Harris Finds His Feet

by Catherine Rayner, Catherine Rayner (Illustrator)

Overview

A beautiful story of a child's journey to independence.

Grandpa shows Harris how to hop high into the sky, to climb to the tops of the mountains, and to run very fast. Harris not only learns about the world around him but also the importance of finding his own feet...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781680105964
Publisher:	Tiger Tales.
Publication date:	02/04/2020
Pages:	24
Sales rank:	492,265
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 7.20(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	AD560L (what's this?)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Author and illustrator Catherine Rayner grew up in the country in West Yorkshire. She has drawn animals ever since she could hold a pencil and her first pictures usually featured their family dog; a miniature dachshund named Wilfred. Catherine's love of drawing never faded and after school she moved to Scotland to study Illustration at Edinburgh College of Art. She fell in love with the city and still lives there with her husband, two young sons, and a handful of creatures including Shannon the horse, Ena the gray cat, and a guinea pig.

Author and illustrator Catherine Rayner grew up in the country in West Yorkshire. She has drawn animals ever since she could hold a pencil and her first pictures usually featured their family dog; a miniature dachshund named Wilfred. Catherine's love of drawing never faded and after school she moved to Scotland to study Illustration at Edinburgh College of Art. She fell in love with the city and still lives there with her husband, two young sons, and a handful of creatures including Shannon the horse, Ena the gray cat, and a guinea pig.

Editorial Reviews

PreS-Gr 1

Harris asks his granddad why he has such enormous feet, and the whiskery old hare takes him on a series of adventures that show the youngster what he can do with them. Their outing includes joyous hopping "to the top of the world," contented digging, and life-preserving running (from a wolf in the distance), and end when worn-out Grandad leaves Harris to go forth on his own. The tale, told completely in spreads with one short block of text to each one, suffers from a lack of momentum, narrative tension, and a satisfying conclusion. Also, the absence of detail in either foreground or background art, suggesting to some the openness of the countryside, may give others the impression of wasted space. The screen print, watercolor, and ink illustrations, though lovely and evocative, don't do enough to make up for what the writing leaves out. Rayner's Augustus and His Smile (Good Bks., 2006) gives children a glimpse of this artist and illustrator's vast talent.-Lisa Egly Lehmuller, St. Patrick's Catholic School, Charlotte, NC

School Library Journal

A grandfather hare takes a frisky youngster on an odyssey of (self-)discovery. Sitting in a grassy field, brown Harris the hare bemoans his enormous feet. His gray Granddad appears, seemingly out of thin air and, hopping high in the sky, offers to show Harris why his feet are so large. Abruptly, they're off on a long-distance journey. Across a brown desert, through a green plain, staring up at the sky where a skein of birds is flying and lying in the tall grass listening to the insects, Granddad teaches him how to explore the world, and to love it. His big feet are his passport. Then, "It's your turn to run," says Granddad, leaving as quickly as he came. Rayner's text is minimal and poetic; her watercolors are both beautiful and quirky, with warm colors and offbeat perspectives that emphasize Harris's prodigious feet. A lovely lesson delivered with a deft touch. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews