Amazon.com Review
Chris Raschka--whose beautiful, brilliant tributes to jazz legends in
Mysterious Thelonious and
Charlie Parker Played Be Bop are not to be missed--pays tribute to another slice of American music history with this lovely celebration of a traditional Shaker hymn. "'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free, 'tis the gift to come down where we ought to be," lilts the hymn. And Raschka translates its gentle movement to the page, scripting the lyrics in what appears to be (simply) black crayon against a band of soothing color at the top or bottom of each spread. The rest of each page is awash in warm tones and heavy strokes, depicting a cat, a bird, a squirrel, and a turtle in the abstract, primitive style of Paul Klee. In explaining how he so expertly translates music to the printed page, Raschka has said that he tries to "stick to the form of the music and let the music dictate the form of the book." Indeed. With
Simple Gifts, Raschka offers readers the simple yet powerful gift of experiencing music as color, movement, and graceful pages. (Ages 4 to 8, but makes a fine addition to any grownup's favorite book collection)
--Brangien Davis
From Publishers Weekly
Raschka (Mysterious Thelonius), one of the reigning risk-takers of the picture book world, undertakes yet another challenge in this interpretation of a traditional Shaker song, albeit less successfully. Using oil crayon on pastel paper, he creates an exceedingly handsome stained glass effect, with heavy black lines juxtaposed against hues as warm as a flurry of autumn leaves. As always, Raschka's vision is unique, and here he translates the Shaker musical paean to a simplified life into a sort of peaceable kingdom, where a cat, blue jay, rabbit, squirrel and turtle dwell together in harmony with nature. The artwork is undeniably glorious, but, as appealing as this serene, spiritual vision is, readers may miss the joy implicit in this Shaker song that is meant for dancing. Adults will likely find themselves drawn to search closely for visual metaphor and meaning, and to reflect on the rather sophisticated ideas in the lyrics ("When true simplicity is gained,/ To bow and to bend/ we shan't be asham'd/ To turn, turn/ will be our delight/ Till by turning, turning/ we come 'round right"). But aside from the pleasing look of the paintings, youngsters may be left a bit at sea. Ages 4-8. (Mar.) FYI: The music to "Simple Gifts" is included, along with a brief afterword describing the Shaker community.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
