Scarecrow

by Cynthia Rylant, Lauren Stringer (Illustrator)

Overview

From a Newbery Medal-winning author, a look at life from a scarecrow’s point of view, accompanied by “magnificent” illustrations (School Library Journal).
 
Scarecrows. 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 them? Perhaps more than we realize. Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant’s rich and poignant story, powerfully illustrated by Lauren Stringer, will resonate deeply in the hearts of readers, who just might find themselves seeing the world in a whole new way.
 
“Rylant lyrically imagines the scarecrow as a grateful ‘witness to life,’ while the acrylic paintings evoke a warm, even nostalgic sense of plenty.”—Publishers Weekly 
 
"Rylant uses casual, conversational language with simple elegance and pleasing rhythms.”—School Library Journal
 
“Rylant is in fine form.”—Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780547544526
Publisher:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date:	06/11/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
Lexile:	AD600L (what's this?)
File size:	42 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Cynthia Rylant is a Newbery medalist and the author of many acclaimed books for young people. She's well known for her popular characters for early readers, including Mr. Putter & Tabby and Henry & Mudge. She lives in the Pacific Northwest. www.cynthiarylant.com.

   
LAUREN STRINGER is the award-winning author and illustrator of Winter is the Warmest Season and the illustrator of many other picture books. She lives with her family in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Visit her at www.laurenstringer.com

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Rylant is in fine form . . . and Stringer's big, bold acrylic illustrations do a lovely job of amplifying the text." -Kirkus Reviews

"Rylant uses casual, conversational language with simple elegance and pleasing rhythms. . . . Stringer's acrylic paintings are magnificent." -School Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

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.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

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

School Library Journal

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)

Kirkus Reviews

"Rylant is in fine form . . . and Stringer's big, bold acrylic illustrations do a lovely job of amplifying the text." -Kirkus Reviews

"Rylant uses casual, conversational language with simple elegance and pleasing rhythms. . . . Stringer's acrylic paintings are magnificent." -School Library Journal

—

From the Publisher