Listen, Listen

Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada -- School Library Journal, 12/3/2007

From SLJ November 2007

GERSHATOR, Phillis. Listen, Listen. illus. by Alison Jay. unpaged. CIP. Barefoot. 2007. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-84686-084-3. LC 2006100351.

PreS-Gr 3–In this ode to the seasons, the sights and sounds of a picturesque country village are artfully evoked. Under the summer sun, “Leaves rustle, hammocks sway. Splish, splash, children play.” In autumn, “Pumpkins ripen, quick, quick. Apples, corn–pick, pick.” During winter, “Crunch, crunch, boots clomp. Grown-ups shovel, children romp./Skaters spin, skiers glide. Zip, zoom, slip, slide.” When spring arrives, “Pop, pop, bulbs sprout. Leaves grow, flowers shout.” Jay’s crackled-varnish paintings have a nostalgic, folk-art quality. The rhyming, onomatopoeic text wraps around the busy scenes, and the words and art together provide a smooth transition between the seasons: “summer’s gone” is illustrated with a swarm of insects buzzing off the page. An appended “can you see” game encourages close examination of the changing landscapes. Children will be inspired to “listen, listen” in their own environments.