Hans Christian Andersen, Author, Rachel Isadora, Illustrator, Rachel Isadora, Author Putnam Publishing Group $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-22813-1
Isadora's (Isadora Dances) haunting retelling of this classic tale leaves Disney's cotton-candy version far behind. Hewing faithfully to the darker themes of Andersen's original, Isadora relates the bittersweet story of the little mermaid who falls...
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Hans Christian Andersen, Author, Rachel Isadora, Author, Rachel Isadora, Illustrator Putnam Publishing Group $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-21336-6
Andersen's tale about a little girl who's afraid to go home because she hasn't sold enough matches is a classic. The little girl, bareheaded and barefoot, curls up in a corner, lighting match after match to warm herself. In the flames she sees...
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Rachel Isadora, Author Greenwillow Books $16 (32p) ISBN 978-0-688-04255-4
With their soft airs and pretty colors, the pictures in Isadora's new book are ideal means for bringing parents and tiny chidlren close as they investigate events in the story together. The prize-winning illustrator (Ben's Trumpet, Opening Night)...
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Rachel Isadora. Penguin/Paulsen, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-17384-4
Isadora (I Hear a Pickle) revisits the rural African setting of some of her fairy tale retellings in a story spotlighting the age-old phenomenon of bedtime stalling. Despite her parents’ directives to come indoors, a girl named Lala—pictured with...
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Rachel Isadora, Author Putnam Publishing Group $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-23230-5
Isadora's (A South African Night) simple, rhythmic paean to the Caribbean opens at the start of a day: ""Where morning meets light, we rise."" Echoing this phrasing, the author spotlights some typical island activities: her child protagonists take a
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Rachel Isadora, Author Putnam Publishing Group $15.95 (1p) ISBN 978-0-399-22620-5
In My Ballet Diary by Rachel Isadora, young balletomanes can whirl through terpsichorean lore and record their own thoughts about their classmates, teachers, favorite music and dancers, etc. Isadora, formerly a dancer with the New York City Ballet,...
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Rachel Isadora, Author Putnam Publishing Group $15.95 (1p) ISBN 978-0-399-22510-9
Former ballerina Isadora (Swan Lake; Lili at Ballet) brings her dance training to bear on this distinctive version of the classic Russian folktale; here, the Balanchine/Stravinsky ballet is the chief source of inspiration. Fantastical watercolors in
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Rachel Isadora, Author Putnam Publishing Group $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-22423-2
Who can resist a peek at young artists in training? Isadora gifts her heroine, Lily, with a quintessential combination of dreams and determination, then allows us to sit in on the ballet class that Lili attends four times a week. Lili and fellow...
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Rachel Isadora, Author Putnam Publishing Group $14.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-21730-2
Isadora's (At the Crossroads ; Ben's Trumpet ) adaptation of Tchaikovsky's ballet gently blends the artistry of dance into this most romantic of scenarios. Graceful swans arc down toward the water under the watchful eyes of Siegfried; on the next...
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Rachel Isadora, Author Greenwillow Books $13.95 (24p) ISBN 978-0-688-08031-0
In this engaging pair of toddler books, Isadora has provided a compendium of simple words and activities that will delight as they teach. Babies begins, appropriately, with a pajama-clad youngster waving ``Good morning!'' with one hand as the other...
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Rachel Isadora, Author Greenwillow Books $12.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-688-05206-5
In another display of uncommon versatility, Isadora presents a story that is something of a departure from Ben's Trumpet and her other splendid books. Joey walks home slowly from a movie matinee, stopping to draw pictures in chalk of the film's...
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Rachel Isadora, Author . Picture Puffin $6.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-14-056827-1
In a starred review, PW wrote, "With a tip of her hat to such '60s icons as Andy Warhol and Claes Oldenburg, Isadora whips out a zinger of an ABC book. Baby boomers will find this artistic homage a nostalgic hoot, while their offspring will
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Rachel Isadora, Author Viking Children's Books $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-670-87120-9
Biographies for the very young can be a tricky business. In this absorbing account of the great composer's life, Isadora (Lili at Ballet) adroitly navigates the potential hazards--oversimplification, stilted prose, a yawn-inspiring excess of detail,
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Rachel Isadora, Author . Putnam $13.99 (0p) ISBN 978-0-399-23603-7
Isadora returns to the themes she explored in her Lili books, but with less success, as she spotlights young ballet dancers in this roundup of rhymes and pen-and-ink and watercolor wash illustrations. Organized into two sections, "Dreams and...
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Rachel Isadora, Author . Putnam $14.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-23232-9
Some false notes won't keep most kids from enjoying Isadora's (Ben's Trumpet) tribute to the jazz that filled the streets of 1930s Harlem. Rather uninspired rhymed couplets make up the text: "Bring on that beat,/ Wake up the street./
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Rachel Isadora, Author . Putnam $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-24611-1
Caldecott Honor artist Isadora (Ben's Trumpet
) offers a visually vibrant version of this Hans Christian Andersen classic, which she sets in Africa. Created with oil paints on printed and palette paper, the stylized collage-like art features an
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Rachel Isadora, Author . Putnam $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-25230-3
Carmelita, a girl in pigtails with a butterscotch complexion, walks with her mother and her dog through a multicultural neighborhood en route to meet her Abuela Rosa. Each individual they encounter says hello in his or her respective language, and...
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Rachel Isadora, Author HarperTrophy $6.99 (0p) ISBN 978-0-688-10988-2
Featuring stunning, evocative black-and-white art, this Caldecott Honor book concerns a boy growing up in the 1920s who aspires to be a jazz musician--``Ben thinks the trumpeter is the cat's meow.'' Ages 4-8. (Sept.)
