Morning, Noon, and Night [Hardcover]

Jean Craighead George (Author), Wendell Minor (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Celebrate the cycle of the day, as the earth turnes to and then away from the sun, and meet a wide array of animals from America's east coast to the west as they work and rest, eat and play, just as humans do.

Jean Craighead George's lyrical greeting to the day becomes a sweeping panorama of the American countryside with Wendell Minor's evocative, dramatic paintings.

Good morning, the dawn,
when the earth is turning from night to day
and waking begins. Newbery Medalist Jean Craighead George's lyric greeting to the day celebrates how the earth turns to and then away from the sun. Starting at dawn on the East Coast, then moving to afternoon in the Midwest, and finally evening in the West, young readers will meet a wide array of animals at work, rest, and play as the day progresses across America. With evocative, dramatic paintings by distinguished artist Wendell Minor, this stunning picture book provides a sweeping panorama of the American countryside as well as a remarkable look at how an animal's day parallels our own.

00 Kansas Bill Martin, Jr. Picture Book Award Masterlist

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In precise, lyrical language George celebrates the daily activities of animals from dawn to dusk. When morning comes, "the stork puts down his other foot./ The killdeer stretches her white-striped wings,/ and the cardinal sings,/ 'Good morning, the sun. Cheer, Cheer.' " Concrete details are cradled in language that evokes the turning of the earth from one day to the next, placing the animals' specific activities in a wider context: "The earth has turned from dawn to light/ and work begins./ The lark feeds her nestlings./ The eagle goes hunting..../ and the bees buzz their message, 'Work, Work.' " Minor, previously paired with George for Arctic Son, offers splendid views of the countryside from Maine to the Pacific and back again. His paintings show bats in the Sonora Desert, bison in the Great Plains and Canadian geese in the Rocky Mountains. Not all the creatures George mentions fit into the serenely composed landscapes or appear in the occasional facing silhouettes; on the other hand, some pictured animals are not named in the text (endnotes, however, identify sites and species). The result is a more challenging offering than the usual nature book. Few children will be able to resist George's lullaby of animals or Minor's appealing cover portrait of a raccoon who seems to be just begging for a turn of the page. Ages 3-8. (May)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3-From dawn on the east coast to sunset on the west, a variety of animals go about their daily lives. The text alternates between greetings defining the time of day ("Good noon, the noon,/when the earth has turned full face to the sun/and siesta is here") and simple sentences describing the appropriate activities: "The antelopes doze./The lizard hides." Despite a few difficult words, beginning readers might join in decoding these lyrical verses. Each full-page (and sometimes double-page) painting provides a close-up of an animal, set in a suitable landscape. The pictures are inviting, combining soft textures and vibrant colors, from the cardinal's scarlet feathers to the turquoise Arizona and Colorado skies. Endnotes name each creature and its location, so readers can follow along as the day progresses and the settings move farther west, from Maine to California and returning to Maine as the sun rises again on the final page. In this introduction to the nature-book genre, the portraits are realistic and accurate, but the emphasis is on visual appeal: there are several family groups, and the owlet, raccoon, and seal could model for Steiff.
Patricia Lothrop-Green, St. George's School, Newport, RI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (May 5, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0006023628
• ISBN-13: 978-0060236281
• ASIN: 0060236280
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #685,229 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jean Craighead George was born in a family of naturalists. Her father, mother, brothers, aunts and uncles were students of nature. On weekends they camped in the woods near their Washington, D.C. home, climbed trees to study owls, gathered edible plants and made fish hooks from twigs. Her first pet was a turkey vulture. In third grade she began writing and hasn't stopped yet. She has written over 100 books.Her book, Julie of the Wolves won the prestigious Newbery Medal, the American Library Association's award for the most distinguished contribution to literature for children, l973. My Side of the Mountain, the story of a boy and a falcon surviving on a mountain together, was a 1960 Newbery Honor Book. She has also received 20 other awards.She attended Penn State University graduating with a degree in Science and Literature. In the 1940s she was a reporter for The Washington Post and a member of the White House Press Corps. After her children were born she returned to her love of nature and brought owls, robins, mink, sea gulls, tarantulas - 173 wild animals into their home and backyard. These became characters in her books and, although always free to go, they would stay with the family until the sun changed their behavior and they migrated or went off to seek partners of their own kind.When her children, Twig, Craig and Luke, were old enough to carry their own backpacks, they all went to the animals. They climbed mountains, canoed rivers, hiked deserts. Her children learned about nature and Jean came home and to write books. Craig and Luke are now environmental scientists and Twig writes children's books, too.One summer Jean learned that the wolves were friendly, lived in a well-run society and communicated with each other in wolf talk -- sound, sight, posture, scent and coloration. Excited to learn more, she took Luke and went to the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory in Barrow, Alaska, where scientists were studying this remarkable animal. She even talked to the wolves in their own language. With that Julie of the Wolves was born. A little girl walking on the vast lonesome tundra outside Barrow, and a magnificent alpha male wolf, leader of a pack in Denali National Park were the inspiration for the characters in the book. Years later, after many requests from her readers, she wrote the sequels, Julie and Julie's Wolf Pack.She is still traveling and coming home to write. In the last decade she has added two beautiful new dimensions to her words beautiful full-color picture book art by Wendell Minor and others and - music. Jean is collaborating with award-winning composer, Chris Kubie to bring the sounds of nature to her words.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A simple story for young readers with superb illustrations!, November 25, 1999

By 

Alissa Irion - See all my reviews

This review is from: Morning, Noon, and Night (Hardcover)

This is simply a wonderful book! I truly enjoyed using it while tutoring a fourth grade remedial reader because it was simple, yet beautifully worded and superbly illustrated. Each illustration is a marvelous nature portrait in itself. My fourth grade student (who happens to be very interested in science) savored each lovely portrait, as we talked about the animals and environments depicted in each one. Though the words are few and simple, the book avoids being overly childish. Rather, it respectfully presents the cycle of the day (morning, noon and night) and the beauty of various animals as they act in their natural environments throughout the day.

5.0 out of 5 stars Baby Shower Gift, January 22, 2010

By 

Magenta149 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Morning, Noon, and Night (Hardcover)

Bought this as a baby shower gift. Book has beautiful illustrations! My friend loved it and can't wait to read it to her baby!

5.0 out of 5 stars Not only do I love this book, but my babe does too, May 9, 2004

By 

Rebecca R. Miles (Kansas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Morning, Noon, and Night (Library Binding)

Sure the pictures don't exactly match the words, but the pictures are beautiful and the verse is lyrical. This is my near two-year-old's favorite book. She walks around the entire time saying, "Morning, Morning, Morning."

I also think that this would be a perfect book for a family interested in observing daily rhythms and routine, especially Waldorf-oriented families.