Oh Lord, I Wish I Was a Buzzard [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Polly Greenberg (Author), Aliki (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 31, 2002

From dawn to dusk, a little girl harvests cotton in the sweltering Mississippi Delta heat. Imagining her way through the endless day, she wishes she could be anyone elsefrom a snake curled up and cool to a buzzard going round and round in the sky. Finally, sunset approaches, and a special treat awaits. Based on a sharecropper's childhood memories, Polly Greenberg's rhythmic text and Aliki's sun-soaked illustrations make an unforgettable tale just right for the youngest reader.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It is a hot day for picking cotton in the fields, and every living creature seems to be better off than the sharecropper's hard-working daughter. The buzzard's flying around freely overhead, the snake is "curved up cold and cool," and the lucky dog pants in the shade. The doe-eyed little girl tells us, "I saw a dog lying under a bush, / going huh-huh-huh like dogs do. / I said, 'Oh Lord, I wish I was a dog.'" Her wistful, gently comical refrain "Oh Lord, I wish I was..." makes for a rhythmic, satisfying read-aloud. Polly Greenberg's lyrical text and Aliki's splendid, bold illustrations (reminiscent of the artful simplicity of Ezra Jack Keats's The Snowy Day) make Oh Lord, I Wish I Was a Buzzard, first published in 1968, absolutely unforgettable. Aliki's use of pattern and color is no less than spectacular, and the expressions on the girl's face are priceless. This universally appealing story will hit home with any child wishing he or she were anywhere but in his or her current predicament! The book concludes with notes for parents and teachers about children who work to help their families, child labor laws, and the oral narrative based on Mississippi sharecropper Gladys Henton that inspired this lovely story. (Preschool to age 5) --Karin Snelson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Polly Greenberg was a founder of the Child Development Group of Mississippi, a Head Start program initiated in 1965 and operated by several thousand African-American sharecroppers and other low-income people. She lives in Washington D.C.

Aliki has contributed to some 200 books for children, over 55 of which she has written and illustrated. She is the recipient of many awards, including a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor and the Jane Addams Peace Award for Picture Book. She lives in London, Eng --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• ISBN-10: 1587171228
• ASIN: B000BSKKLU
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,268,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple, beautiful book to read again and again, February 1, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Oh Lord, I Wish I was a Buzzard (Hardcover)

My 15 month old loves this book, and I think I know why. The illustrations by Aliki depicting a day in a cotton field are simple but bold and full of character. The text is nothing short of poetry, and reminds one of a traditional spiritual song. For older children, there is a lot of content that can be discussed along with enjoying the song-like text: child labor, racism, stereotypes, history. Because of the repetitive text, it is a good book for children learning to read.
My daughter asks for this one again and again since the day we came across it by accident, and I think we will continue to enjoy it for many years.