How Far to Heaven [Hardcover]

Chara M. Curtis (Author), Alfred Currier (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

When Nanna and her granddaughter slip out the back gate into the woods beyond, they begin the adventure of a lifetime. The reader is drawn into Alfred Currier's masterful, impressionistic paintings as Chara Curtis' words and rhymes bring this enchanting story to life. How Far to Heaven? is a joyful, heartwarming book to be savored for many years to come.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Chara M. Curtis writes for her own entertainment and enjoyment. "I really should get out more, but I take such fantastic journeys in my mind!" How Far to Heaven? is one example. Author of Fun is a Feeling and All I See Is Part of Me, Chara makes her home in the Pacific Northwest, where she says, "I try to keep as busy as the sky."

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Illumination Arts Publishing Company (October 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0935699066
• ISBN-13: 978-0935699067
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 11.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #466,058 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Since her Minnesota school days, Chara Curtis has immersed herself in reading books of all kinds and creative writing. After working in advertising and music publishing in Chicago and Nashville, she moved to the Pacific Northwest, where she lives in a neighborhood occupied by dogs, cats, deer, raccoons, squirrels, birds, earthworms and snails, as well as a number of gentle people. In 1997, Chara and illustrator Rebecca Hyland received the Washington State Governor's Writers Award for their book, NO ONE WALKS ON MY FATHER'S MOON.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vibrant colors and breathtaking illustrations!, July 28, 2004

By 

Detra Fitch (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How Far to Heaven (Hardcover)

This story is about a young girl and her grandmother, whom she lovingly refers to as Nanna, and their search for Heaven. If you know a child who has lost a loved one, or spends time with a special grandparent, step inside this book and join this unlikely pair as they take a beautiful walk through nature.

Throughout this story, you will be deeply moved when you realize the many ways in which Heaven manifests itself - if you will only look and listen. Heaven can be found in sunbeams, in the sweet smell of the air, or in the sounds that are all around us. As this young girl and her grandmother walk through the woods, they find it everywhere. It is in the vibrant colors of the leaves, in the trickle of a stream, and surely it is in the eyes of a little girl's grandmother.

How far is heaven? As the young girl and her Nanna pursue Heaven on their enlightening journey, they come to recognize - and fully understand - that it is all around them and to know the feeling of being, "...the richest person on earth."

*****I highly recommend this book for any child who has a close relationship with an older person, or who needs comfort during a time of bereavement. Each page is filled with vibrant color and the illustrations are simply breathtaking.*****

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heaven Is Everywhere Heaven Is Found, April 21, 2005

By 

Janet Boyer "Author, Blogger, Radio Host" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How Far to Heaven (Hardcover)

A little girl notices her grandmother on her porch swing-- lost in thought and smiling. "What were you thinking about, Nanna?" she asks. Nanna smiles into the distance, and tells her granddaughter that she was having a chat with her grandpa. But he's in heaven, the girl protests-and then asks "Is heaven very far?" Nanna jumps up. "Let's go...Let's find out just how far it is!"

In this delightful story written by Chara M. Curtis and illustrated by Alfred Currier, a grandmother and her "Little One" stroll through the garden gate and discover heaven-in the lush green meadow, feathery clouds, brilliant blue sky, orchestral birdsong, a magnificent thicket of aromatic wild roses, crystal clear water and other glorious sights, sounds, and scents of nature.

They dance and sing, reveling in the beauty of their surroundings-as well as each other. The final song sung by the grandmother in How Far to Heaven? provides the comforting answer to the little girl's question:

"Forever and always, inside, all around,
Heaven is everywhere heaven is found.
Listen with glad ears, see with love's eyes,
Give wings to your heart, and cherish the prize!
Forever and always we dance to the sound,
For heaven is everywhere heaven is found,"

Through the author's poetic prose and depth of wisdom, we experience the enchantment of nature and the power of wonderment-as well comfort in the knowledge that loved ones are near as our breath. The illustrator's vibrant paintings convey depth of emotion and capture the beauty of sun-dappled faces and nature's grandeur.

I highly recommend this book for any child or adult-especially those coping with the loss of a loved one. "For heaven is everywhere heaven is found" is a profound and timely message for all people-and certainly worth remembering each and every day.

Note: How Far to Heaven? is on the Children's Book Council's list of good books dealing with trauma, tragedy, and loss after 9-11-2001.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vibrant colors and breathtaking illustrations!, July 28, 2004

By 

Huntress Reviews (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Far to Heaven (Hardcover)

This story is about a young girl and her grandmother, whom she lovingly refers to as Nanna, and their search for Heaven. If you know a child who has lost a loved one, or spends time with a special grandparent, step inside this book and join this unlikely pair as they take a beautiful walk through nature.

Throughout this story, you will be deeply moved when you realize the many ways in which Heaven manifests itself - if you will only look and listen. Heaven can be found in sunbeams, in the sweet smell of the air, or in the sounds that are all around us. As this young girl and her grandmother walk through the woods, they find it everywhere. It is in the vibrant colors of the leaves, in the trickle of a stream, and surely it is in the eyes of a little girl's grandmother.

How far is heaven? As the young girl and her Nanna pursue Heaven on their enlightening journey, they come to recognize - and fully understand - that it is all around them and to know the feeling of being, "...the richest person on earth."

*****I highly recommend this book for any child who has a close relationship with an older person, or who needs comfort during a time of bereavement. Each page is filled with vibrant color and the illustrations are simply breathtaking.*****

Reviewed by Ruth Wilson for Huntress Reviews.