The Man Who Walked the Earth

Rating:
Summary: good story concept, so so illustrations
Review: Another simply told tale from Ian Wallace. His text is spare, straightforward, and compelling. The illustrations, like so many of his, are evocative of place and time, with enough detail to make us feel the homeliness of the house and its inhabitants. The warmth of lamplight spills into each scene, guarding us and the characters of brother and sister and mother against the harsh cold of the out of doors, really of the world. The arrival of the stranger out of the cold, his magic tricks, his presentation of gifts, and his departure happen so fluidly that we, too, are caught up in the surprise and delight of his visit. The best of his gifts brings this story to its close, and we want to read it again to recapture the magic.

Rating:
Summary: a wonderful Christmas fable
Review: Another simply told tale from Ian Wallace. His text is spare, straightforward, and compelling. The illustrations, like so many of his, are evocative of place and time, with enough detail to make us feel the homeliness of the house and its inhabitants. The warmth of lamplight spills into each scene, guarding us and the characters of brother and sister and mother against the harsh cold of the out of doors, really of the world. The arrival of the stranger out of the cold, his magic tricks, his presentation of gifts, and his departure happen so fluidly that we, too, are caught up in the surprise and delight of his visit. The best of his gifts brings this story to its close, and we want to read it again to recapture the magic.

Rating:
Summary: story was interesting, illustration was so so
Review: The story is fairly exciting, but I thought the illustrations
were "off" and a bit flat and dull. From the title, I was expecting more details of where the man had been.

It's worth checking out at the library, but there are better
picture books to spend your money on.