Review by Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 2. When this lovely, serene African Earth Mother blows across the mesas of the sage-covered deserts, she becomes the wind beneath a hawk's wings. She gives beetles shiny jackets and guides sunbirds to nectar-filled blossoms. In other words, she is the real thing. In an amusing three-part sequence, Man complains to Earth Mother: Frog is very good eating, he says, but Mosquito is annoying. An Earth with no Mosquito, he thinks, would surely be perfect. Earth Mother listens patiently, but her eyes express her true response! Later, Frog feels free to file a complaint. He loves tasty Mosquito, but Man? He is a dangerous predator. The third complainer, Mosquito, fears Frog but is grateful for Man's blood. At day's end, Earth Mother smilingly ignores them all and bids goodnight to her children of all species: And the world, in its own way, was perfect. The Dillons' watercolor-and-colored-pencil illustrations, filled with geometric patterns, are magical; each is soft and elegant and as artfully composed as an art nouveau poster. A large, flowering plant stalk overlays each bordered frame, further emphasizing the vitality of nature so well captured in this quietly funny, well-told tale. --Karin Snelson Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A spare text and stunning artwork introduce Earth Mother, an elegant African-American woman dressed in intricately patterned robes, who keeps watch over all creation. After awakening with the dawn, she "walked across the land singing a morning song [and] placed a piece of summer in a flower's seed." For her purposeful wanderings in the African savannah, she wears "a robe fringed with falling rain," and the Dillons portray her replenishing the dry land with water. Later, they paint her Zeus-like, hurling thunderbolts from a mountain peak. In her travels, she encounters three beings who reveal nature's cycle in a kind of refrain. Man thanks Earth Mother for the frogs he catches for breakfast but complains of the mosquito's bites ("If there were more frogs and no mosquitoes... this world would be perfect"); a frog, grateful for the mosquitoes that fill his belly, grumbles about Man (without whom "this world would be perfect"); and a mosquito fears the frog but is grateful for Man, on whom she feasts. For each, the square framed paintings depict Earth Mother listening patiently; finally she bids good night to "her children everywhere.... And the world, in its own way, was perfect." Rendered in watercolor and colored pencils and featuring an effectively muted palette, the Dillons' illustrations capture the spiritual aura of Jackson's graceful words. Large-scale images of flora native to the habitats flank the depictions of Earth Mother's activities, further underscoring nature's bounty and beauty. Ages 3-7. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3-Who is Earth Mother? There is no definition or description but she appears to be a form of Mother Nature, blessing and talking to all of the animals on Earth (including Man), tending the plants, bringing the snow and ice to northern climes, and touching the cycle of life. Depicted as a young African-American woman, Earth Mother is serene and gentle, passing through her day and making everyone aware that all is exactly the way it should be. Unfortunately, the text is dry and static: "`You are kind to me, Earth Mother,' said Man. `You have sent Frog to fill my belly and I am grateful.'" Nothing much happens: Man complains that Mosquito bites him, Frog complains that Man eats him, and Mosquito complains that Frog eats him. The magnificent illustrations are classic Leo and Diane Dillon, with a palette dominated by browns, greens, blues, and other earth tones. Soft and elegant, they beg for a brighter text. Still, reading it a few times helps readers realize the book's calming effect. In today's crazy world, an example of things following a routine with soft, caring people and animals is not a bad thing. The art is worth much more than the cover price, and teachers and parents will find a way to use this story.-Susan Lissim, Dwight School, New York City (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
An afro-coiffed Earth Mother communes with nature: elements, plants, and creatures. She hears the creatures' praise and grievances with equal grace, and it is through their conversation that the food chain is revealed. The muted watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations evoke a tranquil mood and reflect the gentle flow of the text. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A wry and cosmic look at the interdependence of all things, wonderfully illustrated by the inimitable Dillons. Earth Mother arises, sings a morning song and does her work: hanging green acorns on the trees; putting summer inside a flower seed; sending forth lightning and snow. She meets Man by the river, who thanks her for the delicious frogs that ease his hunger. But why, asks Man, does she torment him with "wretched Mosquito?" When Earth Mother encounters Frog, he thanks her for Mosquito, who fills his belly, and castigates Man, who catches and eats frogs. As she continues to the ocean depths and meadows, she meets Mosquito, who is grateful for Man, "tender and delicious," and wishes there were no more frogs. Each watercolor-and-colored pencil image has its frame broken by a plant that springs from the bottom of the page: thistle, lily, lotus, rose. Mother Earth's garments are a gown the color of rich earth and an ever-changing tunic with patterns of cloud or leaf or starfish or peacock feather or African kente cloth. Curvilinear and geometric patterns shape the illustrations as Earth Mother moves from the savannah to the snows, from falling rain to falling fireflies. Beautiful and satisfying; its own teachable moment. (Picture book. 4-9) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
