Hana in the Time of the Tulips [Hardcover]

Deborah Noyes (Author), Bagram Ibatoulline (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

With stunning artwork reminiscent of Rembrandt, this tender tale harks back to the days of tulip fever to illuminate the enduring love between father and child.

Hana and her father used to love to walk in the garden in the evening and play their favorite game — the one where Hana is a Renowned Physician and Papa pretends to faint dead away on the bench. But ever since tulip fever struck Holland, Hana's father has been consumed by greed. Soon he is too busy to walk in the garden or kiss Hana good night or even realize how lovely the tulips are. Even worse, the tulip market is crashing, and now Papa is falling into despair. It's up to Hana — with a little help from the painter Rembrandt, a family friend — to find a way to remind her father of what's truly valuable and bring him back to his family. Luxurious illustrations by virtuoso painter Bagram Ibatoulline bring seventeenth-century Holland to life in this poignant portrait of the persistence of love.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5–It is the time of the tulips, and little Hana misses the attention previously given to her by her now much-distracted, dejected, tulipomaniac father. These days, he is interested only in wealth and trade, bulbs and business; Hana and her dog are banished from the North Garden where Papa's flowers, which once brought pleasure, grow. Noyes's unaffected child's-eye view of the baffling turn of events that drove Holland's economy to collapse focuses on family and on the innocent concern of a child for her father: he is sad, and her simple and fondest wish is to make him smile again. The illustrations are a haunting homage to Rembrandt, who has a peripheral role in the story and whose art typifies the day. Ibatoulline's paintings demonstrate the flexibility of his acrylic-gouache work, which so perfectly mimics Rembrandt's oils, inks, and bistre washes, and which deftly incorporates the chiaroscuro that was central to the master's work. Endpaper scapes of the cottages and canals he loved so well effect an instant time-slip, and the rich, atmospheric portrait work is eloquent. This introduction to a curious time and curious events includes a brief author's note that offers more concrete information on the tulipomania that seized 17th-century Holland (albeit for an older audience), and it functions as a fine vehicle for Ibatoulline's talents. Perhaps a bit esoteric for the elementary school set, but beautiful, nonetheless.–Kathy Krasniewicz, Perrot Library, Old Greenwich, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 3. In seventeenth-century Holland, young Hana watches her wealthy father succumb to tulipomania. Every evening, instead of playing with Hana, Papa worries with his associates over the precious bulbs that "might have been onions." Hana tries to lift Papa's spirits with small tokens--a sprig of rosemary, a chain of daisies--but his mood, and his fortunes, only worsen. Then Hana learns from family friend Rembrandt that painters support their families by creating pictures. Hana paints a rare tulip, presents it to Papa ("I will paint for our bread and butter like Rembrandt and his pupils"), and finally Papa smiles again. Children may need help understanding how tulips fit into Papa's distress. But Noyes tells an unusual story with appealing rhythm and rich, fanciful language, while Ibatoulline's exquisite paintings and ink drawings evoke the historical setting and lively characters with an old master's precise attention to light, form, shadow, and texture. With few titles about Rembrandt available for this age group, this is a fine choice for introducing the artist and his time period. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; 1st edition (August 19, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763618756
• ISBN-13: 978-0763618759
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 0.4 x 10.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #347,028 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hana in the Time of the absent parent, October 5, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Hana in the Time of the Tulips (Hardcover)

I loved Hana because I sympathize with her. My Dad is obsessed with his job and never seems to have enough time for me. I even asked him to read this book and he told me he was too busy. This story may be about tulips but it could be about any parent I know. Dr Phil should feature this book on his show. I just want to thank my teacher Ms Miller for giving me this great book to read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tears for tulips, February 8, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Hana in the Time of the Tulips (Hardcover)

In the double-wide painting on its cover, a girl stands in a field of tulips. Meeting her serene gaze, you risk losing track of a few minutes - or centuries. Inside are landscapes, portraits and sketches that, likewise, pull you into another time and place. Russian-born artist Bagram Ibatoulline infused these images with the look and feel of 17th-century Holland, the time of the Dutch Master Rembrandt van Rijn. That celebrated painter is the only "real" figure from history who appears in Noyes' story, Rembrandt is the rare adult in Hana's life who remembers friendship in the midst of the materialism that surrounds her.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars speculative bubble bound to burst, October 7, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Hana in the Time of the Tulips (Hardcover)

Been to Holland Michigan and San Fran's PIER 39 Tulipmania Festival. Just love those bulbs. This book might be aimed at children but it's truly as beautiful as any bulb. The author does a commendable job describing The great commodity crash of 1637 through a child's eye.