Thank you, world

Alice B. McGinty, 1963-

Book - 2007

Eight children from eight different countries express their thanks for many special things including the sun that colors the sky, breezes that lift kites, clouds that paint cotton pictures and send rain, and sparkling stars that "shine like Mommy's eyes."

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Subjects
Genres
Stories in rhyme
Picture books
Published
New York : Dial Books for Young Readers 2007.
Language
English
Main Author
Alice B. McGinty, 1963- (-)
Other Authors
Wendy Anderson Halperin (illustrator)
Physical Description
unpaged : ill
ISBN
9780803727052
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Illustrator Halperin puts her distinctive stamp on McGinty's heartfelt, secular prayer of gratitude, delivering an attractive volume that families will want to share. As in many of Halperin's picture books, such as Love Is . . . (2001), this one makes use of parallel images: each double-page spread features eight panels, showing different children whose activities relate to the thankful moment cited by the poem. While the rhymes sometimes fall flat, Halperin's softly rubbed pictures, created with layers of crayon, radiate the joyful, warm intentions behind the words. The children's diverse countries of origin identified on endpaper maps, they include Mexico, Mali, Saudi Arabia, and China ensure variety in the places and cultures depicted. In response to the line beginning Thank you, trees, for instance, one child climbs a fig tree, another a baobab, and still another dreams in an elaborate tree fort. Appropriate for Thanksgiving as well as year-round contemplation of the world's many blessings, this affirms the universals that unite children everywhere.--Mattson, Jennifer Copyright 2007 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Idyllically underscoring the universality of childhood, McGinty (Eliza?s Kindergarten Surprise) and Halperin (Nothing to Do) follow eight children from different countries, as they express thankfulness throughout a day. Every two-page spread is divided into eight squares, each dedicated to a child?s homeland, including the U. S., Mexico, Mali, Saudi Arabia, India and China. As McGinty?s lilting, rhymed narrative celebrates things such as trees, clouds or mothers ("Thank you, Mommy, for tucking in my tiptoes and kissing me good night"), the children are seen appreciating that gift-flying kites in the wind, playing in trees, gazing at the moon-often interacting with friends and family. Each passage flows easily into the next: gratitude to clouds, "for painting cotton pictures and sending cool, sweet rain," leads into thanks for the rain "for watering my flowers and washing my windowpane." Halperin?s illustrations (which were partly created using Crayola crayons) give a brief cultural overview of each land, from native flora and fauna to styles of architecture and dress, which may well pique kids? curiosity about foreign lands. The equally gentle verse and art make this most appropriate for bedtime. Ages 4-up. (Oct.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.


Review by School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 3-In this simple celebration, youngsters from different countries enjoy a typical day and readers recognize the commonalities of childhood experiences. The endpapers identify the eight nations-U.S., Mexico, Mali, Saudi Arabia, Bolivia, France, India, and China-each highlighted on an individual globe map bordered with a colored frame. On the following spreads, illustrations depicting scenes from each locale appear with the same color border and position so that readers can follow a particular child throughout his or her day or compare how youngsters in all of the countries engage in similar pursuits. The gentle, uplifting narrative begins each phrase with "Thank you," as the children express their appreciation for special things and happy moments (e.g., the sun, a swing, kites, mothers, etc.). The rhyming text connects images from one spread to the next: "Thank you, grass, for softening my footsteps./I'm dancing with the breeze" is followed by "Thank you, breeze, for lifting up my kite wings/past treetops tall and proud." Attractive pencil-and-crayon drawings complement the story's style and tone. The realistic pictures will keep readers busy examining details of each child's lifestyle and homeland. The book will appeal to their curiosity about other youngsters and will enforce the concept of celebrating similarities and giving thanks for everyday things.-Margaret R. Tassia, Millersville University, PA (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 Kirkus Book Review

On the title page of this marvelously conceived volume, Halperin suggests the pattern to follow, using different patterns or designs to reflect the eight featured countries: the United States, Mexico, Bolivia, France, Mali, Saudi Arabia, India and China. On the endpapers she puts eight globes, each with one country highlighted on its surface. On each spread, she offers eight boxed images reflecting for those locales the line of poetry given. The verse itself follows morning to bedtime simply and somewhat clumsily: "Thank you, sun, for waking up the morning and coloring the sky. / Thank you, sky, for shining blue that calls me to touch you, swinging high." Each line carries a noun from the previous line: The swing connects to grass, grass to breeze, breeze to trees, etc. What captures the heart and the attention are Halperin's wonderful pictures, made with crayons over pencil drawings in her signature luminous style. So children are flying kites from a Paris park to an Indian market and their windows at twilight look out from a Mali thatched dwelling to a Mexican stucco home. The dedication suggests how to say thank you in each language. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.