My Life with the Wave is a buoyant fantasy o f a boy who bring home a wave. Stunning oil paintings shimme r with light and laughter in this unexpected, unforgettable, tour de force. '
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 4. When a boy brings a wave home from vacation, he is crestfallen to discover that his new friend's capricious nature. This story undulates with imagery-rich language and buoyant paintings.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Scientific American
Based on a story by Octavio Paz, this picture book has an odd plot indeed; a boy bonds with a wave at the beach and takes it---actually, her, according to the book---home as a liquid pet, until the onset of winter storms makes her unruly and re-quires her return to the sea. What makes this personification successful where so many others fail is its bold straightforwardness: the wave is treated with a certain poetic realism instead of whimsy. Though the language sometimes gets a bit baroque for the intended audience ("To touch her then was like touching a piece of night tattooed with fire"). The conceptual play will engage them ("If I caught and hugged her, she would r ise up tall like a liquid tree, then burst into a shower and bathe me in her foam"). and there's some matter-of-fact humor ("My parents say good riddance to bad waves and I am never to bring home another"). Buehner's art is not in punning watercolor but rather in acrylic and oil; the illustrations have a hyperrealistic sheen and solidity that allow for exaggeration (the bug-eyed cat in particular) without floating off into frothy fancy. If you're look ing for an offbeat pet story, catch this wave.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
beautifully drawn and very entertaining,
By A Customer
This review is from: My Life with the Wave (Library Binding)
this book plays on the beliefs of a child; wanting the impossible. i must admit that i wanted a wave of my own after reading this book! the artwork is magnificent, the dialogue is intriguing yet understandable...this is a MUST have for anyone with children...or anyone with an imagination.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
fantastic illustrations will capture the imagination,
By A Customer
This review is from: My Life with the Wave (Hardcover)
This is a translation and retelling of an Octavio Paz story about a boy who befriends a wave on his first trip to the seashore and brings it home with him "cup by small cup". The ensuing problems associated with domesticating a wave, while amusing and delightful, prove to be too much for the boy's family. They finally cleverly figure out how to take the wave home. Cowan's fluid adaptation suggests a love of language and fidelity to the original. Buehner's vibrant, colorful full-page illustrations capture the humor and silliness as well as the drama of the tallish-tale. Good design handsomely combines text and pictures to make this an outstanding book.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"My Life With the Wave" is extraordinarily imaginative,
By
This review is from: My Life with the Wave (Hardcover)
I love books that begin with a fanciful, "what-if" premise. In this case, what if a sliver of the sea -- a wave -- followed a family home from the beach like a stray animal? The illustrations, humorous in a borderline-grotesque way, capture the muscular spirit of this fantasy. I need not convince my children to read this story again and again, and they need not waste time coaxing me. I love it because it permits every reader to imagine the delightfully surreal.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
My first trip to the seashore, I fell in love with the waves. Read the first page New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
My first trip to the seashore, I fell in love with the waves. Read the first page New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
8
books
cite this book:
See all 8 books citing this book
- What Would Your Character Do? by Eric Maisel in Back Matter
- More Reading Connections: Bringing Parents, Teachers, and Librarians Together by Liz Knowles on page 93
- Marine Science: Book 1 by Lisa Wood in Front Matter
- Marine Science: Book 2 by Lisa Wood in Front Matter
- How Is My Third Grader Doing in School? What to Expect and How to Help by Jennifer Richard Jacobson on page 67
See all 8 books citing this book
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