A Child's Calendar

Starred review from August 30, 1999
letter day for poetry lovers. Each month receives its due in shiveringly lovely verse while Hyman's brightly populated watercolors trace the corresponding activities of a lively Vermont family. The interplay of text and art has both depth and beauty. The language and illustrations are not merely pretty or ornamentally descriptive, but vibrantly alive--enough to keep young readers occupied through more than one reading. Crisp images from the poems are amplified or buried like treasures in the artwork. In March, "Pale crocuses/ Poke through the ground/ Like noses come/ To sniff around," while the family is pictured tending the sheep that likewise burrow their noses into waiting hands. Familiar things are made new with the grace and freshness of Updike's simple and accessible imagery. In June, for example, "The live-long light/ Is like a dream,/ And freckles come/ Like flies to cream." A breathtaking book that will unfold the world to new readers: "each flower, leaf,/ And blade of turf--/ Small love-notes sent/ From air to earth." Ages 4-up.

December 1, 1999
Gr 1-5-A year in New England as seen through a child-focused lens. Month by month, season by season, the poet's words and the expressive paintings create images that are reflective and playful, perceptive and pleasing. (Sept.)

Copyright 1999 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 1999
Gr 1-5 Up-dike's poetry and Hyman's glowing illustrations lovingly portray a year in the life of a child in this celebration of months and seasons. Originally published in 1965 (Knopf) with illustrations by Nancy Ekholm Burkert, the verses examine the changes in the natural world, from crocuses poking through the ground in February to blooming chrysanthemums in September and the first snowfall of December. There is a sense of relaxed timelessness here. Updike urges readers to stop and enjoy the glories in each day, such as in March when "The mud smells happy/On our shoes./We still wear mittens, /Which we lose." When read aloud, the poetry sings from one stanza to the next through gentle rhymes and rhythms that are never forced. Readers familiar with Hyman's illustrations for Barbara Rogasky's Winter Poems (Scholastic, 1994) will recognize the artist's New Hampshire farmhouse setting, her grandchildren, family, friends, and even the charming pets. The paintings have an unpretentious, homey quality as they capture boys exploring in a creek, a toddler's bare-bottomed joy in the August sunshine, and a family's contemplative stroll beneath bare November maples. Readers will recognize bits and pieces of their own lives in this reflective gem. Shawn Brommer, Southern Tier Library System, Painted Post, NY

Copyright 1999 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 1999
Gr. 3^-5, younger for reading aloud. First published in 1965, Updike's calendar presents a child-centered poem for each month of the year. Hyman's colorful illustrations portray a multiracial family living in rural New Hampshire through the changes of seasons. But the landscape and weather are only backdrops for the activities that define the seasons for young people: sledding, kite flying, planting, watching baseball on TV, wading in the creek, picnicking, swimming, choosing apples, trick-or-treating, giving thanks around the table, and waiting for Christmas. A full-page painting and a smaller panel illustrate each month. Each evocative illustration has its own story to tell, celebrating the small moments in children's lives with clarity and sensitivity, with empathy and joy. A beautifully illustrated edition of Updike's poems for children. ((Reviewed September 1, 1999))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1999, American Library Association.)