And if the Moon Could Talk
Kate Banks, , illus. by Georg Hallensleben. . FSG/Sunburst, $5.95 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-374-43558-5
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Reviewed on: 10/10/2005
Genre: Children's
Hardcover - 1 pages - 978-0-374-30299-3
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- A GIFT FROM THE SEAKate BanksIn this disarming reflection on permanence, the creators of And If the Moon Could Talk find the sublime in an ordinary stone. They begin in the present, as a Continue reading »
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- DILLON DILLONKate BanksThe title character of Banks's (The Night Worker) somewhat mannered first novel cannot understand how his "smart" and "nice" parents could Continue reading »
- MAMA'S COMING HOMEKate BanksThis window into the parallel domestic and working worlds of two busy parents provides an upbeat look at contemporary life. As Mama closes up her pet shop and makes her way home through the hectic Continue reading »
- THE BIRD, THE MONKEY, AND THE SNAKE IN THE JUNGLEKate BanksThree unlikely animals share the same tree as their jungle home until, as a group, they set out to separate. In a starred review, PW called this rebus-style Continue reading »
- WALK SOFTLY, RACHELKate BanksBanks's (Dillon, Dillon) mesmerizing prose draws readers into the world of 14-year-old Rachel as she struggles to understand the repercussions of a family Continue reading »
- THE CAT WHO WALKED ACROSS FRANCEKate BanksIn this sympathetic tale, a dislocated gray cat migrates from Rouen to St.-Tropez. (A back-cover map of France shows the traveler's zigzag itinerary.) Originally, the cat lives in southern Continue reading »
- BABOONKate Banks"A naïve young baboon, just discovering his world, extrapolates from every encounter in this quasi-metaphysical tale," said PW . "The expansive, Continue reading »
- DILLON DILLONKate BanksWhen the title character wonders how his parents could have given him a first name that is the same as his last, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery. PW Continue reading »
- The Great Blue HouseKate BanksIn books such as The Night Worker and The Cat Who Walked Across France , Banks and Hallensleben draw attention to small Continue reading »
- Max's WordsKate BanksBoth clever and funny, Banks's (And if the Moon Could Talk ) inventive picture book features literal and rambunctious word play. Max's brothers, Benjamin Continue reading »
- FoxKate BanksFrequent collaborators Banks and Hallensleben compose an appealing, idealized story of a young fox eager for independence. As the seasons shift, the kit's watchful parents teach him how to Continue reading »
- Lenny’s SpaceKate BanksThis exceptional portrait starts out like a variation on Louis Sachar’s inimitable There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom : the protagonist, Continue reading »
- What's Coming for Christmas?Kate BanksThe smudgy lines of Hallensleben's soft-focus acrylics capture the tranquillity of a snowy day in a semirural setting, while Banks's text reads like a lullaby, as “something” Continue reading »
- The EraserheadsKate BanksBanks and Kulikov's (Max's Words ) latest collaboration stars three plucky pencil-top erasers—a green crocodile, blue owl, and pink pig—who Continue reading »
- And If the Moon Could TalkKate BanksWith quiet phrases and luxurious color, Banks and Hallensleben (Baboon) evoke a perfectly peaceful bedtime. In a stuccoed house, amid tranquil lakes and orderly rows of trees, a girl plays with Continue reading »
- The Night WorkerKate BanksBanks and Hallensleben, whose And If the Moon Could Talk prepared children for a calm night's sleep, stay up long past bedtime in this absorbing after-hours expos . Unlike Eileen Spinelli and Melissa Continue reading »
- Alphabet SoupKate BanksBanks's story begins with a typical dinnertime predicamenta boy will not eat his soup. His mother notes that he is as grumpy as a bear, and so the boy fishes out the letters spelling ``bear'' from Continue reading »
- Alphabet SoupKate BanksA boy with a vivid imagination turns lunchtime into an occasion for splendiferous adventures. Ages 3-7. Continue reading »
- BaboonKate BanksA naive young baboon, just discovering his world, extrapolates from every encounter in this quasi-metaphysical tale first published in France. When Baboon comes upon a tortoise, he remarks to his Continue reading »
