Love Can Build a Bridge (Hardcover)

~ Naomi Judd (Author), Suzanne Duranceau (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Judd, the elder half of country music's superstar mother-daughter duo The Judds, spins the lyrics of their hit song into a sentimental picture book about the ripple effect of love and good deeds. Each verse/ stanza speaks of making sacrifices in the name of love ("I'd gladly walk across the desert with no shoes upon my feet./ To share with you the last bite/ of bread I had to eat"); meanwhile, Duranceau (Follow the Moon) depicts pairs of multiracial children performing various kindnesses for each other. A girl shares her sandwich with a boy; that boy helps another boy who has fallen on the playground; the second boy visits a friend in the hospital, and so on. The chain of events shown in Duranceau's creamy, lifelike portraits captures Judd's theme: "Love can build a bridge/ between your heart and mine,/ Love can build a bridge./ Don't you think it's time?" Confusingly, one spread appears to break the continuous link between the children to begin a new succession of kid-to-kid encounters. Judd's call for harmony, respect and responsibility is inarguably worthwhile. That said, Judd's foreword, in which she describes "hunkering down" with her dog to watch a homeless man sleeping on a bench (and never offering him help) is an uncomfortable fit with her text. An audiocassette recording of the song is included. All ages.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2A glossy, commercial production of a song by the popular country-music star. The message is clear and the illustrations suggest ways that a person might help someone else. In the full-color paintings, one child fixes the others bike wheel, another tends to a friends scraped elbow. The closing spread shows the children, hand in hand, standing together midair to form a bridge. The lyrics are repeated on the last page. The multiethnic, tirelessly cheerful, clean youngsters look stiff and posed. The hope for a peaceful world and love for all is an admirable one, but here its been packaged for sale, not interwoven within a real story. The song might be a favorite with Judds fans, but it does not translate effectively into a picture book.Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; Har/Cas edition (April 3, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060272066
• ISBN-13: 978-0060272067
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,031,129 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars WITTY JUDD-ESQUE FICTION, January 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Love Can Build a Bridge (Mass Market Paperback)

In light of recent revelations about the misrepresentations and inaccuracies of specific facts and details in LOVE CAN BUILD A BRIDGE, all I can surmise about this work is that it is a great FICTIONAL STORY, based on a true story, but highly manipulated and manicured to put NAOMI JUDD in a flattering light. Creative, witty, and highly imaginative, Naomi Judd is no doubt a talented writer...of fiction. Take the content of this book with a grain of salt.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Drama Queens (AKA: The Judds), January 30, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Love Can Build a Bridge (Mass Market Paperback)

Drama Queens!!! Wow!!! A fascinating story, but maybe more "story" than "truth", eh? In any case, a good read. Fast, compelling, and lively. A plot twist on every page. The television mini-series didn't live up to the book. Would have been better as a Big Screen Movie. Two thumbs up!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars BETTER THAN "MASTERPIECE THEATER", January 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Love Can Build a Bridge (Mass Market Paperback)

After reading this book twice, what I have to offer is this: EVERY AUTOBIOGRAPHY IS A WORK OF FICTION, AND EVERY WORK OF FICTION IS AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL. Ditto for this book.