Description
Geraldo Valerio looks at the nature of true friendship and love in a stunning new wordless picture book.
On a dull gray day, a boy puts his dog on a leash and they walk to a shimmering pond where snowy white swans swim freely. One of the swans invites the boy and dog for a ride. They climb on its back and sail into a stunningly beautiful landscape, dotted with wildflowers, spoonbills and ibises. Foxes, rabbits and deer appear in this paradise, then butterflies and even bigger, more beautiful flowers. The boy unleashes his dog on shore, and the dog bounds off to play.
Now the boy wraps his arms around the swan's neck - he has a new friend. But when he puts the leash on the swan, the sky turns stormy gray, the water becomes turbulent, and the other swans fly away. Both the boy and swan are miserable, until the boy realizes he must free his friend. When he drops the leash into the pond, warm color fills their world and they return to where the boy's dog happily awaits him.
Geraldo Valerio, a master of wordless picture books, explores the nature of true friendship and love in his newest creation.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.7
Explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting)
REVIEW COPIES:
- Publishers Weekly
- School Library Journal
- Booklist
- Kirkus Reviews
- Horn Book
About the Author
GERALDO VALERIO was born in Brazil, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Drawing, followed by a Master of Arts at New York University. His books, which frequently receive starred reviews, include Two Green Birds, My Book of Butterflies, At the Pond (Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award honor book), Blue Rider, Turn On the Night and Night Runners. His work has been published in Canada, the US, Brazil, Portugal, France, the UK and China. Geraldo lives in Toronto, Ontario.
Reviews
Valerio uses simple crayon illustrations that clearly convey the message of the book about friendship and freedom.
* Vancouver Writers Fest *Awards
Winner of A Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year 2021 (United States). Commended for New York Public Library Best Books for Kids 2020 (United States) and Booklist Top 10 Wordless Picture Books of the Year 2019 (United States) and Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award Honourable Mention 2020 (Canada).
Book Information
ISBN 9781773062327
Author Geraldo Valerio
Format Hardback
Page Count 48
Imprint Groundwood Books Ltd ,Canada
Publisher Groundwood Books Ltd ,Canada
Weight(grams) 539g
