Made for Each Other [Hardcover]

William Steig (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2000

How many ways can you say "I love you" to the one who's made for you?

I love the hay you walk on.
You make this blossom blush.
We dance to the same music.
You keep me on my toes.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This book is for people who were made for each other. And though there aren't too many artists in the world you can trust to translate that peas-in-a-pod kind of phenomenon into words and pictures, you can trust William Steig, cartoonist for The New Yorker since 1930 and illustrator of the Caldecott Medal-winning Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. "I love the hay you walk on," begins this smallish, square book, with a simple, scribbly illustration of a fancy milkmaid walking by an admiring rake-wielding farmer. The next page confesses, "You make this blossom blush," as a gentleman caller offers a bloom to his beloved.

You're the cat's meow.
In spite of everything, I love you.
It's bound to work out.
We're always in step.

If this sounds like a selection of mushy greeting cards bound in one volume, well, in a sense it is. But the wise and clownish Steig could never, and would never, create something so ordinary. Steig couples statements such as "Our love is eternal" with his unconventional drawings--in this case, a depiction of a strolling, formally dressed, huge-nosed, double-chinned pair who are somehow quaint and dignified in their eternal love and frumpiness. His comical, compassionate illustrations of regular folks add infinite nuance to the simple pronouncements of love. "The road is often bumpy" and "Till death do us part" conclude this endearing, quirky book that would make the perfect gift for the one who is made for you. Kids old enough to know love will understand this book, but Made for Each Other is meant for the young at heart more than the young. --Karin Snelson

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up-This dear volume will be totally wasted on the very young. Made for Each Other is a charming billet-doux composed of the homilies of Valentine's Day: "You're the cat's meow." "There's nothing I wouldn't do for you." Steig takes these seemingly trite declarations to a realm of sweetness in his witty and expressive pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations. The paintings depict couples in the various stages of love from tender courtship ("You make this blossom blush") to passion ("We were made for each other") to the more rocky points of a relationship. A pensive and disengaged couple muse, "It's bound to work out." A staunch matron enshrouds her partner in a cloud from her cigarette for, "Where there's smoke, there's fire." An aging couple takes a country drive in "The road is often bumpy," and finally an elderly couple promises, "Till death do us part." While perhaps not an essential purchase for curriculum support, this Valentine-in-a-book is a big-hearted addition.
Sue Sherif, Fairbanks North Star Borough Public Library, AK
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Joanna Cotler Books; 1st edition (January 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060285125
• ISBN-13: 978-0060285128
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 7.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #942,632 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

William Steig (1907-2003) published his first children's book, Roland the Minstrel Pig, in 1968, and received the Caldecott Medal for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (978-1416902065) in 1970. His works also include The Amazing Bone, a Caldecott Honor Book, and Abel's Island and Doctor De Soto, both Newbery Honor Books. His most recent books published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux are Shrek! (released by DreamWorks as a major motion picture) and Wizzil, illustrated by Quentin Blake. School Library Journal named Shrek! a Best Book of 1990 and said of it, "Steig's inimitable wit and artistic dash have never been sharper or more expertly blended."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars highly recommended, February 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Made for Each Other (Hardcover)

This book carries the ring of truth, fun, and love in it through its simple statements which are enduring metaphors about love. Love is not always easy, but love is worth it in the end. It's also touching to know that William Steig dedicated this book to his wife. I based some of my wedding vows on this book. I recommend it highly for children of all ages.

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE THIS BOOK, March 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Made for Each Other (Hardcover)

I wish someone felt this way about me! I'm buying copies to give to my children on the day they come home to tell me that they are getting married to help me wish them a lifetime of this kind of love.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappoinment, February 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Made for Each Other (Hardcover)

Not much here. Very brief and hardly worth the money. Suggest you check it out at a bookstore before you buy.