| ________________ CM . . . .
Volume VIII Number 1 . . . . September 7, 2001
excerpt:
Wolfe's eye-catching illustrations with their calm preponderance of blues seem to glow with an inner serenity. Reminiscent of Alex Colville, especially in the painting where the binocular lens mirrors a sea scene directly at the reader, she uses perspective to advantage. With the exception of the full view of a gull flying with wings outspread and a lighthouse at night, she crops the pictures to give immense close-ups. This has the effect of providing a child's perspective but also of hinting at the vastness of the sea and its surroundings. Any child who has ever rambled by the seashore, or even those who have never seen the sea, will appreciate this charming celebration of words and pictures. Highly Recommended. Alison Mews is the Director of the Curriculum Materials Centre, Faculty of Education, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NF.
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Published by NEXT REVIEW | TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - September, 2001.
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The striking oil paintings by first-time
picture book artist Frances Wolfe capture perfectly the tranquil beauty
of a home near the sea. Using sparse but poetic text, she imparts a
young girl's perspective of the many solitary pleasures of seaside living.
From rowing a boat to picking berries to searching for seashells, she
delights in the many unstructured activities that nature provides. The
excerpt above gives the first verse of the seven-verse acrostic which
comprises the text. Each line of the two-line verses has its own double-page
painting that renders the evocative words into beautiful images. Because
it is so spaced, it may not be immediately apparent that the text forms
an acrostic spelling SEASIDE. That Wolfe loves her seaside home is
apparent, as she portrays a nostalgic fondness where even dreary, rainy
days provide a quiet space in which to read.