Yellow Elephant

April 10, 2006
Playful, whimsical images abound in Larios's (Have You Ever Done That?
) 14 animal-themed poems, all delightfully realized in Paschkis's (Through Georgia's Eyes
, reviewed Feb. 20) exuberant paintings. As the collection's title indicates, the animals each get an assigned color, some ordinary (Gold Finch, Brown Mouse), others extraordinary (Purple Puppy, Pink Cat). Still others transform unexpectedly (for the Green Frog, "One hop/ and her green/ is gone./ See how she swims,/ blue frog now/ under blue water"). Every poem gets a full-page illustration and a handsome, visually linked decorative panel. Swirling shapes offset geometric patterns to harmonious effect. Paschkis's exquisitely balanced painting for "Green Frog" renders a serene metamorphosis, as the frog takes a leg-extending plunge, her legs green above the surface, and underwater she becomes blue. Smoothly combining assonance, alliteration and near rhymes, Larios creates images that invite readers' enthusiasm, as with the title poem: "Oh,/ I think no other animal can/ (I know a mosquito can't)/ glow in the jungle sun/ like a wild-eared/ yellow elephant." A dynamic, contagious energy emanates from both the poetry and the art, whether the animals take to the air, land or sea. Ages 5-10.

April 1, 2006
PreS-Gr 2 -In this creative exploration of color, Paschkis's full-page gouache illustrations of animals are brimming with vibrant and unexpected hues: an orange giraffe, a pink cat, a blue turtle. Larios's poems are, for the most part, fresh offerings of alliteration, rhyme, and gentle surprises. Some pairings are more successful than others. -Red Donkey, - -Silver Gull, - and -Gold Finch - are the strongest, most imaginative poems in the book, with superb illustration and engaging poetic qualities. While the artwork for the surprisingly unsurprising -White Owl - is eye-catching, the poem itself doesn't hold the same charm that one finds in other verses. -Brown Mouse, - too, lacks verve and whimsy. The book design is simple and effective: one page is devoted to the poem itself with words against a white background and a rectangular sidebar illustration to match the full-page picture opposite. There's no question that this is a visually stimulating and interesting book, thanks especially to Paschkis's folk art, which seems to be largely inspired by South American and African cultural styles. Not all of the poems are as strong, but the ones that rise above are a sheer delight." -Carol L. MacKay, Forestburg School Library, Alberta, Canada"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 15, 2006
K-Gr. 3. From "a green frog / on a green lily pad" to a "gray mama goose" and her "gold baby," the animals featured in these well-crafted poems flash with color and emotion. Each spread features a picture of a brightly hued animal, and Larios' rhythms and sounds skillfully reinforce the memorable, evocative images. Lines about a white owl echo the rush of winter wind in a quiet forest: "Who flies over white ice? / " Who? / " And over white snow?" In "Blue Turtle," the lines bring the cool, shadowy world of the creeping creature close: "Slow / in the blue shade / of a blue-leafed garden. / Slow." And the open-mouthed sounds of "Pink Kitty" reinforce the meaning in a description of a cat's "pink yawn at dawn." Together with Paschkis' vibrant, patterned, gouache paintings, the poems beautifully show how color and sound create mood and imagery, and they will encourage children to notice how changing light and motion make everything different: "One hop / and her green / is gone. / See how she swims, / blue frog now / under blue water." Pair this with Mary O'Neill's classic " Hailstones and Halibut Bones" (1961) for more poems about color. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)