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Young, Ed
9 Reviews
(2)
K-3
Young's original fable about a wasteful "wealthy lord"--rendered as an anthropomorphized cat--depicts its protagonist's greed, his fall from power, and his eventual redemption. Colorful, richly textured mixed-media collages (made from fabrics, string, handmade paper, etc.) in deep hues evoke Lord Cat's life of luxury; in contrast, barren landscapes in neutral tones under a stark white sky depict the famine.
Reviewer: Megan Dowd Lambert
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2016
(4)
K-3
Young compares the power of love to the powers found in nature throughout this poem. Although each couplet recalls The Runaway Bunny, the sentiments feel more suited to an older audience: "should you be a gentle wave, I'll wait for you to lap my shores." The torn-paper and nature-photograph collage illustrations are striking; a deeply personal author's note makes the connection between love and loss.
Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth
(2)
4-6
As told to Libby Koponen. In 1934, Ed Young's father built a house in Shanghai's "safest part," and it became a wartime refuge for the family. Young maintains a child's-eye view, focusing on life in the house and the children's games. Collages of beautifully integrated textured materials and family photos are interwoven with hand-drawn portraits, sketches, paintings, architectural diagrams, and gatefolds. Timeline.
Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2011
(1)
K-3
Handsome spreads eloquently depict the fortunes of an eaglet, born from an abandoned egg, who takes triumphant flight. Young's palette is dark--a somber sandstone background with flecks of subdued reds and traces of sky-blues. The minimal text is nearly superfluous: freely sketched figures, rendered in soft, evanescent strokes, not only tell the story but also suggest ideas that transcend it.
Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
May, 2009
(4)
K-3
A dragon king helps his nine immortal sons turn what on the surface seem like indulgent proclivities into useful talents. The illustrations use fluid, energetic brush strokes and cut-paper images. The tale makes a connection between folklore and culture, but despite its graceful execution, the concept will likely make the book too sophisticated for the traditional picture book audience.
Reviewer: Carolyn Shute
(3)
4-6
Exploring twenty-six Chinese characters describing emotions, Young uses the heart as metaphor for human behavior (joy is "a happy heart"; laziness is "an idle heart"), then creates ideograms and collage constructions for each concept. This small gift book edition seems an acknowledgment that adults may be the book's best audience.
Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
May, 1997
(2)
K-3
Yeh-yeh's basket, "Doko," recounts its useful roles in its owner's life. When Yeh-yeh grows old, his son thinks to use Doko one last time--to abandon his now-feeble father in--but relents when his own son begs him to bring Doko back so that he can use him when "it is time to leave you on the temple steps." Young's spare yet eloquent telling is illustrated with gold-bordered spreads luscious with color.
Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2004
(2)
K-3
A young boy who desperately wants knowledge consults a Grand Master, who sends him on a quest for a carpet. The carpetmaker agrees to help, but only if the boy brings him some thread. The boy continues on through a chain of people, helping and being helped in this cumulative teaching-tale from the Sufi tradition. Dazzling collage illustrations set the personae of the tale against muted, spatter-paint backgrounds.
Reviewer: Mary M. Burns
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2002
(4)
K-3
The Monkey King steals forbidden fruit from the immortal peach tree, flies to what he believes is the end of the world (it's really Buddha's hand), and fans the flames of a fire at a temple, creating chaos. Because these and other episodes from the Chinese epic Journey to the West have been compressed, the narrative is frayed and rather jumbled. However, Young's dramatic collages effectively capture mischievous Monkey's adventures.
9 reviews
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