Review by Booklist Review
Kerley and Fotheringham are known for their upbeat picture books about famous historical figures. This work about Ralph Waldo Emerson someone who is probably not known to many children is a tale of deep love for his home and community in Concord, Massachusetts. After a fire destroys Emerson's house, neighbors rally around him, returning some of the generosity and affection received from his family over the years. This has the same format and style of Kerley and Fotheringham's earlier works, with colorful illustrations featuring cartoon-style figures in a pleasing, open layout. The brief text focuses on the story of Emerson's community life and doesn't bother much with why he was famous, which works well for the storytelling even as it may leave some readers wondering just who he was. Some of his famous quotes are placed in the endpapers and woven into the story. Back matter includes a helpful author's note and a page of suggestions to encourage readers to examine their own lives and values.--Enos, Randall Copyright 2014 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The team behind What to Do About Alice?, The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy), and Those Rebels, John & Tom continue their tradition of excellent and exuberant studies of historical figures with a theatrical story about writer Ralph Waldo Emerson's relationship with his beloved Concord, Mass., home and community. Fotheringham pours visual variety onto the pages: in one image, Emerson contentedly reads while encircled by a whirlwind of books; on an especially powerful wordless spread, Emerson stands in shadow before the burning ruins of his estate, which caught fire in 1872. Well-sourced quotations appear throughout the story (and fill the endpapers), both contextualizing Emerson's life and standing as testament to the value of an open mind and a generous heart. Appended materials offer additional details about Emerson and encourage readers to "choose the life you create for yourself," as he did. Ages 8-12. Illustrator's agent: Pat Hackett. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-This introduction to the life of Ralph Waldo Emerson will help readers begin to understand the thoughts and values of this great American thinker. Emerson grows up in Boston, but yearns to make a life closer to nature where he can surround himself with books and friends. He finds a perfect home in Concord, Massachusetts, where he and his wife raise a family. Emerson eagerly becomes a part of the community, even playing the role of hog reeve, gathering up the town's runaway pigs. After collecting his thoughts in journals, Emerson begins traveling across the country to lecture, attracting visitors from around the world to his doorstep. A house fire later in his life devastates Emerson, but allows the town to demonstrate their affection for him as they rebuild his home. Emerson, who is likely little known to younger students, is brought to life in an approachable biography. The colorful depictions of Emerson are warm, cheerful, and full of movement. Children will love the cartoonlike illustrations that make Emerson seem like a superhero as he dives into oversized books and flies through the sky on another giant tome. Quotes from his writings are liberally used to illuminate moments of his life, allowing readers to get to know the man through his own words. The author's note provides further information about Emerson and his philosophy of thought. An eye-catching, kid-friendly biography that is a wonderful addition to any collection.-Marian McLeod, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich, CT (c) Copyright 2014. 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 Kirkus Book Review
The team behind creative picture-book biographies The Extraordinary Mark Twain (2010) and What To Do About Alice? (2008) turns its attention to 19th-century American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emersonian quotations adorn the pages and endpapers ("Every spirit builds a house, and beyond its house a world.Build therefore your own world"), but the philosopher's ideas and historical context are not the focus of this visually dynamic biography. Instead, this is largely the story of a natural scholar who loves his cozy home in Concord, Mass., so much that when it is damaged in a terrible fire, he mourns it like the death of a person. The illustrations--prancing across oversized pages--are cheery, inventive, bright and busy, depicting a contented-looking man in coat and tails basking in the magnificence of life. In bold and whimsical spreads, Emerson literally dives into books, strides across a U.S. map and, most dramatically, looms as a silhouette amid the flaming ruins of his beloved house. It's hard to say whether this tale will inspire children to further investigation into the philosopher's life and work, but the author's note does help round out the portrait, including Emerson's friendships with Henry David Thoreau and Louisa May Alcott. A small, inviting window into the life of Ralph Waldo Emerson and an inspiring tribute to a life's dream realized. (author's note, philosophical prompts, source notes, acknowledgments) (Picture book/biography. 8-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
