Just Around the Corner [Library Binding]

James Stevenson (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

What is just around the corner?Imagination
Delight
Laughter
Amazement
FunSee for yourself!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Take a stroll through friendly, familiar neighborhoods, where unexpected viewpoints await around every corner. The latest "corn book" from wordsmith and artist James Stevenson (following Cornflakes, Candy Corn, Sweet Corn, and Popcorn) examines the minutiae of the regular old world. Shabby shoes, a fold-up dock, burnt cake, even barnacle-studded flotsam are honored by Stevenson's uniquely skewed vision in this collection of 26 short, illustrated verses about what can be found just around the corner--even in one's own mind. In "Why?" the poet wonders:

Why is it...
While other people
Are thinking about all kinds of
Important things...
I am thinking about
What it would be like
To jump barefoot
Into an open box
Of jelly doughnuts?

Readers will thank their lucky stars Stevenson is thinking about such things, and has the wherewithal to share his quirky thoughts with the world. His free verse is truly free, sometimes wandering over into the opposite page to take a peek at his scratchy, relaxed watercolors. Ranging from silly to pensive to acutely insightful, every poem captures an ordinary moment, a run-of-the-mill object, and makes it somehow beautiful. (Ages 7 and older) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

In James Stevenson's companion to Cornflakes, Just Around the Corner, the author/artist contemplates modern life in a cozy village, from a melancholy ode to an abandoned favorite hangout, "The No-More Diner" ("No more crashing china/ No more noisy talk/ .../ It's the No-More Diner now.../ Memories to Go") to visual equivalents of storyboards ("December Sunday," a beach scene on an unseasonably warm day) to celebrations of small-town icons ("La Fabulosa Grocer"), with pen-and-ink and watercolor wash illustrations that capture magical moments in a world of comings-and-goings.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Library Binding: 56 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow; 1st edition (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060291893
• ISBN-13: 978-0060291891
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,407,555 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Just another bit of CORNy fun..., April 24, 2001

By 

E. Reilly (Oxford, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Just Around the Corner: Poems (Hardcover)

James Stevenson has united in this newest volume, focusing on everyday objects, a variety of short poems that range from ryhming, to free verse, and always include a twist of one kind or another. The poems are accompanied by small watercolour and black pen sketches, or laid out in different patterns and orientations in ways that relate to the poem's subject. Varying the text size and font as well create visual images simply with just the words. While not as popular as the rhyme and simple humour of Jack Prelutsky or Shel Silverstein, Stevenson's own work is something innovative and new, introducing children to non-rhyming free-verse. Although the humour is not the type that makes you crack out laughing, with a little extra thinking, it will definitely make you smile. The layout of the book is simple and consistant, with page numbers and titles at the top, and then the poem spread over the page or mixed with illustrations. Overall, the book seems to be a nice hidden gem filled with amusing quirks.