Synopses & Reviews
A charming picture book from two celebrated masters of children's literature. This lyric poem by one of the most revered children's writers captures those faint glimpses of things that you see but don't quite recognize; sounds you can almost hear; smells, tastes, and feelings that you can't quite name. Each line of the poem and each picture in the book depict the sensual essence of a child's day, each of which is totally typical yet thoroughly unique.
Review
"What leaves bubbles of water and air on a lily pond? What leaves a path across the sand to the sea? What leaves shadows on the ground? ... These questions and more are raised and answered in this quiet exploration of the traces different creatures and things leave as they pass on their way ... Kuskin's watercolor-and-collage illustrations brilliantly follow bubbles, tails, footprints, and shadows across double-page spreads tracking clues left by the not-quite-invisible passage of someone or something. A fascinating look at an overlooked part of nature."--Kirkus Reviews
Review
"A fascinating look at an overlooked part of nature." --Kirkus Reviews
Review
"The illustrations are elegant, decorative, and vivid. . . . Use this as a bridge between April Pulley Sayre and Joyce Sidman, or just to encourage language arts students to explore their own views of traces." --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Review
* "Paula Fox once again demonstrates her mastery of the vivid art of the written word. Traces is a wonderful resource that encourages quiet moments of one-on-one reading, group storytelling, and classroom study of effective writing." --Library Media Connection, starred review
About the Author
Paula Fox was born in New York City. She began writing books for children in the 1960s and by 1978 her contribution to children's literature was such that the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) awarded her the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, a biennial award for an author's entire body of work. Two of her most famous books for children are
The Slave Dancer (a Newbery Medal Winner) and
One-Eyed Cat (a Newbery Honor Book). She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Karla Kuskin studied graphic design at Yale University, where she created her first children's book, Roar and More, which is still in print. Since then, she has written and illustrated over fifty books, among them The Philharmonic Gets Dressed; Dogs and Dragons, Trees and Dreams; City Dogs; and Moon, Have You Met My Mother? She won the National Council of Teachers of English Award for Poetry for Children and was the first recipient of Bank Street College of Education's lifetime achievement award. She lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington.