Colorful paper illustrations complement a poem that follows a young Indian boy as he dreams of what lies beyond the confines of his small village, watching the boats drift down the stream.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
A boy writes his name and village on paper boats and floats them down a stream, in the hope that "someone in some strange land will find them and know who I am." Written around the turn of the century by Nobel Prize-winner Tagore, the unassuming poem has an air of serenity aptly matched by the delicate cut-paper illustrations. Although this technique allows a pleasing precision in the sharpness of its images, the result is a series of static spreads that do little to enhance the verse. Bochak's range of colors--from the yellows of summer to the muted pinks and violets of a sultry night--is unusual, though some of the book's later illustrations tend toward drabness. The word pictures here, while graceful, are too passive and sophisticated for the intended audience--speaking of his boats, the narrator says, "The fairies of sleep are sailing in them, / and the lading is their baskets / full of dreams." An unrewarding outing. Ages 2-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 4-- Elegant paper cutouts perfectly complement this poem by India's Nobel prize winner. Originally published in Tagore's Crescent Moon (Asia Book Corp., 1988), it is a first-person narration of a child who day after day writes his name and the name of his village on paper boats. He sails them down the stream, hoping that someone in a strange land will find them and learn of their creator. Against skies of the palest orange of dawn, then pink, magenta, and finally the rich purples and blues of dusk, the illustrations show a boy launching his boats and dreaming at water's edge, with a rabbit, monkey, and peacocks nearby. The three-dimensional effect, created through shadow and the use of textured paper and color washes, is so striking that readers will want to grasp the string of the paper boats and pull it out of the pages. With its classic simplicity and universal theme, this is a fine mood piece to read aloud. --Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Blissful and enchanting,
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This review is from: Paper Boats (Library Binding)
A boy in India makes paper boats with his name and address on them and floats them down the river in hopes someone will find them and contact him. This leads to a lovely child-like dream. Itā(tm)s kind of cute. The plot is very simple, but there arenā(tm)t that many words, so itā(tm)s fast and easy-to-read. Hasnā(tm)t every little kid tried a message in a bottle or a balloon with an address tied to it as a way to make friends? So itā(tm)s easy to relate to. The illustrations are cute, too. They look very much like India. Itā(tm)s probably not the best book out there, and some kids would be just bored.
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