jbojkov's review against another edition
Nice, sweet story with soft, detailed pictures. Good for 3-5s, but a smaller group.
antlersantlers's review against another edition
4.0
As a librarian I don't really have any good applications for this in a storytime. But as a bedtime story I think it is really sweet. The illustrations overall are ok, but the really winning part is the strip at the bottom of every page depicting the two houses separated by the ocean. The way the story bridges those two places is really lovely.
corncobwebs's review against another edition
9780544582590
Popularity/appeal rating: 3
Quality rating: 4
In a one-sentence nutshell:
The larger illustration on the top of the page shows the close-up view of what's going on; the smaller illustration at the bottom shows the big picture. The "big picture" illustration shows that children on both sides of the ocean experience the same things, like the crickets chirping. This would be a good book for introducing ideas of tolerance and acceptance, because it shows that we're not so different - no matter where we live.
Popularity/appeal rating: 3
Quality rating: 4
In a one-sentence nutshell:
The larger illustration on the top of the page shows the close-up view of what's going on; the smaller illustration at the bottom shows the big picture. The "big picture" illustration shows that children on both sides of the ocean experience the same things, like the crickets chirping. This would be a good book for introducing ideas of tolerance and acceptance, because it shows that we're not so different - no matter where we live.
crowyhead's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book so much! The story is gentle and sleepy-making, and the pictures offer lots of opportunity for discussion, especially with the bottom bar showing the progress of the sun from one continent to another. I particularly love it because the setting is so similar to where we live now.
kristinajean's review against another edition
3.0
A sweet bedtime story following the animals and the wind across the ocean.
This is a well-designed picturebook linking two children across the world by the wind and the cricket song. The watercolor and pen & ink illustrations are soft and elicit lullabies and images of sweet dreams. Soothing and sweet, this story might not be original in content or approach, but it definitely sings a sweet song.
This is a well-designed picturebook linking two children across the world by the wind and the cricket song. The watercolor and pen & ink illustrations are soft and elicit lullabies and images of sweet dreams. Soothing and sweet, this story might not be original in content or approach, but it definitely sings a sweet song.
spellingbat's review against another edition
5.0
The colors immerse the viewer in the natural world, while the gently sloping curves of everything from hills to curtains to blades of grass to waves and water movement sighs of comfort and connection to the people, places, and animals around you. Perfect for a bedtime story.
One minor quibble - the last pages show a child on the coast near a volcano sleeping with the moon bright in the sky, but the lower bar shows the sky still quite light even though it's obviously dusk. Based on the size of the child it seems early for bedtime, which distracted me from the relatively seamless timeline of the rest of the book. Little things.
6 skills - narrative skills for storytelling arc and vocabulary (mingles, footfall, scent, drifting, rumble)
One minor quibble - the last pages show a child on the coast near a volcano sleeping with the moon bright in the sky, but the lower bar shows the sky still quite light even though it's obviously dusk. Based on the size of the child it seems early for bedtime, which distracted me from the relatively seamless timeline of the rest of the book. Little things.
6 skills - narrative skills for storytelling arc and vocabulary (mingles, footfall, scent, drifting, rumble)
jmshirtz's review against another edition
5.0
I've never seen a picture book that does this before! This book appears to be a perfectly normal picture book about the song of crickets drifting on the wind from one child's ears to another, BUT it isn't. Along the bottom of two-page spread is the entire setting of the book moving forward in time with each page turn as the sun sets. I've never seen this done before, and I LOVE IT. Not only does it offer a complete view of the story, but it gives additional details as well. Beautiful illustrations don't hurt either.
cweichel's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful illustrations combined with lovely text brings two different children from across the ocean together.
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