ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
PRESCHOOL
Young, Kevin

Emile and the Field

40 pp. | Random/Make Me a World | March, 2022 | Trade ISBN 978-1-98485-042-3 $17.99 | Library ISBN 978-1-9848-5043-0 $20.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-1-9848-5044-7 $10.99
(1) PS Illustrated by Chioma Ebinama. Young Emile, his dog at his side, frequents a field that is "wide and blue" and filled with flowers, bumblebees, and his favorite maple tree. Throughout the seasons, Emile talks to the field, asking if it misses things it doesn’t know, such as the sea, and marvels at what the field does know, such as the stars in a mesmerizing night sky. When he visits one winter day with his father, Emile expresses his dismay over having to share the field with others (i.e., a group of loud children, sledding). His father's response brings him comfort and ­purpose. With gentle rhythms, Young's verse captures the boy's observations with an emotional honesty (Emile wonders why the sledders didn't secure his "say-so" to visit); with an authenticity true to the impassioned feelings of ­children (Emile is described as being "in love" with the field); and with a tenderness that is touching but never ­saccharine. Ebinama brings this story of a Black boy having an immersive outdoor ­experience to life with delicate lines and lush and ­atmospheric watercolors; Emile in his puffy red coat, making a snow angel, is a reverent nod to Keats's Peter in The Snowy Day. The yellows, in ­particular, nearly glow in the form of flowers, bumblebees, and the golden hues of fall. What Emile learns from his father ("The field would not, could not be bought! or belong to anyone") is a satisfying conclusion to this exquisite story of one boy's unfettered delight in nature.
Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

RELATED 

PRESCHOOL

The Farmer and the Circus
by Frazee, Marla
PRESCHOOL

Bird House
by Gómez, Blanca
PRESCHOOL

The Crow and the Peacock
by Fernihough, Jo
PRESCHOOL

Something's Wrong!
by John, Jory
PRESCHOOL

Grandpa Across the Ocean
by Yum, Hyewon
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?