More [Hardcover]

I. C. Springman (Author), Brian Lies (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: March 6, 2012 | Age Range: 4 - 8 years

One magpie,
lots of stuff,
and a few friendly mice
show us that less is
more.
This innovative and spare picture book asks the question: When is MORE more than
enough? Can a team of well-intentioned mice save their friend from hoarding too
much stuff? With breathtaking illustrations from the award-winning Brian Lies, this
book about conservation wraps an important message in a beautiful package.

Editorial Reviews

Review

". . . [a] delightful, sparsely-worded book. . ."  Wall Street Journal, March 10, 2012

". . .lavishly illustrated. . ."  New York Times, May 13, 2012

"innovative and spare. . . [with] breathtaking illustrations."  The Guardian (UK)

"Dramatic paintings add depth and foreboding to a lesson about excessive materialism."--Kirkus

"The fable offers a finely drawn, restrained 'less is more' lesson about attachment to things."--Publishers Weekly

"This is a timely, clearly needed fable for contemporary society as it tries to unravel itself from excessive materialism. Ideal for discussions about reducing consumption."--School Library Journal, starred review "This minimally told story delivers a strong antimaterialism message, and kids with a habit of amassing stuff may, like Magpie, recognize their own reflections."--Booklist "The lesson about living simply carries here, gracefully communicated both in the illustrations and the spare text."--Bulletin

"The message here is overt, but the treatment is clever, effective, and commendably understated."--Horn Book

About the Author

I. C. Springman is a small-house person in a McMansion-loving world. She lives as simply as possible with one husband, three dogs, and too many books somewhere down south. More was written for her grandsons, Mason and Jack, with the hope that one day there will be enough for all. 

 
Brian Lies is the award-winning author and/or illustrator of more than two dozen children's books, including his New York Times best-selling bat books (Bats at the Beach, Bats at the Library, and Bats at the Ballgame).　 He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, daughter, and two cats, and battles clutter in his garage, basement, and studio.

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (March 6, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0547610831
• ISBN-13: 978-0547610832
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 0.4 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #185,910 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant artwork, suitably minimalistic text March 6, 2012

By Jason Kirkfield VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

The lion's share of credit for this less-is-more book belongs to illustrator Brian Lies (Bats at the Ballgame).

A hoarding magpie is confronted by his murine friends. In the spirit of the popular spate of reality TV shows (Hoarders: The Complete Season One, Hoarding: Buried Alive Season 1), intervention is the answer. Youngsters will identify with the magpie's (ultimately unhealthy) fondness for trinkets and baubles, and perhaps parents should pay attention, too. Subsequent research turned up an interesting definition in my Merriam-Webster's; magpie: one who collects indiscriminately.

Kudos to the author--Is I. C. Springman a pen name?--for her use of quantifiers (e.g., a few, lots, too much) to teach the value of moderation. The concluding exchange--"Enough? Yes, enough."--evokes Goldilocks' own "just right."

As for Brian, what can I say? He has drawn what must be hundreds of thingamabobs, all textured and layered and so realistic. The LEGO brick and chess rook were early and obvious favorites. Further searching turned up an Inverted Jenny (upside down 24˘ stamp from 1918) and a cassette tape of Pink Floyd's The Wall.

Only two small points for improvement here:

First, and critically, this book would benefit from an Author's Note, with ornithological details. Magpies, for example, are found worldwide. They are also intelligent; apparently, the European Magpie is one of the few animal species able to recognize itself in a mirror test.

Also, the graphic design team could make one small tweak. On first glance, and even on subsequent readings, the third-to-last two-page spread evidences what appears to be two magpies. The frame separating the two pages is either lost in the gutter, or else there is no frame, and yet there needs to be, given the shared horizon line.

Overall, a beautifully illustrated picture book with a worthy message.

[The reviewer was provided with a complimentary copy of the book.]

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful illustrations, great message March 10, 2012

By sadalit

Format:Hardcover

The illustrations in this book are so well-done and pleasing, and the message is so universally appropriate (who among us doesn't have too much stuff? And what child doesn't tend to pick up every little thing and want to keep it?), I absolutely recommend this book. As others have noted, the text is minimal, but you can find many ways to spend time poring over the pages. The sense of freedom at the end comes through without words - beautiful.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Done September 20, 2012

By Bibliophile By the Sea TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

MORE is an interesting book about concepts and conservation for very young children. It is a beautifully illustrated counting book that demonstrates the concepts of: a bit much; much too much and enough, as well as the concepts of less, a lot less, not so much, and yes, enough!

For example, nothing is illustrated by using a completely blank page; "something", by showing a single marble in a nest; "a few" with (3) objects in a nest; "more and more" by lots of birds delivering objects to the nest, and finally "more than enough" by the tree limb breaking by the weight of all of the objects in the nest.

Extremely well done and beautifully illustrated. This one is a great educational tool for little ones
RECOMMENDED.