- The Bird, the Monkey, and the Snake in the JungleKate Banks, Tomek BogackiDelicate, dense color and a mannered geometric layout politely call for attention in this rebus picture book by Banks (And If the Moon Could Talk) and Bogacki (Cat and Mouse). Small squares, like Continue reading »
- Howie Bowles, Secret AgentKate BanksBanks's (And If the Moon Could Talk; Spider Spider) slim chapter book introduces eight-year-old Howie, who feels nervous about starting a new school in the middle of his third-grade year. When, after Continue reading »
- The Turtle and the HippopotamusKate BanksAfraid of the Hippo in the middle, Turtle enlists a flock of friends to help her cross the river. But it's the most unlikely ally that eventually gets Turtle to the other side in The Turtle and Continue reading »
- This BabyKate BanksA girl's questions about the baby growing inside her mother fall naturally into poetry, whose hand-lettered lines curl and twine through Swiatkowska's haunting paintings. "This baby,/ twisting, Continue reading »
- Max’s CastleKate BanksImaginative Max, who first appeared in Max’s Words, discovers that a whole new world can unfold from one simple discovery—in this case, a wooden letter block. Using more blocks, Max builds an Continue reading »
- The Magician’s ApprenticeKate BanksBanks’s (This Baby) allegorical fable stands out in this genre for its understated tone and lack of pretension. Sixteen-year-old Baz, a realistic mix of fearful and brave, accepts an unknown Continue reading »
- The Bear in the BookKate BanksIn an extraordinary portrait of the tender, meandering, and inquisitive nature of reading together, a boy and his mother read a book about a hibernating bear, turning the pages slowly and commenting Continue reading »
- Please, PapaKate BanksAlice has dark ringlets and dainty shoes, and she's learning to say please. "Mama, give me the pig," she orders. "Say please," Mama reminds her, then gives her the pig and some chickens so Alice (who Continue reading »
- City CatKate BanksBanks’s verse sees some of the great cities of Europe through the travels of an independent black cat. Making her way by cat, boat, bike, and bus, City Cat romps through the Coliseum, nestles under Continue reading »
- Max’s MathKate BanksAlthough mathematics is front and center in this follow-up to Max’s Words and Max’s Castle, the clever wordplay of the previous books remains on display as Max and his brothers set off “looking for Continue reading »
- Gaspard and Lisa's Rainy DayAnne GutmanIn Gaspard and Lisa's Rainy Day, the first of two new titles by Anne Gutman, illus. by Georg Hallensleben, the pair's quest for fun things to do indoors lands them in hot water; and Lisa adopts a Continue reading »
- Gaspard and Lisa at the MuseumAnne GutmanThe white and black pups who each starred in their own paper-over-board books unite for Anne Gutman's Gaspard and Lisa at the Museum, illus. by Georg Hallensleben. Teased by their human classmates Continue reading »
- Lisa's Baby SisterAnne GutmanIn Gaspard and Lisa's Rainy Day, the first of two new titles by Anne Gutman, illus. by Georg Hallensleben, the pair's quest for fun things to do indoors lands them in hot water; and Lisa adopts a Continue reading »
- Gaspard and Lisa's Christmas SurpriseAnne GutmanThe irresistible canine heroes of the paper-over-board Misadventures of Gaspard and Lisa series set out to make a gift for their teacher in Gaspard and Lisa's Christmas Surprise by Anne Gutman, Continue reading »
- Gaspard and Lisa's Ready-For-School WordsAnne GutmanAll aboard! Concepts come at their most appealing for smallest hands. Gaspard and Lisa's Ready for School Words by Anne Gutman, illus. by Georg Hallensleben helps teach everyday words, from Continue reading »
- Penelope at SchoolAnne GutmanThe team behind the Gaspard and Lisa series introduces Penelope at School by Anne Gutman, illus. by Georg Hallensleben. This preschool adventure (on heavy-duty cardstock) stars a blue koala. By Continue reading »
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Prolific children's book author Kate Banks, known for prose praised as lyrical, clever, and graceful, died February 24 in Switzerland, following a long illness; she was Continue reading »
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