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Searching... Monmouth Public Library | SCHWARTZ | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
When wide-awake Lucy can't fall asleep she . . . Climbs out of bed,
Wiggles her fingers,
Wiggles her toes,
Scratches itches,
Itches scratches,
Buttons buttons,
Blows her nose.
But Lucy still can't sleep.
Amy Schwart's gentle and reassuring story, along with her warm and comforting paintings, is sure to beguile restless children.
Author Notes
Author-illustrator Amy Schwartz, best known for her warm, humorous tales with a kid-centered point of view, and her pen-and-ink artwork, died suddenly on February 26 at her home in Brooklyn. She was 68.
Schwartz was born April 2, 1954 in San Diego. She began her art studies at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. She transferred to the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, where she majored in drawing and earned her B.F.A. in 1976. Schwartz illustrated The Breakfast Book (1979) as well as a second title for Chronicle Books. She was working as a production assistant at Simon & Schuster when her first picture book, Bea and Mrs. Jones was published by Bradbury Press in 1982. That same year the book was cited in the New York Public Library¿s selection of 100 Best Children¿s Books.
Throughout the 1980s Schwartz was especially prolific, writing and illustrating her own books as well as illustrating works by other authors including Amy Hest, Eve Bunting, and her father, Henry Schwartz, with whom she would eventually collaborate on four projects. This steady schedule allowed her to write and illustrate books full-time.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Charming watercolor-and-ink illustrations combine with a meandering, singsong text in this lovely bedtime book. Lucy can't sleep, even after counting various animals, wiggling her fingers and toes, and scratching her itches. She gets out of bed, puts on a sweater, and amuses herself by looking for her misplaced toys, sliding down the banister, checking out the fridge, having a snack, sitting on the porch swing, hugging her dog, and playing dress up, until finally she is tired enough to "slip into bed, and sleep 'til dawn." Overlook the fact that most young children are not this comfortable or self-sufficient alone late at night; nor are parents likely to sleep through a child's wanderings about the house, not to mention outside. Instead, focus on the warm, cozy flow of the text, which sometimes rhymes and sometimes doesn't, is sometimes busy and other times quiet, and ultimately lures readers into a peaceful, restful place. The artwork is precious in the best sense, starring a pink-faced child whose minimal features consist simply of black dots for eyes and nose, and a red line for a mouth. Cool pastel colors keep the nighttime dark but never scary, not counting when her black dog chases a black squirrel from behind a black tree in the yard. The picture of Lucy cozied up on the porch swing under a harvest moon with a radio playing close by is enough to make anyone want to go to bed. A wonderful book to cuddle up with when it's almost time to sleep.-Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
She may be an insomniac, but with a combination of brisk self-sufficiency and mild mischievousness, Lucy turns lemons into lemonade. She buttons on a sweater, blows her nose, and then slides down the banister (readers may surmise that such behavior is probably frowned on during normal family hours). Lucy proceeds to raid the fridge ("Strawberry shortcake,/ Just a bite./ Chocolate pudding,/ Quiet night"), savor the sights and sounds of the backyard ("A black tree/ With black leaves,/ A black squirrel, A black dog"), and indulge in late-night dress-up ("Lipstick is nice,/ So is this hat./ Dance a dance!/ Spin around twice"). When she finally returns to bed, only the family dog is the wiser. Schwartz (Willie and Uncle Bill) employs nursery colors, cozy patterning, and lots of attention to home furnishings (adults may develop a case of throw rug and kitchen envy) to provide her heroine with the orderly, reassuring setting that emboldens her to go adventuring. Meanwhile, the pithy, impressionistic verse acts as staccato counterpoint, inviting readers inside Lucy's head as she realizes the night has given her dominion over a world not normally under her control. Ages 4-8. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
When sleep eludes little redheaded Lucy, she tries all the usual tricks, and then some. She counts sheep (as well as baby otters, mountain goats, kangaroos, and sailboats), and then gets out of bed and wiggles fingers and toes before embarking on a search downstairs for her missing doll and teddy bear. Once she finds them, its time for a midnight snack and some quiet contemplation on the back-porch swing before heading back upstairs to play dress up, and finally falling into bed and going to sleep. There is no adult in sight, but Lucy is apparently fine on her own, just as Harold was with his purple crayon. Schwartzs subtly rhyming text will draw young listeners in with its patterning and its questions ("Wheres Dolly? Wheres Bear? Under this? Under that?"), and her precise line drawings colored in nighttime hues will quickly bring them into Lucys homey world. Theres plenty to explore visually in the detailed full-page illustrations, but when Schwartz wants readers to zero in on a specific detail she brings in a series of smaller spotlight views. As a bedtime book, this is refreshing in its child-friendly invitation to stay up just a little bit longer. kathleen t. horning (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Restless, sleepless Lucy decides to climb out of bed and wander through her hushed house.Meandering rhyme bobs up and down in this nocturnal tale, rocking readers with its subtle irregularity and soft tonality. It drifts as Lucy drifts, around her house, into closets and the fridge, onto the porch, back upstairs and, finally, into bed. Dusky blues, purples and pinks establish a muted nighttime world, one through which Lucy perambulates quite comfortably. Children who fear separation and isolation at bedtime might find eye-opening solace in Lucy's soothing ramble. Quiet solitary play (dressing-up, snacking, listening to far-off music outside, petting the family pup) suddenly seems exactly the way to find peace and slumber. Being alone in cozy darkness ain't so bad! Lucy's pleasantly blank, flat face, her wide-set dot eyes and simple u-shaped smile encourage children to identify with her, easily swapping their own experiences, their own faces, with hers. Schwartz's deceptively simple paintings and line-work deliver enough domestic details (a coiled hose, a stray doll, dirty laundry, scattered bath toys) and slightly skewed perspectives to keep readers engaged, looking into every corner of the family home (just like the nomadic Lucy). A bedtime book with sweetly anarchic undertones (why stay in bed?), in which verse and artwork lull and soothe to soporific effect. (Picture book. 1-4)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Schwartz depicts the snug nocturnal world of a wide-awake girl as she occupies herself with searching for toys, raiding the fridge, swinging in the backyard, and playing dress up. The auburn-haired, button-eyed young lady doesn't seem to be bothered by her insomnia, and with so many fun things to do, who can blame her? Actually, it's no wonder Lucy can't get some shut-eye, as every light in the house appears to be on. Each scene, set on square pages, is warmly rendered in black ink and sherbet colors, with a bright moon shining in the night sky. Unfortunately, the irregularities of the verse's rhyming and pacing are frustrating, especially when read aloud: Strawberry shortcake, / Just a bite. / Chocolate pudding, / Quiet night, is followed by A quiet room, / In a quiet house, / A squeaky door, / The back porch. Still, the book's quaintness and coziness will attract children and may lull them off to sleep at last.--Medlar, Andrew Copyright 2010 Booklist