Magpie Magic: A Tale of Colorful Mischief [Hardcover]

April Wilson (Author)

Book Description

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

Though every picture may tell a story, in this colorful caper the pictures are the story! A child's hand puts a brand-new drawing pencil to paper, sketching first a feathered head, then a sleek winged body...And suddenly the sketched bird lifts its head and flies off the page. What follows is a delightfully magical tale of art run amok as each newly drawn object becomes real, and fair game for the antics of the mischievous bird. Colorful chaos ensues as the resourceful bird takes pencil in beak and begins to reveal its own artistic talents. The beautifully detailed pictures invite children to observe carefully and tell the story themselves as the mesmerizing plot leads them to an astounding surprise ending. Along the way younger children will be introduced to the concept of color (eight are featured), older ones will discover the fascinating interplay between art and imagination, and all will be inspired to reach for their own drawing pencils.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this wordless book, a drawing of a magpie comes to life. The artist (only the hands, a child's, are visible) and magpie both sketch using colored pencils, and the artist is as bent upon keeping the magpie as the bird is upon getting away. After being lured into a purple cage by some red cherries, the magpie escapes by using an eraser to create a hole in the cage. Wilson (Look Again!) makes fine use of a concept familiar at least since Harold and the Purple Crayon, and her visual story accelerates easily as the artist and bird begin to race each other. Each spread introduces only one or two colors at a time, with the rest of the illustration in finely detailed black and white; when all the colors appear in a single picture at the end, with each color labeled, a lesson has been delivered. Older readers who have long since mastered their reds, blues and greens will still find enough to engage them in the quick-moving plot. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-This gleefully wordless book begins with a pair of hands and a pile of colored pencils. Mayhem ensues when the young artist draws a magpie that comes to life and flies away. To entice it back, the child draws two red cherries that the inquisitive creature greedily devours. Next, the artist draws an orange balloon and the bird pops it. Soon, it wants to use the colored pencils too, and snatches away a stub of yellow to create a fire and some blue for bathwater. Tired of the interference, the child draws a purple cage and traps the magpie inside. Yet nothing stops this irrepressible bird. He escapes, has another close call, and ultimately redraws himself-this time with colored feathers. Playful black-and-white pencil drawings with highlights of color illustrate the fun. The final page identifies the colors used, showing a smug bird clutching a pencil. Children will want to examine this book again and again and teachers will use it as an introduction to color or for its storytelling and creative-writing potential. Don't miss this amusing tale of creative mischief.
Jackie Hechtkopf, Talent House School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Dial; 1st edition (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803723547
• ISBN-13: 978-0803723542
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 9.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #633,891 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book, December 31, 1999

By 

Eric Kathe (Clifton Park, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magpie Magic: A Tale of Colorful Mischief (Hardcover)

I purchased this book for my 3 year old daughter for Christmas. It was one of two books that we had borrowed from the local library over the course of the year that we wanted to keep. (My wife tends to borrow about a dozen or two books a week as the library is right next to the preschool.) It was wonderful to provide my daughter with the chance to tell the story herself. The drawings and story line drew her in. The editorial reviews do a good job of describing the book, so I won't. This is one of two books out of the hundreds that we have borrowed that we elected to purchase, so my high rating isn't just inflated. ("The Lion and the Little Red Bird," by Elisa Kleven was the other.)

5.0 out of 5 stars Very amusing!, July 20, 2009

By 

A. Little Bird - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magpie Magic: A Tale of Colorful Mischief (Hardcover)

Being a page at the local library, I come across a LOT of books. This is one of many that has followed me home. The story is completely wordless aside from color names inside the back cover and info inside the front cover, so it's nice for a wide range of ages and mostly lacks a language barrier. It's cleverly and well illustrated. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a book that will make them smile.

5.0 out of 5 stars Illustrator's Magic., January 10, 2006

By 

John P. Rooney "John" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Magpie Magic: A Tale of Colorful Mischief (Hardcover)

"Magpie Magic" by April Wilson, sub-titled, "A Tale Of Colorful Mischief", Dial Books, New York, 1999.

The words in this book stop with the copyright page. Then, the entire story is told in colorful illustrations by April Wilson. The magpie, a black and white bird, first is drawn, and, with a backward glance, flies off the paper. The illustrator's hands attempt to catch the wayward bird, who soon returns to eat the luscious, red cherries that also pop up off the paper. The orange balloon is soon popped, too, but then the magpie helps the hands to draw with the yellow pencil. The story continues through the colors of the rainbow, green and then blue, and finally, to a purple (violet) cage into which the magpie is lured with more bright red cherries. A brown lock is drawn to secure the cage and the brown key is erased.

But! The magpie has seen how the gum eraser works, and uses it to escape from the cage. The bird then creates mayhem until the illustrator erases most of magpie with the white gum eraser. The magpie struggles to re-constitute itself , and does so using every color of the rainbow. A most colorful story, indeed!