Yellow & Pink [Hardcover]

William Steig (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Steig’s witty dialectic on the nature of existence

Editorial Reviews

Review

“In Yellow & Pink . . . Steig has created a pair of characters who seem the embodiments of his bright esthetic. Named for the colors of their freshly painted costumes, Pink and Yellow are wooden dolls left out to dry in the sun. They are odd fellows, bumpkins, incorrigibles, clowns, countrymen of Beckett’s Vladimir and Estragon, Laurel and Hardy. Philosophers both, they no sooner ‘awaken,’ come to life, than they begin to ponder by what means they might have arrived in this world. ‘How,’ Yellow demands . . . ‘could anyone make something like me, so intricate, so perfect? Or, for that matter, like you.’ . . . One marvels at the expressiveness, the nearness to animation, of Steig’s vibrant drawings.” – Leonard S. Marcus, The Washington Post Book World

About the Author

Caldecott Medalist William Steig is the author and illustrator of numerous children’s books. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); First Edition edition (May 12, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374386714
• ISBN-13: 978-0374386719
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #464,702 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

William Steig (1907-2003) published his first children's book, Roland the Minstrel Pig, in 1968, and received the Caldecott Medal for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (978-1416902065) in 1970. His works also include The Amazing Bone, a Caldecott Honor Book, and Abel's Island and Doctor De Soto, both Newbery Honor Books. His most recent books published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux are Shrek! (released by DreamWorks as a major motion picture) and Wizzil, illustrated by Quentin Blake. School Library Journal named Shrek! a Best Book of 1990 and said of it, "Steig's inimitable wit and artistic dash have never been sharper or more expertly blended."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, Perfect, August 20, 2004

By 

Jay W. Richards "author of Money, Greed, and God" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Yellow & Pink (Hardcover)

Our five year has hundreds of picture books. But, every night since we purchased this book, she's asked us to read it again. And when we're done, she yells, "Again!"

We're happy to oblige, because it's a delightful book. Steig manages to capture complex, quirky moods and expressions in his marionette characters with an unparalleled economy and simplicity. The dialogue is witty and urbane, without leaving the preschooler behind. The story touches delicately on the perennial and perhap most interesting philosophical question we can ask: Why are we here?

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Made My 3- & 5-Year-Olds Think, July 17, 2004

By 

"dvillhard" (Edwardsville, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yellow & Pink (Hardcover)

I never thought I'd approach the subject of divine creation vs. evolution when I read this book to my preschooler and Kindergartener in a coffee shop. But, they had a lot to say (and question) about our existence after I read them this book! William Steig does it again -- impressing both parents and children with his witty but simple style that takes on challenging subject matter.

27 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a thinker..., August 4, 2005

By 

Dave Telford "kvrdave" (Goldendale, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Yellow & Pink (Hardcover)

It is a fun book. It isn't preachy. It isn't overt. It isn't a lot of things, but it will make your kids think. If you are of the evolution variety, it is a good opportunity to show the differences between this situation and nature. If you are of the creationist variety, it is a good opportunity to show the similarities between this situation and nature. But to dislike this book because because you think it is propaganda? That's silly, and probably indicates that we shouldn't examine issues critically, no matter what we believe. I enjoyed it. Your kids will too.