Swing around the Sun

  • Interest Level: Kindergarten - Grade 3
  • Reading Level: Grade 2

Four renowned children’s book artists—Cheng-Khee Chee, illustrator of Old Turtle; Janice Lee Porter, illustrator of Hope; Mary GrandPre, illustrator of the U.S. editions of the Harry Potter series; and Stephen Gammell, winner of the Caldecott Medal for Song and Dance Man—join to depict the beauty of the four seasons in this new edition of the poetry collection Swing around the Sun, originally published in 1965 by Barbara Juster Esbensen. Sure to captivate readers of all ages, this powerful combination of poetry and artwork will bring each season to life—year after year.

Format Your Price Add
978-1-57505-719-4
$22.99
Available at all major wholesalers and distributors. Save 25% when you buy direct!
Interest Level Kindergarten - Grade 3
Reading Level Grade 2
Genre Picture Books
Copyright 2003
Publisher Lerner Publishing Group
Imprint Carolrhoda Books ®
Language English
Number of Pages 48
Publication Date 2003-08-01
Text Type Poetry
BISACS JNF042000
Dewey 811'.54
Graphics Full-color illustrations
Dimensions 9.75 x 9.75
Features Awards, Reviewed, and Starred Reviews

Illustrator: Cheng-Khee Chee

Cheng-Khee Chee, Associate Professor Emeritus of the University of Minnesota, has been represented in numerous national juried exhibitions and captured over 200 honors, including the American Watercolor Society Silver Medal, Transparent Watercolor Society of America Skyledge Award (First Place), Allied Artists of America Gold Medal, and Knickerbocker Artists USA Grand Award Gold Medal and Purchase Prize for Excellence. Among his publications are Old Turtle (1992), Swing around the Sun (2003), Noel (2005), and numerous contributions to books and magazines. He is a popular workshop instructor and national show juror. His breakthroughs in concepts and processes have greatly influenced the direction of watermedia painting.

Illustrator: Stephen Gammell

Stephen Gammell is the illustrator of numerous children's books, including the Caldecott Medal-winning Song and Dance Man and two Caldecott Honor books, The Relatives Came and Where the Buffaloes Begin. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with his wife.

Illustrator: Mary GrandPré

Educated at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Mary GrandPré began her career as a conceptual illustrator for local editorial clients. Continually experimenting with media, Mary underwent many artistic changes in her expressive visual form. Her concerns for light, color, drawing, and design came together in evocative, ethereal pastel paintings evolving toward a style she now calls "soft geometry." In addition to her work on the covers of the Harry Potter books, Mary has now illustrated several children's books. Her book illustration possesses highly personalized lyrical story interpretations and has received very favorable reviews in the national press.

Illustrator: Janice Lee Porter

Janice Lee Porter was born and raised in Chicago. She has a BFA in painting from the Kansas City Art Institute and an MFA from California State University, Chico. She is the illustrator of over two dozen children's books and is an art faculty member at Shasta College in Redding, California, where she teaches painting and drawing. She lives in Chico, California.

Awards

  • Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year, Winner, 2003
  • ILA Teacher's Choices, Winner, 2003

Reviews

Publishers Weekly

“. . .Esbensen’s poems are so delicate and layered in metaphor, and some of the artwork so spectacular, that this updated edition will appeal to a wide variety of readers.”
Publishers Weekly

Kirkus Reviews

“Almost all of the short poems rhyme, but the varied and sophisticated rhyme schemes show the range of the poet’s extraordinary talent.”
Kirkus Reviews

School Library Journal

“A well-loved collection of seasonal poems, first published in 1965, is revived for a new generation, creating a rich, vibrant reading and viewing experience. An exceptional marriage of poetry and art that will encourage children to write and illustrate their own seasonal poems, this book has broad appeal and instructional potential across the calendar and curriculum.”
Starred, School Library Journal