Morning, Noon, and Night

George, Jean Craighead

ISBN 10: 0060236299 ISBN 13: 9780060236298

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1999

Synopsis

Celebrate the cycle of the day, as the earth turnes to and then away from the sun, and meet a wide array of animals from America's east coast to the west as they work and rest, eat and play, just as humans do.

Jean Craighead George's lyrical greeting to the day becomes a sweeping panorama of the American countryside with Wendell Minor's evocative, dramatic paintings.

Good morning, the dawn,
when the earth is turning from night to day
and waking begins.

Newbery Medalist Jean Craighead George's lyric greeting to the day celebrates how the earth turns to and then away from the sun. Starting at dawn on the East Coast, then moving to afternoon in the Midwest, and finally evening in the West, young readers will meet a wide array of animals at work, rest, and play as the day progresses across America. With evocative, dramatic paintings by distinguished artist Wendell Minor, this stunning picture book provides a sweeping panorama of the American countryside as well as a remarkable look at how an animal's day parallels our own.

00 Kansas Bill Martin, Jr. Picture Book Award Masterlist

About this title

About the Author:

Jean Craighead George wrote over one hundred books for children and young adults. Her novel Julie of the Wolves won the Newbery Medal in 1973, and she received a 1960 Newbery Honor for My Side of the Mountain. She continued to write acclaimed picture books that celebrate the natural world. Her other books with Wendell Minor include The Wolves Are Back; Luck; Everglades; Arctic Son; Morning, Noon, and Night; and Galapagos George.

Wendell Minor has illustrated numerous award-winning picture books, including Reaching for the Moon by Buzz Aldrin, Galapagos George by Jean Craighead George, and If You Were a Panda Bear by his wife, Florence Minor. Mr. Minor's art has been exhibited at the Norman Rockwell Museum, among other prestigious institutions throughout the country. He lives in rural Connecticut with Florence and their two cats.

From Publishers Weekly:

In precise, lyrical language George celebrates the daily activities of animals from dawn to dusk. When morning comes, "the stork puts down his other foot./ The killdeer stretches her white-striped wings,/ and the cardinal sings,/ 'Good morning, the sun. Cheer, Cheer.' " Concrete details are cradled in language that evokes the turning of the earth from one day to the next, placing the animals' specific activities in a wider context: "The earth has turned from dawn to light/ and work begins./ The lark feeds her nestlings./ The eagle goes hunting..../ and the bees buzz their message, 'Work, Work.' " Minor, previously paired with George for Arctic Son, offers splendid views of the countryside from Maine to the Pacific and back again. His paintings show bats in the Sonora Desert, bison in the Great Plains and Canadian geese in the Rocky Mountains. Not all the creatures George mentions fit into the serenely composed landscapes or appear in the occasional facing silhouettes; on the other hand, some pictured animals are not named in the text (endnotes, however, identify sites and species). The result is a more challenging offering than the usual nature book. Few children will be able to resist George's lullaby of animals or Minor's appealing cover portrait of a raccoon who seems to be just begging for a turn of the page. Ages 3-8. (May)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0060236299
• ISBN 13: 9780060236298
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Minor Wendell