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Rachel Isadora, Author, Rachel Isadora, Illustrator Putnam Publishing Group $15.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-399-23231-2
HIsadora (Sophie Skates) heads for the baseball diamond in her latest exploration of sports. Neatly sandwiching nonfiction nuggets into a story about a boy named Nick, his teammates on the Rockets (girls as well as boys) and a championship game,...
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Rachel Isadora, Author, Rachel Isadora, Illustrator Greenwillow Books $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-06-050238-6
Visions of tutus will dance in readers' heads as they peruse two new ballet books. From former ballet dancer and accomplished author/artist Rachel Isadora, On Your Toes: A Ballet ABC partners jewel-toned pastel drawings with an abecedary ranging
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Rachel Isadora, Author, Rachel Isadora, Illustrator Greenwillow Books $16 (32p) ISBN 978-0-688-05270-6
In spare, forthright prose, the author of Ben's Trumpet tells the poignant story of a homecoming. For a group of black children living in a South African shanty town, it is a very special day; after working in the mines for 10 months, their fathers...
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Rachel Isadora, Author, Rachel Isadora, Illustrator . Putnam $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-23604-4
As Isadora's (Nick Plays Baseball
) gentle story opens ("It was Brooklyn. It was summer. It was baseball"), Luke wistfully watches his older brother and friends play ball in the street and later practices swinging and throwing by himself.
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Rachel Isadora, Author, Rachel Isadora, Illustrator . Putnam $12.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-23997-7
Like Creation
(reviewed above), this attractive volume takes its inspiration from the opening words of Genesis. Unlike McDermott, however, Isadora (Ben's Trumpet) directs her words to babies and toddlers, linking the miracle of Creation to the...
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Rachel Isadora, Author, Rachel Isadora, Illustrator Greenwillow Books $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-688-10509-9
As in At the Crossroads , the versatile Isadora ( Ben's Trumpet ) here presents a radiant portrait of quotidian life in rural South Africa. Zolani, his mother and his younger sister set off on foot to visit Grandma Zindzi. En route a shop owner...
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Rachel Isadora, Author, Rachel Isadora, Illustrator . Putnam $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-23602-0
A toddler greets the day with games of peekaboo in Isadora's (Nick Plays Baseball) ebullient offering. Rendered in thick, silky pastels, the opening spread introduces an African-American child snuggling in bed, looking straight out of the...
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Rachel Isadora. Penguin/Paulsen, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-16049-3
As in her earlier books, simplicity is the defining note of Isadora’s (Bea at Ballet) inviting introduction to the senses. In five color-coded sections, one for each sense, multicultural kids take turns describing things they hear, smell, see, touch,
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Rachel Isadora, Author, Rachel Isadora, Illustrator Putnam Publishing Group $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-23046-2
Isadora (Lili at Ballet) opens the window on another discipline with this engaging and informative book. Eight-year-old Sophie has set her sights on becoming a professional ice skater, devoting five mornings and three afternoons a week to lessons at
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Rachel Isadora, Author, Rachel Isadora, Illustrator Putnam Publishing Group $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-24254-0
In Isadora's (Ben's Trumpet) quirky cumulative portrait of an extended family, she does not delve into the usual family relationships or history, but instead spotlights a sampling of inherited physical characteristics. She first introduces Ollie,...
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Rachel Isadora. Penguin/Paulsen, $12.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-25409-3
As she did in Lili at Ballet (1993), Isadora presents an understated story introducing ballet basics—such as girls’ and boys’ apparel and the classic five positions—deftly streamlining both text and illustrations for a very young audience. Loosely...
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Rachel Isadora. Penguin/Paulsen, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-25741-4
Isadora (Bea at Ballet) brings a traditional cumulative folk song (“And the green grass grew all around, all around...”) to the African savannah. In her version, the hole in the ground is discovered by an African mother and her children; the tree is
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Rachel Isadora. Penguin/Paulsen, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-399-25740-7
As she did in There Was a Tree, Isadora sets this riff on a classic children’s song in Africa. Using “Old MacDonald” as a template, her rendition introduces 14 wild residents of a game farm and the sounds they make. With a few exceptions (dassie,...
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Rachel Isadora. Penguin/Paulsen, $14.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-16048-6
In this companion to Bea at Ballet, an equally angelic and ethnically diverse group of preschoolers attend gymnastics class. Their teacher, Dave, sets a playful tone (“Let’s be frogs and hop today”), and the boys and girls leap to the task,...
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Rachel Isadora. Harcourt, $16 (32p) ISBN 978-0-15-206546-1
In Caldecott Honor author Isadora's (Ben's Trumpet) celebration of a treasured ritual, Louie narrates his weekly visit to his grandfather's Chinese restaurant. The spare, straightforward prose is bolstered by collage and oil art featuring an...
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Rachel Isadora, Author, ALC, Editor, Rachel Isadora, Illustrator Greenwillow Books $3.95 (0p) ISBN 978-0-688-12032-0
``No one should miss Isadora's matchless feat,'' said PW about this striking, urban alphabet book that includes such simple yet evocative images as Night, Friends and Kitten. Ages 5-up. (Sept.)
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Rachel Isadora, Author, Joy Peskin, Editor, Rachel Isadora, Illustrator Putnam Publishing Group $5.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-698-11793-8
The winning ballerina from Lili on Stage and Lili at Ballet returns for some behind-the-scenes action. Ages 3-8. (Nov.)
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Rachel Isadora, Author, Lisa Wiseman, Editor, Disney Storybook Artists, Illustrator Random House Disney $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-670-88329-5
With a tip of her hat to such '60s icons as Andy Warhol and Claes Oldenburg, Isadora (The Little Mermaid) whips out a zinger of an ABC book. Playing her retro riff across the pages, she blends strongly linear graphics and repetitive images with such
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