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Keats, Ezra Jack
15 Reviews
(3)
PS
While lacking the original smaller-size picture book's intimacy, this large-size board book edition of Keats's Caldecott Medal–winning classic would work well for group sharing.
Reviewer: Kitty Flynn
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
February, 1963
(2)
PS
This fiftieth-anniversary edition is appended with eight pages of background material about the 1963 Caldecott Medal winner. Included are fascinating tidbits about the creation of both text and collage art, a letter to Keats from Langston Hughes (saying he wished he had grandchildren to give the book to), as well as photos of and quotes from Keats.
Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
February, 1963
(4)
PS
Lonesome for his old home, Louie imagines flying above skyscrapers to his former neighborhood, where he's surprised by friends in Halloween costumes. Keats's use of color and collage is inventive, compelling, and skillful, though preschoolers might find it hard to distinguish between reality and fantasy, and readers might find the print on the painterly backgrounds difficult to perceive.
Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
August, 1978
(2)
K-3
Roberto and Susie put on a puppet show for their friends. Silent, remote Louie, who never speaks to anyone, stands up and bursts into speech, overcome with love for Gussie, the round-eyed puppet baby. Brilliant paintings form a backdrop for a tender story of spontaneous unselfishness.
Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
October, 1975
(2)
K-3
Jennie's excitement at getting a new hat from her aunt evaporates when she sees how plain it is. However, with the help of the birds she regularly feeds in the park, she is able to decorate her hat to rival the elaborate confections she sees in church. Keats's clever use of collage makes Jennie's hat a wonder to behold, sure to captivate any little girl who loves to dress up.
Reviewer: Terri Schmitz
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
June, 1966
(3)
PS
This reissue is virtually identical to the original with the only change being a different, but equally clear and readable, typeface. A puppy joins a litter of kittens in adventures that include leaping from chair to chair and chasing a mouse. Keats's paintings in this almost wordless picture book are soft and warm, and the puppy and kittens are expressive.
Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth
(4)
K-3
While searching his new neighborhood for a father figure, Louie picks up a music box that falls off a truck. The driver accuses him of stealing, but when Louie brings him to his mother, the man softens. Friendship, and eventually marriage, develops between the two. Narratively, this isn't one of Keats's better efforts, but the illustrations, which mix painting and collage, bring the busy neighborhood to vivid life.
Reviewer: Erica L. Stahler
(2)
K-3
In this welcome reissue of a funny, lively story, young Archie cannot find his cat to enter it in the neighborhood pet show. He solves his problem by showing up with a jar that he claims contains his pet germ--and wins a ribbon, for "the quietest pet." Keats's text and art are as appealing as ever.
Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
August, 1972
(2)
K-3
Unable to sleep, Roberto goes to his window. There he sees his friend Archie's cat, about to be attacked by a dog. Fortunately, the paper mouse Roberto made in school falls from the window, and its shadow frightens away the dog. The dark colors and thick swirls of paint give texture to the night and help make the small event more fanciful in this welcome reissue.
Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
December, 1974
(3)
PS
Originally published in 1968 in the form of a chart, Keats's striking collage artwork makes a fine basic counting book, with each cardboard page containing a different set of attractively arranged items and no text except for the number in numeral and word form. Many of the images--three children in red snowsuits, nine snowflakes, ten dachshunds--will be familiar to fans of Keats's other books.
Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann
(2)
PS
This reissue tells the story of Peter's friend Archie and the inquisitive, nondescript, half-grown alley cat that tags after him and manages to make a shambles out of the boys' street carnival. The text provides an adequate framework for Keats's bold bright paintings of a lively city neighborhood.
Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
December, 1970
(2)
K-3
Little Clementina, a pioneer girl, examines an ugly cactus near her small shack. The next day, after a storm, the cactus is abloom with brilliant yellow flowers. Showing both the sun-bleached vastness of a desert country as well as its brilliance, the wordless double-page spreads tell the story without a text in this fine reissue.
Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
December, 1982
(2)
K-3
Wondering who's playing the harmonica in their apartment building, young Sam and his brother listen in the hallway but only hear the sounds of other tenants eating, arguing, and snoring. They finally find the source--a blind man--and a friendship begins. The well-paced text is illustrated with shadowy paintings that capably convey both the dingy surroundings and the brothers' affection.
Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
December, 1971
(3)
K-3
Translated by Maria A. Fiol.
Young Pedro copes with feelings of jealousy at the arrival of a new baby in the household. The original flavor of an old favorite--Peter's Chair--is not lost in this precise, tender translation that conveys Pedro's journey from anger and indignation to understanding and cooperation.
Reviewer: Elizabeth G. Uhlig
(2)
K-3
Juanito, who speaks only Spanish, has just arrived in New York from Puerto Rico--and he's lost his dog. Searching through the city, he meets children from Chinatown, Little Italy, Park Avenue, and Harlem and manages to make his problem clear to all of them in spite of language difficulties. Lively pictures in brilliant red and black illustrate this entertaining reissue.
Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
February, 1961
15 reviews
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