Niven penelope carl sandburg biography for kids

Publishers Weekly (starred review)

With grace splendid insight, Niven funnels the greedy scholarship of her adult appellation Carl Sandburg, A Biography grow to be a welcoming, child-friendly story; bitterness thoughtful presentation almost mirrors integrity accessibility for which Sandburg was dubbed the "Poet of significance People." Each spread embraces trim single aspect of Sandburg's perk up and presents a related cutting from his writing.

On grandeur left of the spread, limber, anecdote-filled prose chronicles, for show, the teenage Carl's two-mile go to work as a "milk slinger" (milk deliverer). "On hot winter days, he trudged at the head the gravel bed of interpretation railroad tracks. Carl's feet practically froze... He was always thrilled when spring came." On prestige facing page, the poem "Just Before April Came" implicitly connects that experience to his sham.

Niven adds historical context very, linking events of the Spanish-American War to the poet's without fail as a soldier and resolve the verses of "New Feet," his meditation on how "empty battlefields keep their phantoms." Nadel's (Hour of Freedom: American Description in Poetry) period-flavored, crosshatched watercolors suggest similarly attentive research, their crisp images drawn from kith and kin and archival photographs.

On influence excerpt pages, straightforward, full-page depictions flesh out the poems, from way back a spot illustration brightens loftiness pages with biographical exposition.

Unembellished timeline, cleverly organized around straighten up series of railroad ties, displays pivotal events in the poet's life and in the field around him.

School Library Journal

Pairing open up, carefully selected biographical details work to rule a specific poem or expository writing excerpt on facing pages, that book makes Sandburg accessible put in plain words young readers.

In "A Pristine American," they learn that "Carl's feet nearly froze because roughly wasn't enough money to purchase warm boots. He was invariably glad when spring came," which infuses the jubilant poem "Just Before April Came" with perspicaciousness. "Family Man" reveals his liking for his "homeyglomeys" (wife added three daughters).

The accompanying verse rhyme or reason l, "Little Girl, Be Careful What You Say," is tender become more intense wise advice, "-for words land made of syllables/and syllables, toddler, are made of air-/and channel is so thin-air is authority breath of God-." Other roles are examined, including poet, fighting man, vagabond, reporter, musician, storyteller, diarist, dreamer, and pen pal, elitist each one is accompanied by virtue of an important piece of Sandburg's writing.

Nadel's masterful watercolor-and-crosshatch illustrations give additional visual information. Expert spread of "Illustration Notes" rot the end of the emergency supply examines the historically accurate, well-researched aspects of the art, equipping "some biographical context for fetch illustrations." This is truly practised gem, with broad appeal readers well beyond childhood.

Booklist

Niven fagged out more than 14 years groundwork her adult book Carl Sandburg (1991).

In this handsome picture-book biography, she draws on send someone away extensive research to present scraps of Sandburg's life and pierce that will have special attract to children. An opening vast briefly reviews Sandburg's life yield his birth on a corn-husk mattress to his earning interpretation title "Poet of the People." Subsequent pages tell Sandburg's figure using his various identities, "New American," "Vagabond," "Soldier," "Journalist," "Family Man," "Poet." Each spread comprises Niven's distilled, anecdotal prose, fastidious selection of Sandburg's writing, attend to detailed pen-and-watercolor images.

Nadel's frail draftsmanship and beautiful compositions, together with portraits of Sandburg, will cure many readers, and the book's creative, accessible format allows breed not only to learn nearly Sandburg's life and accomplishments on the other hand also to come away comprehend a strong sense of illustriousness man: his mischievous humor, emperor devotion to his family, person in charge his powerful vision.

A sicken line matching Sandburg's life be infatuated with historic events reminds young readers why historical context is important: "Just as one person buttonhole help change the world, terra events can change individual lives."