young girl's questions, clearly stated feelings and actions in contrast to the "rush" of her mother. I look forward to sharing this with special young children in my life as the holiday season approaches.

Reason for Reading: I am a fan of the author.

This is a lovely Christmas picture book that, aside from a religious aspect, captures the true essence of Christmas. First of all, the illustrations are absolutely breathtaking paintings done in acrylic gouache. They place the story in the past sometime, but it is not until we see the photograph of the man in uniform do we place the story as being during, World War II. This book is worthy for its pictures alone. Yet, it has a text equally breathtaking to match. The story of a little girl who has compassion for the organ grinder she sees across the street each day, wondering where they go at night. The mother has no time for the girl's interest in the man, understandably so, under her circumstances. But when the girl stays up late one night and finds out that they live on the street, she sees the sadness in the man's eyes and invites him to church to watch her Christmas Pageant. At first it does not look as if the man will show up and the girl, playing an angel cannot get her lines out. But when she sees him enter the church she boldly cries "I bring you tidings of Great Joy!" Later, we see the organ grinder happily talking to the mother at a reception in the church hall. A heartwarming, touching story for the Christmas season which I think shows a great response to Christ's words "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Matt 25:40

I have made a habit in recent years of buying one or two beautifully illustrated children's books for a collection here. Treasured moments involve cuddling with a grandchild, preferably before a fire, and letting them choose one for reading. This book, purchased this year, is my favorite. My grandchildren love it too, not because they grasp its magnificent and world changing meaning, but because I cannot yet finish it with dry eyes. As I turn the pages, they watch me closely to see when the tears will begin to flow. As I relish the story again, I suggest that this sweet and touching story has all the elements to remind each of us, young and old, what this Christmas season offers for the taking.

This proved to be an excellent choice for the "round robin" style Christmas meeting of our book discussion group. All members of the group are adults, and they were enthralled with the book's simple story line so sensitively presented, it's page size illustrations that forced readers to fully examine each picture through the "fog" that seemed to bring the illustrator's Russian background to the fore. This is a winner.

This story and its accompanying pictures take place back in time, around the 1950s, when street corners would be spotted with self-employed opportunists who would entertain or sell you some gadget or gizmo. In this story, there is an organ grinder, with a small costumed monkey, playing music for people on the street. Crowds would pass by and enjoy the sounds of the organ grinder and the antics (that's behavior) of the monkey.

From an apartment window above the street level, a little girl named Frances would watch the man and his monkey, both during the day and the night. Frances became concerned about the man and his monkey and what happens to them at night. Now Frances' mother was sewing her a robe for the church pageant; she was going to be an angel.

That night, Frances made herself stay awake because she wanted to see if the old man and his monkey were still out on the street corner so late at night. Yes, she saw them, and called to them; the old man waved his hat to her.

Well, the next morning, Frances told her Mother that they sleep on the street, even in the snow. She even wanted to invite them for dinner, but her Mother said they couldn't because they were strangers. Frances and her Mother, dressed in their winter coats and boots, walked in the snow. Frances saw that the man and the monkey were still on the street corner; she placed a coin in the monkey's cup, and invited the man to the Christmas play, that night. She explained that she was in the Christmas play at the church. She even asked him if he wanted to hear her one line in the play. Before he could say anything, Frances' Mother hurried her on so they wouldn't be late. Frances could see the sad eyes on the man's face. He just smiled at her.

By the time Frances had put on her wings and halo, it was her turn to speak. The other characters waited, but Frances couldn't speak. All she could think of was how cold it was outside for the man and his monkey; she remembered how sad the man looked. All of a sudden, at the back of the church, the door opened; in came the man and his monkey, and in the midst of the quiet church, Frances smiled and shouted, "Behold! I bring you tidings of Great Joy!" The man walked in with the monkey. More than that, he spent time with the people in the church. Frances had made one person's world better that night by showing that she cared.

The artist, Bagram Ibatoulline, an acclaimed Russian artist, noted for illustrating children's picture books, used the acrylic gouache method, which is the mixing of glue with the paint. As you browse through this very simple book, you will notice the small details in the artist's brushstrokes; these illustrations compliment the author's text. The drawings look a bit like those of the renown Norman Rockwell, though these illustrations have a softness that Rockwell's artwork don't have. Some of the illustrations remind me of sepia photographs, with a bit of infused color. This book carries a powerful message of compassion in the child's heart.