Shadow

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Summary: shadow
Review: I found this book to be very very weird. It about how a shadow lives and acts. How its around you at all times. How it reacts to the world. Its interesting to read. The book reflects African Culture. So read it

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Summary: Don't try sewing it on with soap
Review: If you want to watch the progression of an artist, just take a gander at the life and accomplishments of the author/illustrator Marcia Brown. The winner of at least three, count 'em, three Caldecott awards, Ms. Brown began her career with lovely but simple picture books. As her work progressed and her talents extended, she moved outside of her comfort zone and began to take bigger and better risks. As a result, "Shadow" was published in 1982, won the 1983 Caldecott, and remains her best work today. A translation of a French poem by the author Blaise Cendrars, the book is a stunning amalgamation of lyrical text, fabulous illustrations, and jaw dropping metaphors.

Before I describe the book, I want to make something clear. This book is meant to entrance. If you have a child that is comfortable reading (or being read) a story about shadows and our own shadowy natures, this is an ideal tale. If, however, you have a literal minded child that doesn't particularly take to stories that lack plots, avoid "Shadow". In this tale the very nature of our darker sides is explored. Marcia Brown, using her customary woodcut techniques, takes us to different parts of Africa. Here, we see scenes that compliment the text. The book describes Shadow with the enigmatic line, "The eye has no shadow". We follow the tale through the nighttime, as Shadow slides behind storytellers and watches you as you sleep. Equally trickster and companion, Shadow is always dark but it does not kill. Blind, it cannot see but will pull the eagle and the vulture if they try to raise it. The final lines in the poem think deeply about the nature of shadows. "Every breath stirs it to life. It is a game. A dance".

Equally prone to statements like, "Shadow itself has no shadow" and "It follows man everywhere, even to war", the book is tackling a very serious subject in a colorful picture book form. And remarkably, it works. The text is translated by Marcia Brown herself (is there anything she can't do?) and is a deep thoughtful series of images. Matching the tone are some of Brown's darkest images yet. There are some freakin' scary images here. The shot of the blind shadow kneeling and stretching its arms out towards the viewer... that's frightening stuff. There's also an image of a mask with deep jagged teeth that, though awesome in the best sense of the word, is a bit of a shock. The images of Africa featured here are done respectfully and with a great deal of talent. Who can resist the silhouetted shot of a forest against the multi-colored sky of the setting sun? In the foreground a black snake with red diamonds curls down a tree trunk. Using watercolored papers and woodblock human characters I can't even begin to describe the technical expertise that must have gone into this book's production. Needless to say, it works beautifully. You feel the grassy plains where the animals run. You can almost touch the stone mountains and rough paths that lead people to war.

Some picture books are written solely to distract children for a few minutes time. Others hope to be taken a little more seriously and bring deep questions to mind. Then there are books like, "Shadow" that become art itself. The book should have won the Caldecott based on its use of color alone. It's a gorgeous undertaking that will engross and enrapture even the most tentative reader. Consider it highly recommended.

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Summary: Gorgeous artwork and imagery
Review: This book explores the life of the shadow through lush poetry and evocative illustration. For those who didn't understand the book, it is an exploration of the underside, the dark side, THE SHADOW of life. We all have a shadow as does the world itself. A ying for every yang. My 10 year explained this to me. She understood the book, and LOVED the pictures. ONE NOTE: Artwork might be a little scary for a child under 5.

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Summary: a good book for folk lore
Review: This children's book is a translation of a poem ("La Feticheuse") by the French poet Blaise Cendrars (1887-1961) about shadows. The poem is based on African folklore and on Shadow, a figure who "lives in the margins of belief and the past" and between light and dark. The book won the 1983 Caldecott Medal for best illustrations in a children's book.