Home: A Journey through America [Hardcover]

Thomas Locker (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

Home. In this unique volume, prominent American writers from the past and present--Willa Cather, Henry David Thoreau, Eloise Greenfield--give voice to the region of the country each calls home. Thomas Locker's lavish oil paintings accompany each passage, transporting the reader from the crashing waves of the Pacific coast to the bluebonnet fields of the Texas prairie. Come along on a spectacular journey through our home--America.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This visual pilgrimage to the native terrain of a variety of venerable writers suffers from Locker's visually homogeneous treatment of America's diverse landscapes. The journey begins in San Francisco, Robert Frost's birthplace (though most readers likely equate the poet with New England). His "Once by the Pacific" is comprised of strong, clear images: the "great waves" that "thought of doing something to the shore/ That water never did to land before"; the clouds, "low and hairy in the skies." In Locker's painting, however, power is diverted from Frost's fierce flexure of the sea to a purple-to-black sky brooding over agitated water and cliffs glanced by light. Throughout Locker's tour, his brush seems dipped in the Hudson Valley light of his own homeland, and not surprisingly, the standout paintings here are those paired with an excerpt from Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle"?depicting a leisurely sail up the Hudson River, the boat dwarfed by the dramatic Kaatskill mountains aflame at sunset?and his own "Birches in the Fall" with white trunks leaning inward, inviting readers down an autumn trail of golden grasses. But when called upon to conjure the Southwest of Pat Mora's "Gold" or the Amish country depicted in Merle Good's "Song of a People," Locker fails to capture the indigenous palette and mood. Unfortunately, the book seems driven by its theme, rather than a celebration of it. Ages 6-10.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3 Up-American landscapes as viewed via paintings and words. Locker and Christiansen have collected poetic and narrative views of scenes from across the continent by such well-known writers as Robert Frost, John Muir, and Washington Irving as well as modern writers such as Pat Mora, Jane Yolen, and Joseph Bruchac. The oil paintings, in true Lockerian tradition, reflect an inner view of landscape, one reminiscent of early British painters who came to paint American scenes but made each of them look like home. This romanticized approach, relying not on accuracy, perspective, or detail, but rather on creating a mood, may appeal to adults but the use of the same color palette, massive cloud effects, and little action will not capture the imagination or hold the interest of children.
Ronald Jobe, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; First edition. edition (October 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 015201473X
• ISBN-13: 978-0152014735
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #897,562 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Joy To Read, August 4, 2000

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Home: A Journey through America (Hardcover)

"Home" by Thomas Locker was a real joy to read. The way he blends the painting and the poem together is beautiful. I especially enjoyed the second poem and the picture with it. I could almost feel as if I were walking below the mountains. I would recommend this as a wonderful book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Introduction to Poetry, August 3, 2008

By 

Tammi L. Shaffer (Green Lake, WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Home: A Journey through America (Paperback)

I disagreed with the editorial reviews about this book. My children enjoyed both the beautiful photographs, as well as the poetry. It was a wonderful introduction to many well known writers, and is another keepsake book by Thomas Locker.