Morning, Noon, and Night (Hardcover)

by Jean Craighead George (Author), Wendell Minor (Illustrator) "Good morning, the dawn, when the earth is turning from night to day and waking begins..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In precise, lyrical language George celebrates the daily activities of animals from dawn to dusk. When morning comes, "the stork puts down his other foot./ The killdeer stretches her white-striped wings,/ and the cardinal sings,/ 'Good morning, the sun. Cheer, Cheer.' " Concrete details are cradled in language that evokes the turning of the earth from one day to the next, placing the animals' specific activities in a wider context: "The earth has turned from dawn to light/ and work begins./ The lark feeds her nestlings./ The eagle goes hunting..../ and the bees buzz their message, 'Work, Work.' " Minor, previously paired with George for Arctic Son, offers splendid views of the countryside from Maine to the Pacific and back again. His paintings show bats in the Sonora Desert, bison in the Great Plains and Canadian geese in the Rocky Mountains. Not all the creatures George mentions fit into the serenely composed landscapes or appear in the occasional facing silhouettes; on the other hand, some pictured animals are not named in the text (endnotes, however, identify sites and species). The result is a more challenging offering than the usual nature book. Few children will be able to resist George's lullaby of animals or Minor's appealing cover portrait of a raccoon who seems to be just begging for a turn of the page. Ages 3-8. (May)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3-From dawn on the east coast to sunset on the west, a variety of animals go about their daily lives. The text alternates between greetings defining the time of day ("Good noon, the noon,/when the earth has turned full face to the sun/and siesta is here") and simple sentences describing the appropriate activities: "The antelopes doze./The lizard hides." Despite a few difficult words, beginning readers might join in decoding these lyrical verses. Each full-page (and sometimes double-page) painting provides a close-up of an animal, set in a suitable landscape. The pictures are inviting, combining soft textures and vibrant colors, from the cardinal's scarlet feathers to the turquoise Arizona and Colorado skies. Endnotes name each creature and its location, so readers can follow along as the day progresses and the settings move farther west, from Maine to California and returning to Maine as the sun rises again on the final page. In this introduction to the nature-book genre, the portraits are realistic and accurate, but the emphasis is on visual appeal: there are several family groups, and the owlet, raccoon, and seal could model for Steiff.
Patricia Lothrop-Green, St. George's School, Newport, RI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (May 5, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060236280
• ISBN-13: 978-0060236281
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #733,492 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #56 in

  Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( G ) > George, Jean Craighead

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A simple story for young readers with superb illustrations!, November 25, 1999

By	Alissa Irion (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews

This is simply a wonderful book! I truly enjoyed using it while tutoring a fourth grade remedial reader because it was simple, yet beautifully worded and superbly illustrated. Each illustration is a marvelous nature portrait in itself. My fourth grade student (who happens to be very interested in science) savored each lovely portrait, as we talked about the animals and environments depicted in each one. Though the words are few and simple, the book avoids being overly childish. Rather, it respectfully presents the cycle of the day (morning, noon and night) and the beauty of various animals as they act in their natural environments throughout the day.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars pictures don't match the words making it an annoying book, September 14, 2001

By	christinemm - The Thinking Mother (Connecticut, United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

The illustrations are realistic and high quality. I have issus wth the organization of the verses and the verses not matching the illustrations.

One problem lies in that each verse cites up to five different animals and that not all the animals are pictured on the pages. This is very confusing for my four year old who asks me where a certain animal is pictured and it simply is not there. Other pages where the verse references time of day (afternoon) and no animals, show animals. Why not have pictured simple landscapes with skies that relate to that time of day instead? For example the picture for noon doesn't even show a sun, let alone a bright shining sun, it shows a close up of bison, and bison are not mentioned in that passage at all.

Sometimes the animals within one passage are not even related to each other by habitat. An example is mentioning a stork, killdeer and a cardinal in the same passage. Yes, they are all birds but they just aren't in the same habitat, preventing them from being depicted in an illustration together. I'd have prefered mentioning three ocean dwelling creatures within one passage, even if some were birds, some fish, and some ocean dwelling mammals.

I do love picture books that feature seasonal themes or time-of-day themes. I also love books that feature animals.

I have never seen such an annoying arrangement of verses and such a mismatch of words with illustrations in a picture book for young children. For this confusion and annoyance, I grant one star. I dislike it so much that I can't stand to read it to my children and am donating it to my local library.

5.0 out of 5 stars Not only do I love this book, but my babe does too, May 9, 2004

By	Rebecca Miles (Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Morning, Noon, and Night (Library Binding)

Sure the pictures don't exactly match the words, but the pictures are beautiful and the verse is lyrical. This is my near two-year-old's favorite book. She walks around the entire time saying, "Morning, Morning, Morning."

I also think that this would be a perfect book for a family interested in observing daily rhythms and routine, especially Waldorf-oriented families.