The dazzling cut-paper artistry of Caldecott medalist David Wisniewski combines with Andrew Clements's free-verse celebration of woodworking tools to tell the story of a surprise in the making. The evocative description of each workshop tool-ruler, axe, saw, hammer, and the rest-is accompanied by a vivid, dramatically composed illustration showing how it is used in the step-by-step construction of an ornate, old-fashioned carousel. An eager young apprentice assists one craftsman after another as the project takes shape and is rewarded with a toolbox of his won. Young wood-working enthusiasts will enjoy the affectionate and knowledgeable portraits of familiar tools as well as an acclaimed artist's vision of the magic simple tools can do.
About the Author
Andrew Clements
Andrew Clements is the author of picture books and novels for young readers, including Because Your Daddy Loves You and the perennial bestseller Frindle. He lives in Baldwin, Maine, and can also be found at www.andrewclements.com.
David Wisniewski
David Wisniewski (wiz-NESS-key) was born in Middlesex, England, in 1953. After training at Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, he spent three years as a clown, designing and constructing his own props, costumes, and gags. He was subsequently hired by his future wife, Donna, as a performer with a traveling puppet theatre. Married six months later, the Wisniewskis started their own troupe, Clarion Shadow Theatre, specializing in shadow puppetry. In the course of creating the plays, puppets, and projected scenery, Mr. Wisniewski evolved the storytelling techniques and art skills that eventually led to his picture books with their unique cut-paper illustrations. His retelling of GOLEM was awarded the 1997 Caldecott Medal. David Wisniewski died in 2002 in the Maryland home he shared with his wife and two children.
Excerpts
Reviews
"unusual, highly imaginative book...A book whose information is balanced by its beauty." Booklist, ALA
Handsomely illustrated with cut-paper art by Wisniewski (The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups, 1998, etc.), this homage to tools from Clements (Frindle, 1996, etc.) conveys a sense of their beauty and mystery. The making of an old-fashioned carousel is the never-mentioned, ever-present event as a baker's dozen of toolsruler, saw, grinder, screwdriver, wrench, etc.and the toolbox are introduced in a few lines each, one to each spread. The clipped text evokes not just the attributes of the toolthat the wrench wrestles with its work, that the axe finds the board that hides in the logbut a hint, if fanciful, of their character: drills are patient, rulers know, knives are edgy, the toolbox remembers. The text is occasionally staccato (``Toolbox carries tools home. Workshop is home'') but mostly has a good poetic pulse. The illustrations are pure entertainment, slowly revealing that the workmen and apprentice are using their fine old tools to put together a turn-of-the-century carousel.
Kirkus Reviews
"Balance, the center of any craft or spiritual practice, is the soul of this concise and beautifully designed book." Publishers Weekly, Starred