Touching the Distance: Native American Riddle-Poems [Hardcover]

Brian Swann (Author), Maria Rendon (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1998

A riddle is a question with a surprising answer. A poem is an unexpected view of the world around us. Combine the two, and you have this collection of twenty-two riddle-poems gathered from Native American sources by Brian Swann, a preeminent scholar, poet, and collector of riddles from around the globe. With stunning illustrations, this remarkable book encourages all to see the world anew.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6?Fifteen riddle poems from Native America, dominated by eight from Mexican tribes and four from Alaskan sources, tease with simple, accessible rhythms. Placement of the words on the pages plays a part in the poetry. Source references for the riddles appear with answers on the last page. Rendon's stunning "mixed-media constructions" shimmer on each right-side page. The artist uses wood carving, stones, fabrics, etchings, metal, pepper seeds, egg shells, and intensely bright colors of paint to create marvels that appear to be three dimensional and achieve whimsical harmony with the text as they subtlely reveal the answers. The riddles offer children a unique literary challenge, particularly if used in conjunction with Swann's A Basket Full of White Eggs (Orchard, 1988; o.p.) and The House with No Door (Harcourt, 1997). Paired here with Rendon's equally clever and penetrating collages, everyone wins.?Jacqueline Elsner, Athens Regional Library, GA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 3^-6, with adult help. Children who like guessing games may enjoy this picture-book collection of 14 succinct riddle-poems. Each selection is accompanied by a picture of an unusual collage construction, which hints at the answer to the riddle. Some of the answers are fairly easy to guess, but many are challenging. For example, a riddle from Mexico, which shows the humor of its Amizgo creator, reads: "There is that person--if you eat his mouth / he'll eat yours." The answer: a chili pepper. Children will become engaged in both the rhyme and the mystery as they attempt to solve the riddles, which open a door on new ways of looking at the world. Swann includes answers and notes at the end of the book. Behind the King's Kitchen: A Roster of Rhyming Riddles (1992) is another good source of riddles for youngsters. Karen Morgan

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st edition (March 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152008047
• ISBN-13: 978-0152008048
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,371,519 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing book, June 8, 2007

By 

Hilary G. Lapidus - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Touching the Distance: Native American Riddle-Poems (Hardcover)

Liked this book. Read the poems and my kids as well as myself tried to figure out what the poem was about. My 4 1/2 yr old figured out the hardest one. Answers at back of book. Beautiful artwork and enjoyable interactive reading with family.