Home: A Collaboration of Thirty Authors & Illustrators (Reading Rainbow Books) [Paperback]

Michael J. Rosen (Author), Various (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Reading Rainbow Books

"Thirty authors and illustrators contribute original stories, poems, and artwork that explore and illuminate the theme of belonging, be it to a physical place or a family group. Thought-provoking and...first-rate." —H.

A Reading Rainbow Selection
Notable 1992 Children's Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The sentiment "Home is where the heart is" has spawned here a labor of love. Thirty noted authors and illustrators offer interpretations of home in a collaboration whose proceeds will go to Share Our Strength, an organization that provides food and shelter to the needy. The eclectic mix of poetry, prose and pictures spans a range of distinct styles and emotions. Arthur Yorinks serves up a raucous refrigerator rap about his favorite household appliance, accompanied by Richard Egielski's renditions of dancing food; a tender watercolor portrait by Jerry Pinkney amplifies Lucille Clifton's poignant poem about the solace a child finds in a housing project elevator; and in a moving essay Laurence Yep remembers his grandmother's cramped Chinatown apartment. Many of these author/illustrator duos have worked together before, resulting in particularly solid and polished combinations. Illustration highlights include James Marshall's zippy painting of a swashbuckling girl and her pirate cat and Vladimir Radunsky's stark, stirring scene of a family gathered around Grandmama's kitchen table. Young readers will delight in the variety and may be prompted to ask about the larger social issues that inspired this project. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4-- In both a literary and artistic sense, this collection is stronger than many books created to benefit a cause. The theme is broadly interpreted. Franz Brandenberg writes of a young child playing in bed--``I am the king in my castle./I am a mole in a hole.''--while Arthur Yorinks gives a jazzy, prose poem about the refrigerator: ``What a place to live the refrigerator is, that is, if you're a cucumber.'' From Lucille Clifton there is a simple, yet poignant piece about being at home in an elevator stuck between floors: `` . . . home/ is a corner/ where i crouch/ safe/ reading/ waiting . . . .'' Generally the work of authors and illustrators is complementary, making the variety of visual styles and typefaces interesting rather than jarring. Some selections are somewhat above the intended age range for this brief, lavishly illustrated format: Lawrence Yep and Cynthia Rylant's vignettes about their grandparents, although simply and vividly told, are more adult reminiscences, better suited to older readers; Jamake Highwater's poem is quite sophisticated. The subject is of interest to all ages, and while children will not clamor for this book, adults will be able to use it effectively with them. --Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KY
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (April 26, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064434702
• ISBN-13: 978-0064434706
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,264,556 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Greetings and thanks for welcoming me into your home. Since I write books for both young readers and adults, I've cooked up two long-winded paragraphs.

Kids first: So, I'm the author of some four dozen books for children of all ages. The fall of 2011 brings four new titles: MY DOG! A Kid's Guide to Keeping a Happy & Healthy Dog (the idea go-to dog guide for families); a pop-up book with Robert Sabuda, Chanukah Lights, which just received a starred review in Publisher's Weekly: "A stunning achievement"; The Hound Dog's Haiku and Other Poems for Dog Lovers, illustrated with Mary Azarian's woodcuts; and Night of the Pumpkinheads, illustrated entirely with extraordinary jack-o'-lanterns.
Other favorites are The Cuckoo's Haiku and Other Poems for Birders; Our Farm: Four Seasons with Five Kids on One Family's Farm (which I both wrote and illustrated with some 400 photographs); A Drive in the Country; Don't Shoot!; A School for Pompey Walker, and Elijah's Angel. (And, yes, there's the Britiish Michael--no "J."--Rosen whose many books are often confused with mine.) For over 35 years, ever since working as a counselor, water-safety instructor, and art teacher at local community centers, I've been engaged with young children, their parents and teachers. As a visiting author, in-service speaker, and workshop leader, I frequently travel to schools and conferences around the nation, sharing stories, poems, creativity, and humor.

Several of my books here show my work as editor/anthologist or illustrator. It has been my privilege to have enlisted hundreds of other authors and artists to create 15 philanthropic books that aid in the fight to end childhood hunger through Share Our Strength's national efforts, or that offer care to less fortunate companion animals through The Company of Animals Fund, a granting program I administered for a dozen years.

Now, for adults. I can start by saying I'm a poet. I went to Columbia from 1979-1981, and received my MFA there. Poems are now collected in three volumes, which are all featured here at Amazon. Moving home to Ohio, I worked as an illustrator (while in NYC, I began selling spot illustrations to The New Yorker and Gourmet magazines); one of my first real clients was The Thurber House, the soon-to-be-restored home of Columbus's native son, James Thurber. For almost twenty years, I helped to restore the home, develop the programs there, and edit much of Thurber's uncollected work. (Those volumes are also featured here.) It was there, I began to edit short story anthologies, commission great writers to contribute to books about dogs, horses, and even VW Beetles. That's also where I started Mirth of a Nation, a three-volume humor biennial that constitutes almost 2,000 pages of the best contemporary humor.

Most recently, I've been working in humorous nonfiction. No Dribbling the Squid features profiles of 70-some of the world's most wayward competitions. (You can see the Web site and Facebook pages, as well.) And, most recently, there's Any Body's Guess: Quirky Quizzes About What Makes You Tick.

Otherwise, my Website has a good deal about my life on the 100-acre farm I share in Central Ohio. Thanks again for reading along with me.

www.fidosopher.com

for lots more about MY DOG!, including recipes, training tips, cool projects, games, and so forth: www.workman.com/mydog

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Overall Satisfying Book, March 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Home: A Collaboration of Thirty Authors & Illustrators (Reading Rainbow Books) (Paperback)

The book HOME was a fabulous collaboration. It gave a great sence of the home from "Stoops", to "Under the Back Porch", to "Under the Bed, and even "A House of Flowers". My favorite poem was "The Refrigerator". It gave a very amusing veiw of what might go on in the refrigerator after we have all gone to bed. It has a nice Jazzy rhythm to it and is fun for kids of all ages. My favorite illustrations is that of Lane Smith that accompany the poem "Under the Bed". The pictures are slightly abstract. It makes you feel like you are really looking into the imagination of a child and see what is really going on. The dark background sets the feeling that you are floating through space, going into another world. I feel this book is not only for children for children to enjoy but also for us big kids out there.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book, January 27, 2009

By 

R. Kimosh (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Home: A Collaboration of Thirty Authors & Illustrators (Reading Rainbow Books) (Paperback)

Book is more than I expected...loved the poems and stories.
I also love the fact a portion of the profits is donated to
a charity that helps children.