A Starlit Somersault Downhill
 | |
| Author | Nancy Willard |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Jerry Pinkney |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's literature, Children's poetry, picture book |
| Published | 1993 (Little, Brown and Company) |
| Publication place | USA |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| Pages | 32 (unpaginated) |
| ISBN | 9780316941136 |
| OCLC | 24010468 |
| Calligraphy by Barbara Bash | |
A Starlit Somersault Downhill is a 1993 book by Nancy Willard and illustrator Jerry Pinkney about a rabbit that is invited by a bear to share a cave over winter but instead of hibernating decides to enjoy the outside.
Publication history
- 1993 A Starlit Somersault Downhill, (Little, Brown and Company)[1]
- 2011 A Starlit Snowfall, (Little, Brown and Company)[2]
Reception
Publishers Weekly, in a review of A Starlit Somersault Downhill, wrote "Willard's typically sophisticated language gains meaning through repeated readings, and her sonorous rhyming couplets impart liveliness to nature's sleeping season. Lavishly detailed, full-spread watercolors afford views of untidy woods and tousled fur--they bristle with energy even as they suggest the restlessness youngsters may experience in the deep of night, wide awake and alone."[3]
A Starlit Somersault Downhill has also been reviewed by Booklist,[4] and Kirkus Reviews[5] The Horn Book Magazine,[6] School Library Journal,[7] and the Cooperative Children's Book Center.[8]
References
- ^ A starlit somersault downhill. OCLC. OCLC 24010468.
- ^ A starlit snowfall. OCLC. OCLC 699002873.
- ^ "A Starlit Somersault Downhill". Publishers Weekly. PWxyz LLC. August 30, 1993. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
- ^ "A starlit somersault downhill". Buffalo and Erie County Public Library. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
With a rhyme that's pleasant to the ear, if not always clearly understandable to young listeners, .. Graceful in both picture and word, this creates a mood that transcends the intricacies of the text.
- ^ "A Starlit Somersault Downhill". Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Media LLC. May 20, 2010. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
In gossamer lyric verse, delicate as early snow, a whimsical tale
- ^ "A starlit somersault downhill: Reviews". catalog.wccls.org. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
Pinkney's realistic watercolors of the bear and rabbit include a final fold-out page and perfectly complement Willard's poetic images of darkness and light, movement and slumber, snow and spring.
- ^ Shirley Witton (September 1993). "Book Reviews: Preschool & Primary Grades". School Library Journal. 39 (9). Media Source Inc.: 221. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
- ^ "A Starlit Somersault Downhill". ccbc.education.wisc.edu. University of Wisconsin-Madison. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
This lyrical, lively poem is touched with humor and filled with joy .. Jerry Pinkney's illustrations spanning each two-page spread fill the pages with autumn and winter light.