Walter Was Worried [Hardcover]

Laura Vaccaro Seeger (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Opposite the simple declarative sentence, "Walter was worried" is a portrait of a very worried Walter. But wait! The letters that spell out his feelings form his facial characteristics, as well as his expression. Gradually a simple story unfolds: the sky grows dark, the fog rolls in, lightning lights the sky, and thunder shakes the trees; Priscilla was puzzled, Shirley was shocked, Frederick was frightened... and eventually (when the sun came out) Henry was hopeful, and Elliot ecstatic.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2–Seeger combines word art and simple text to tell the story of children's reactions to a storm. As it progresses from dark clouds to thunder to rain to snow and, finally, to sun, a different individual is introduced. The youngsters' emotions are literally spelled out on their faces (Walter was worried; Priscilla was puzzled; Shirley was shocked) as the letters of the alliterative adjectives are used to portray their features. For example, E's are put on their backs to become eyebrows; a C and a D are turned upside down to become eyes, and an L becomes a nose. The choice of names and adjectives is equally wide ranging and inventive, combining Ursula and Elliot with upset and ecstatic. The artwork uses bold colors with wide brush marks as backdrops and primary colors with almost graphic shapes to represent rain, snow flakes, leaves, and branches. With only one sentence per page, there is surprising depth in this wonderful collaboration of art and story.–Jane Marino, Bronxville Public Library, NY
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Review

"...Innovative...Lovely muted paintings...Opportunities for read-aloud abound..." -- Kirkus Reviews

"...extraordinary..." -- Children's Literature

2006 ALA Notable Book "...A graphically striking work..." -- American Library Association (ALA)

Best Book of 2005 Award "...A smart, alphabet-based game..." -- Child Magazine

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press; First Edition edition (August 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596430680
• ISBN-13: 978-1596430686
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,235,661 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4 1/2 A Storm of Emotion, December 22, 2005

By 

M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Walter Was Worried (Hardcover)

Walter was worried, alright, he had all 7 letters of the word "worried" pasted on his face! Well, that's not quite right either. Actually, walter grew worried "when the sky grew dark," and imaginative illustrator, Laura Seeger, uses the letters in his and others' emotions make facial features. Take Shirley, for example, who was "SHOCKED when lightning lit the sky." A sideways "C" and "D" are her eyes, within which we see her pupils: A capital "e" and "i." That big "O" in "shocked makes up her very shocked-looking mouth, and the remaining S and K are writ small upon her forehead as raised eyebrows.

The format consists of the person's name and emotion (including Priscilla who was puzzled, and Frederick who was frightened), and a facing page (pun intended) showing the letters of the emotion upon the person's face. Following this is a two-page spread illustrating the storm event that elicited the child's reaction. The faces are drawn fairly flat to emphasize the location of the letters, and the drawings of nature are dramatic compositions (gouache and cut-outs, perhaps) with lots of texture, and combination of bold primary colors, with seeping, slightly psychedelic background tints.

You have to give Seeger credit for managing to write a credible and interesting story around these phoneme faces. Happy children replace the frightened ones as the storm passes. For example, there's Delilah. She's the girl with the L-shaped nose who was "DELIGHTED when the rain turned to snow."
Turn the page, and you see big cut-out snowflakes against a marbleized background of blues, greens, and purples. There's also Henry, who's "HOPEFUL when the sky began to clear." Here, a somewhat more conventional picture shows 3 black birds flying against a milky-clouded sky. Still, the main story here is the pictures. Seeger's narrative, although making a nice cycle from storm to clear, is (not surprising) fairly simple. The faces and letter placement seem perfect for classroom art/reading projects. The book may inspire similar work at home, especially on a stormy, emotion-packed day.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is AMAZING, February 19, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Walter Was Worried (Ala Notable Children's Books. Younger Readers (Awards)) (Neal Porter Books) (Paperback)

I am in sixth grade and we were studying picture books in my class because we are studying which books we think are most educational for younger kids. Each student brought in their favorite book from home and one of my friends brought in this one. We were all told to list the reasons why we thought each book was good or bad and this one was the favorite of every one in my class because it can be used in so many ways. you can learn your letters and search and find them and you can talk about your feelings too. Then I was surprised because my art teacher decided that we should all make our own pictures like the ones in this book so it became a great art project too. I am a big fan of this book. I love the artwork the most.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, original illustrations, April 22, 2009

By 

Melanie E. Watson (West Point, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Walter Was Worried (Ala Notable Children's Books. Younger Readers (Awards)) (Neal Porter Books) (Paperback)

This book addresses emotions and the alphabet. An odd combo, but well received by my 2.5 year old. The emotion words use unique fonts that are repeated in the face illustration. That makes it easy to point out a letter and ask my daughter to find one just like it on the face-- a great way to introduce letters. The text is simple, and therefore, inviting to young ones. It enables some basic discussion on emotions, which is beneficial to this age group's development of self-expression. This author is awesome!