Giving Thanks

Starred review from September 9, 2013
Paterson and Dalton, who collaborated on Brother Sun, Sister Moon, return with a wide-ranging and gorgeously executed collection of poetry, prayers, and other grateful musings fit for Thanksgiving or any time of year. Paterson groups her selections into four categories—celebrating food, life, inner spirit, and community—accompanied by Dalton’s trademark scherenschnitte scissor-cut illustrations, which are tinted with coffee and painted in watercolor (delicately cut beetroots, wheat sheaths, honeycombs, and berries appear within intricate panels in the “Gather Around the Table” section, for instance). Paterson pulls from a wide range of traditional and modern sources that include traditional proverbs and blessings from around the world, excerpts from the King James Bible, poems from the likes of Whitman and Dickinson, and even speeches and songs. She also points out that reverence and a sense of humor can go together, as in a haiku from Basho (“This snowy morning/ That black crow I hate so much.../ But he’s beautiful!”). A joyfulness of spirit permeates the compilation, underscoring Paterson’s early reflection that “joy is the twin sister of gratitude.” Ages 5–up. Author’s agent: Phyllis Wender, the Gersh Agency.

Starred review from October 1, 2013
A beautiful collection that manages to be both near-universal and deeply personal. Wilder Award winner Paterson offers an essay before each section: "Gather Around the Table," "A Celebration of Life," "The Spirit Within" and "Circle of Community." In each, she illuminates a small moment: the scent of an orange; watching a cicada emerge from its shell over a steamy summer hour. The words that follow come from the King James Bible and Hildegard of Bingen, from speeches ("I Have a Dream," by Martin Luther King Jr.) and from poetry (snatches from Wendell Berry and e.e. cummings), from non-Judeo-Christian traditions (the Navajo "house made of dawn") to songs (Bill Staines' delightful "All God's Critters") and spirituals ("All of God's Children Got a Song"). All of them indeed give thanks and praise. Readers can give thanks and praise for the illustrations, too: Scherenschnitte, cut-paper illustrations of extraordinary power. In borders and full pages and spot images, Dalton once again wields her scissors in pursuit of magic. From deceptively simple (a grasshopper, a bird's nest, a candle flame) to extraordinarily complex (a border of sunflowers, a plethora of vegetables), the pictures are as meditative as the words. The final page is "Blessed be" in the calligraphy of Anne Robin. Suffused with and inspiring gratitude and joy. Amen. (Picture book/poetry. 7 & up)

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November 1, 2013

Gr 4 Up-"Prayer is nothing but the inhaling and exhaling of the one breath of the universe." Appearing in this rich compendium of poems, prayers, and speeches, these short lines attributed to Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) seem a nice summation of this collection from many traditions, authors, and centuries. Paterson opens each of the four segments with personal reflections that draw on her childhood and adult life. Her commentary and many of the sophisticated selections will be of most interest to teens and adult readers, but some content will be familiar to children. The volume invites family sharing. Bill Staine wrote that, "All God's critters got a place in the choir," and the choir here includes Inuit and other Native American voices, Islamic prayers, and such thinkers and leaders as Albert Schweitzer, Desmond Tutu and Mahatma Gandhi. The sections are organized around themes of food, nature, spirit, and community. Intricate lacy paper-cut motifs in an ivory tone frame or perch alongside text and illustrations on all pages of this slim, square volume. Set against a color background, a leafy paper-cut column, some including animals and others with humans, decorate the left edge of every spread. Small vignettes appear occasionally; the pretty scenes hint at nursery rhymes rather than the rich blend of history, cultures, and ideas that are here. Many sources are acknowledged in the closing list of permissions.-Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 1, 2013
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* As they did in the beautiful Brother Sun, Sister Moon (2011), Newbery medalist Paterson and cut-paper artist extraordinaire Dalton combine their considerable talents to bring to young people the concept of giving thanks. Paterson offers several meditations on ways she experienced thanksgiving, gratitude, and love throughout her life. Following each are several pages of poems, hymns, and snippets of praise songs from various cultures and religions, allowing readers to experience emotions and practices through many voices. Dalton, who is a practitioner of the early-nineteenth-century American paper-cutting technique called scherenschnitte ( scissor cuts ), has used paper antiqued in a coffee solution, ironed, and illuminated with watercolor. She fashions wondrous garlands, lattices hiding birds and rabbits, individual flowers and butterflies, and frames housing families reading books. The considerable thought to designfrom substantial buff-colored pages to the placement of the artis balanced by an equal appreciation for the works selected. Wonderful to have on hand for Thanksgiving, this is a book to be picked up throughout the year and savored and discussed.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

November 1, 2013
Paterson divides this collection of brief prayers, poems, and meditations into thanks for food, life, spirit, and community. Her selection is catholic and spans the centuries, from the Bible to Julian of Norwich to Emily Dickinson to the Dalai Lama, along with much folk material ( Pueblo Blessing, Native American Proverb ), albeit unsourced. Cut-paper silhouettes, occasionally embellished with watercolor, decorate the pages; while the art is attractive and certainly well made, too much of it makes some spreads crowded and contributes to the gift-book look. Short autobiographical essays by Paterson introduce each section and give the volume a welcome personal touch. roger sutton

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2014
Paterson divides this collection of prayers, poems, and meditations into thanks for food, life, spirit, and community. Her selection is catholic and spans the centuries, from the Bible to Julian of Norwich to the Dalai Lama, along with folk material. Cut-paper silhouettes, occasionally embellished with watercolor, decorate the pages. Short autobiographical essays introduce each section, giving the volume a welcome personal touch. Ind.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)