Hana in the Time of the Tulips - Softcover

Noyes, Deborah

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0763641316 ISBN 13: 9780763641313

Publisher: Candlewick, 2009

Synopsis

"Children (and adults) will thrill to the beauty of the pictures and the tender
concern of a child for her father." — Kirkus Reviews

Hana and her father used to love to walk in the garden and play their favorite game. But ever since tulip fever struck Holland, Hana’s father has been consumed by greed, and now he is too busy even to kiss her good night. It is up to Hana — with some help from a special family friend — to find a way to remind her father of what’s truly valuable. With stunning art reminiscent of Rembrandt, this tender tale illuminates the enduring love between father and child.

About this title

About the Author:

Deborah Noyes writes for children and adults. Of HANA IN THE TIME OF THE TULIPS, she says, "I'm fascinated by the seventeenth century in general, but just before I wrote this story, I was reading a lot of adult fiction and nonfiction about tulipomania, and I started to wonder how the phenomenon might have looked from a child's-eye view. Children have always witnessed history in the making, even if they weren't often invited to comment on it."

Bagram Ibatoulline was born in Russia, graduated from the State Academic Institute of Arts in Moscow, and has worked in the fields of fine arts, graphic arts, mural design, and textile design. He illustrated CROSSING by Philip Booth, THE NIGHTINGALE by Hans Christian Andersen as retold by Stephen Mitchell, and THE ANIMAL HEDGE by Paul Fleischman. He says, "I have always been a great admirer of Dutch and Flemish paintings, so when I was asked to illustrate HANA IN THE TIME OF THE TULIPS, I was absolutely delighted. It was my chance to dive into the story and study the period more closely — enabling me to match the style and tone of the Dutch masters."

From School Library Journal:

Grade 2-5–It is the time of the tulips, and little Hana misses the attention previously given to her by her now much-distracted, dejected, tulipomaniac father. These days, he is interested only in wealth and trade, bulbs and business; Hana and her dog are banished from the North Garden where Papa's flowers, which once brought pleasure, grow. Noyes's unaffected child's-eye view of the baffling turn of events that drove Holland's economy to collapse focuses on family and on the innocent concern of a child for her father: he is sad, and her simple and fondest wish is to make him smile again. The illustrations are a haunting homage to Rembrandt, who has a peripheral role in the story and whose art typifies the day. Ibatoulline's paintings demonstrate the flexibility of his acrylic-gouache work, which so perfectly mimics Rembrandt's oils, inks, and bistre washes, and which deftly incorporates the chiaroscuro that was central to the master's work. Endpaper scapes of the cottages and canals he loved so well effect an instant time-slip, and the rich, atmospheric portrait work is eloquent. This introduction to a curious time and curious events includes a brief author's note that offers more concrete information on the tulipomania that seized 17th-century Holland (albeit for an older audience), and it functions as a fine vehicle for Ibatoulline's talents. Perhaps a bit esoteric for the elementary school set, but beautiful, nonetheless.–Kathy Krasniewicz, Perrot Library, Old Greenwich, CT
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About this edition

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0763641316
• ISBN 13: 9780763641313
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Ibatoulline Bagram