A Face Is a Poem
A Face Is a Poem
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Publisher's Hardcover ©2024--
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Tundra Books
Annotation: Look through the one-of-a-kind eyes of acclaimed author/illustrator Julie Morstad and explore the beauty, diversity and ... more
 
Reviews: 2
Catalog Number: #393837
Format: Publisher's Hardcover
Publisher: Tundra Books
Copyright Date: 2024
Edition Date: 2024 Release Date: 09/24/24
ISBN: 0-7352-6756-1
ISBN 13: 978-0-7352-6756-5
Dewey: E
Language: English
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews

An ode to the visage"Have you ever stopped and looked, / really looked… / at a face?" This spacious text offers many opportunities. Various human and a few nonhuman faces with different skin tones, shapes, and features are splayed across the pages in black and white and in color. Some look out head-on; others are sideways or tilted back. The faces are portrayed in crowds and alone, talking and silent, boxed in and expansive, even scattered across the stars. Morstad's whimsical art evokes cubism and surrealism, while her spare narration poses questions and muses in aphorisms. "A face is a poem / with all the parts put together, / adding up to someone / you love." Each face presents a character, and Morstad has taken care to depict a diversity of ages and identities. This poetic exploration unfolds in a loving and inventive way, inviting thoughtful appreciation and conversation. Vibrant depictions of flowers and butterflies add elegant texture, underlining the idea that faces are part of a larger, wondrous world. A full-bleed spread showing dozens of kids with different expressions in auditorium-style seating feels particularly vivid. The final illustration, depicting adults kissing a baby, all with warm, richly rendered complexions, ends the journey of discovery on an intimate note.Certain to speak to young hearts and minds.(Picture book. 2-6)

School Library Journal (Fri Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Gr 1–3— "Have you ever stopped and looked,/ really looked&30;/ at a face?" Through vibrant multimedia illustrations, Morstad takes readers on a journey of faces, human and non-human. The human faces feature a diverse cast of many races, ages, and abilities. The non-human faces feature items that many people may miss, like the face of a potato or a flower. The words invite readers to see the similarities and differences and engage in provocative questions, such as "what if the parts of our faces were rearranged?/ would we still know each other?" At times, the concepts are a bit offbeat, which may be challenging for children without adult guidance, such as asking if eyelashes are really butterflylashes (the butterflies fly off of the eyes of the child pictured). Additionally, the book is tonally abrupt with the concept, with wording such as "sometimes I wish my face/ wouldn't show all my secrets" next to an image of a single tear falling after asking children a nonsense question about what color freckles they sprinkle on their faces. VERDICT A thought-provoking and beautiful discussion about what makes up a face, but an optional purchase for most libraries.— Katherine Kefi

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Kirkus Reviews
School Library Journal (Fri Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2024)
Reading Level: 1.0
Interest Level: P-2
Lexile: AD520L

Look through the one-of-a-kind eyes of acclaimed author/illustrator Julie Morstad and explore the beauty, diversity and wonder of faces all around.

A face is a poem with all the parts put together, adding up to someone you love.



Have you ever stopped and looked, really looked, at a face? Do faces stay the same forever, or do they change? What if we could change faces to see through someone else's eyes? What if eyelashes were butterflylashes?

Julie Morstad guides readers through a playful and fantastical exploration of the unique eyes, noses, mouths, freckles, wrinkles, scars and all those one-of-a-kind marks that make up a face. Embracing commonalities and differences alike, A Face Is a Poem is an ode to the unique beauty of each and every person's appearance, with an empowering message of love.


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