Scarecrow

( 1 )

Overview

The world becomes an extraordinary place when viewed through the eyes of a scarecrow.
They perch high above gardens and fields, with borrowed coats and button eyes and pie-pan hands that glint in the sun. What else is there to know about scarecrows? Perhaps more than we realize. . . .

Although made of straw and borrowed clothes, a scarecrow appreciates his peaceful, gentle life and the privilege ...

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More About This Book

Overview

The world becomes an extraordinary place when viewed through the eyes of a scarecrow.
They perch high above gardens and fields, with borrowed coats and button eyes and pie-pan hands that glint in the sun. What else is there to know about scarecrows? Perhaps more than we realize. . . .

Although made of straw and borrowed clothes, a scarecrow appreciates his peaceful, gentle life and the privilege of watching nature at work.

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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
According to PW, "Newbery Medalist Rylant lyrically imagines the scarecrow as a grateful `witness to life,' while the acrylic paintings evoke a warm, even nostalgic sense of plenty." Ages 6-9. (Apr.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Children's Literature - Trina Heidt
Very few people understand the life of a scarecrow and to a scarecrow that is probably just as well. Even though he is made of borrowed parts, the scarecrow has a life many would envy. Able to see the constancy of, as well as the ever changing, seasons and days and life around him like no one else, the scarecrow develops a trusting, intimate relationship with his world. The warm, earthy illustrations of Lauren Stringer are a perfect match to Cynthia Rylant's peaceful, touching tale of the unique and somewhat enviable life of a scarecrow.
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2More meditation than story, this picture book examines what one might call the essence of the scarecrow. It's an appreciation of silence, of patience, and of the beauty and changeable quality of the natural world. Rylant uses casual, conversational language with simple elegance and pleasing rhythms: "His hat is borrowed, his suit is borrowed, his hands are borrowed, even his head is borrowed. And his eyes probably came out of someone's drawer." An occasional tendency toward vagueness is evident as well; e.g., "It takes a certain peace, hanging around a garden" is followed some pages later by, "There is a certain wonder going on around him." Stringer's acrylic paintings are magnificent, with color and light as beautiful as those found in the type of bucolic world depicted here. The scarecrow is seen from above, behind, below, and every which way. These dynamic perspectives make an interesting contrast to his unwavering, peaceful expression. Overall, this is a lovely, gentle book that may appeal more to sentimental adults than to children.Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
Kirkus Reviews
A scarecrow with a friendliness toward birds takes the long view on what constitutes a satisfying experience. His physical construction is borrowed bits and pieces, a hat here, a suit there, button eyes out of someone's drawer. But he is more than the sum of his parts: He possesses a peace and wisdom born of quiet observation. He sees seeds that transform into giant sunflowers and mammoth pumpkins, and takes in the sun and the moon, owls in the evening, and rabbits at dawn. Birds keep him company as he watches the passage of the seasons, and as he watches a girl, preparing, planting, tending, and harvesting her bountiful garden. Rylant (The Islander, p. 200, etc.) is in fine form with her lyrical, understated prose, and Stringer's big, bold acrylic illustrations do a lovely job of amplifying the text, bringing in the child who is not directly mentioned. The art captures the scarecrow's point of view, from the sweeping panorama of rolling hills and wide sky, to the close-up details: a morning glory twining around his feet and a mouse building a nest in his hat. (Picture book. 6-12)
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780152024802
  • Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • Publication date: 4/28/2001
  • Edition description: Reprint
  • Pages: 32
  • Sales rank: 76,152
  • Age range: 6 - 9 Years
  • Product dimensions: 8.50 (w) x 11.10 (h) x 0.11 (d)

Meet the Author

CYNTHIA RYLANT lives on an island in Puget Sound, Washington.

LAUREN STRINGER lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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Customer Reviews

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    Posted September 25, 2012

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