Harley [Hardcover]

Star Livingstone (Author), Molly Bang (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2001 | Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Harley is a young llama who lives on a ranch. He is learning to be a pack animal, but he is having a hard time. He kicks. He screams. He spits! But then a shepherd calls; she needs a llama to watch over her sheep. She decides to take a chance on Harley. Through the seasons, a series of challenges both great and small turn the temperamental llama into a loving leaderwhether he's facing mischievous lambs, a bullying ram, or a pack of coyotes who prey on the sheep. With its poetic language and captivating artwork by Caldecott Honor-winning Molly Bang, this distinctive book speaks to all those who sometimes march to the beat of a different drummer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The eponymous star of this affecting reader is a pack llama-in-training who is destined for a different calling. While his teacher attempts to guide the animal, "He shoves. He kicks. He spits!" writes Livingstone, making her debut. But a shepherd desperate to find a solution to the coyotes that prey on her sheep sees something in Harley and takes him home to protect her herd. What follows is a lyrical and wryly observed portrait of an animal hero. Through Livingstone's rhythmic, stripped-down prose, and Bang's (The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher) full-bleed spreads and vignettes--which combine a painterly beauty with the immediacy of a sketchpad rendering--the book becomes a meditation on the sublime rewards of being an acute observer. Livingstone and Bang play up nuances that will spark connections between the protagonist and readers, but they never stoop to easy anthropomorphizing. They convey Harley's fierce love of the sheep through his actions. Against marauding coyotes he becomes a furry, flailing fury; he throws a tantrum when two of the sheep are sold; and when it is too hot, he sprawls on the ground in a teeth-baring stupor: "He lets the sheep wander off./ He does not go after them." In short, this llama is one fascinating fellow. Ages 6-9.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-Harley just can't seem to learn to be a pack animal, or to get along with the other llamas. When a shepherd comes to the ranch looking for a guard llama, she decides she likes the look of Harley, so she takes him back to her field. He learns to guard the sheep and comes to take his job very seriously. He even manages to befriend the cantankerous ram. In short, declarative sentences appropriate for beginning readers, Livingstone tells a simple tale culled from everyday realities, developing the animals' personalities without resorting to anthropomorphism. Bang's charming illustrations complement this effort, conveying Harley's obvious pride in watching over his flock and his rage as he warns away prowling coyotes. Excellent use is made of page layout, as when the ram, preparing a playful charge in the upper left-hand corner of a two-page spread, faces Harley in the lower right-hand corner. Children will be intrigued to hear that all of the characters and events in this book were based on real life, as the author observed it. A charming story of a creature who finds his place.
Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, Eldersburg, MD
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587170485
• ISBN-13: 978-1587170485
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,702,253 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an excellent children's book, April 15, 2001

By 

Tim Smith (Falmouth, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harley (Hardcover)

I was immediately captured by this recalcitrant llama, and I'm not a child (well hardley). Children will love it; those on our lists will get it next birthday up.

The nicest thing is that the animals, the sheep, the ram, the coyotes, and Harley the llama, are animals, not animals pretending to be people (or worse people pretending to be animals). They are animals, with no apologies. Livingstone serves up a good story, stories which the fly leaf says are true despite its fiction label. But its not a 'nature story' either. It is in a class by its self, a style that Livingstone defines.

Excellent interaction between the stories and the illustrations as well. Bang's style, but integrated into the words and the story.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HARLEY Doesn't Just Mean Motorcycle Anymore!, April 10, 2001

By 

Linda Glennon (West Leyden, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harley (Hardcover)

America's roads will be ridden this summer with the traditional "Harley" of two wheels, but Star Livingstone's HARLEY - on four hooves is a llama who is going leave his tracks on the hearts of America's kids! A sweet, reader friendly story for the young reader and the young at heart. Harley is not the conventional llama that comes to mind. He has style, he has purpose, he has attitude and yes - he spits! The story is delightfully woven throughout the everyday chores and challenges of being a shepherd. Harley develops from "bad boy llama" to a fine upstanding, Blue Ribbon winning llama with purpose. He is repsected by the other four legged cratures and feared by the ememies of those he is called upon to protect. Children will strongly identify with Harley's mischievous side while they find strength from his bravery in face of the bullies he has to deal with. The ram and the coyotes soon learn Harley is a llama of distinction and not to be taken lightly. I applaud Mrs. Livingstone for venturing into children's books with a non-conventional animal and bringing him right into the reader's heart. The illustrations of Molly Bang add wonderful, vivid visualization to Mrs. Livingstone's story. I look forward to reading of Harley's next escapade with my grandson's. Thank you Harley and Ladies, Bravo!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Boring, October 4, 2011

By 

Got-It-Online (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Harley (Hardcover)

I bought this book based on the other reviews. I have tried to get my 2nd grader to read it but she can't get beyond page 10. I have tried twice to read it to my kids, but I can never get to the end because they are completely bored. Maybe I have to own a llama to appreciate this story.