Synopses & Reviews
The gecko doesn't have eyelids, so in order to keep its eyeballs dirt-free the lizard licks them with its tongue.
Some ants keep clean by scrubbing each other with feet that have been dipped in their oily saliva.
The jerboa takes a dust bath!
Time for a Bath is the very young picture book companion to Time to Eat and Time to Sleep by Caldecott-Honor winning duo Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. With Jenkins' masterful and vibrantly colored cut-and-torn paper illustrations paired with an informative yet lively, accessible text, Time for a Bath playfully addresses some of the most bizarre and ironic ways wild animals can bathe.
Review
"With polish and pizzazz, this well-designed package pays tribute to dogs and life in the city." School Library Journal
Review
"An oversized format and deep, forest-green backgrounds help create arresting spreads full of eye-popping colors and perky pooches." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
In this exuberant new picture book, Lois Ehlert takes us on a trip to the farmers market with a group of friendly, furry, and (mostly) well-behaved pups. And when the shopping's done, the gang heads to the dog park for some serious playing.
Readers will be wowed by the gorgeous collage illustrations, subtle counting elements, jaunty text, and best of all dogs galore!
Includes a spread that features pictures, names, and traits of all the dogs, so children can go back and follow their favorites throughout the story.
Synopsis
The giant panda chews on bamboo shoots for twelve hours a day.
The anaconda swallows its prey whole and only needs to eat four or five meals a year.
A tick can consume as much as 100 times its own weight in blood!
Time to Eat is one of three very young picture books in a series by Caldecott-Honor winning duo Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. With Jenkins' masterful and vibrantly colored cut-and-torn paper illustrations paired with an informative yet lively, accessible text, Time to Eat playfully addresses some of the most wondrous and wacky eating habits of wild animals.
Synopsis
The basilisk falls asleep balanced on a thin branch that hangs ocer the water.
To stay safe from predators, the flamingo sleeps standing in shallow water.
The white stork sleeps in flight!
Time to Sleep is one of three in a picture book series for very young children by Caldecott-Honor winning duo Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. Jenkins' masterful and vibrantly colored cut-and-torn paper illustrations paired with a fun, lovely text, Time to Sleep showcases the most interesting ways animals go to sleep.
Synopsis
Ha woo!and#160;Meet theand#160;graduates of the Bow Wow Dog Obedience School.
Synopsis
Itand#8217;s time to eat! Which animals eat bamboo, can gulp down a whole deer, or swallow rocks to help them eat?
Synopsis
Itand#8217;s time for a bath! Find out which animals soak, lick, bake, or spray their dirt away.
Synopsis
Itand#8217;s time to sleep! Who dozes standing on one leg without falling over, snores while flying, or snuggles together in a big sleepy pile?
About the Author
In this exuberant new picture book, Lois Ehlert takes us onand#160;a trip to the farmers market with a group of friendly, furry, andand#160;(mostly) well-behaved pups.and#160;And when theand#160;shopping's done, the gang heads to the dog park for some
seriousplaying.and#160;Readers will be wowed by theand#160;gorgeous collage illustrations, subtle counting elements, jaunty text, and--best of all--dogs galore!and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;Includes aand#160;spread thatand#160;features pictures,and#160;names, and traits of all the dogs, so children canand#160;go back and follow their favorites throughout the story.and#160;Ha woo!and#160;Meet theand#160;graduates of the Bow Wow Dog Obedience School.LOIS EHLERT has created many celebrated picture books inspired by the world around her. She lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Author Q&A
Interview with Lois Ehlert author/illustrator of
Wag a Tail.
Q: Readers love the clever and striking collages that distinguish your picture books. In Wag a Tail, you use scraps of paper and fabric left over from your previous books. What made you decide to put those scraps back to work, and why now, in this particular book?
A: I'm known to my friends as a pack rat. That is, I save "good stuff." All of my books are illustrated in an art technique called collage, which involves cutting and pasting different materials together. My impression of farmers markets is that they look like a quilt made of many pieces. Perhaps that's what started me thinking. It's difficult to explain where creativity begins.
Q: Wag a Tail bustles with fun-loving and mischievous dogs. How did you decide which breeds to feature? Do you have dogs?
A: Every Saturday, from early spring through late fall, rain or shine, I go to the farmers market near my home. The neighborhood I live in is near Lake Michigan, and is a mixture of homes and high-rise apartments. I began seeing dogs with their humans every week, and became fascinated by their looks and personalities. I wondered who was having the most funthe owners or the dogs. I began tiny sketches, which later became parts (or quilt pieces) of the compositions.
I dont have any live pets, but I do have many folk-art sculptures of animals.
Q: The jazzy, rhythmic words in Wag a Tail come straight from the dogs mouths. Why did you use speech bubbles instead of traditional text to reflect the thoughts of these pups?
A: I wanted to make sure readers would understand that the dogs were doing the talking, not the people. Whos to argue that dogs cant talk? Maybe we just cant understand their language. I also wanted to call attention to how much attitude you can read from the body language of dogs and humans.
Q: Wag a Tail celebrates farmers markets, with pages brimming with shoppers happily toting (and often eating!) goods that are natural or handmade rather than mass-produced. Do you hope children will take away any particular message from this theme?
A: I guess I always hope that I might plant an idea, although I dont want to be too directive. A farmers market is where you can buy good food and meet friendsof both the two-legged and the four-legged kind.
Q: Each of your books taps into a universal childhood experience; Wag a Tail does this by celebrating the ordinary pleasures of playing and friendship. How did you come to be so in tune with the way children think? Did you always aspire to create childrens books?
A: Lets face itIm a grown-up child. I love being with young children. While I was growing up, I always enjoyed making art and reading. It was most natural for me to want to create childrens books as my lifes work. However, there were many zigs and zags before I finally sold my first book.
Q: You often turn to autobiographical elements in your art, like your mothers pinking shears, which appear in Hands and were used to cut out the dogs in Wag a Tail. What influences your decisions when adding extra elements to collages, like the shears, or the buttons that appear in this book?
A: My mother taught me to sew when I was young, and I still design some of my own clothes. Using the pinking shears in Wag a Tail was a simple way to distinguish a shaggy, furry dog from a short-haired dog. Look at the last two pages of the book. See what I mean?
I have an abundance of buttons from my grandmother and my mother. I thought I could use buttons for the eyes of humans and dogs. I also used buttons on the vegetables and flowers; young children can use them to count from one to twenty. Again, Im reusing some "good stuff." Readers can do the same thing when they make art. I created this book for my grandniece, Cali; we are beginning to create art together from my "good stuff."
Q: Have you used up all your fabric scraps, or did you tuck a few away for future books? Can you give us a teaser about what those future books might be? Youve just completed a book about dogs....Could one about cats be hovering on the horizon?
A: I hope I never run out of fabric scraps I dont think thats possible. Ive squirreled away a good store of multicolored papers, too. I can only tell you about the book Im working on now, called Oodles of Animals. Oh yes, theres a cat and a dog in it, but also many more animals. Youll have to wait until spring of 2008 to see it. As for future books, Ill just have to keep my eyes (and my brain) open to new ideas. Right now, Im busy watching butterflies and eating fresh strawberries. Thats enough pleasure for me at the moment. My best to you, and happy reading.
Copyright © 2007 Harcourt
Questions written by Deborah Halverson