Weaving the Rainbow in the Classroom
I must say that this is the most charming children's book that I have read in a long time. George Ella Lyon brings so much imagery into her words, along with the amazing illustrations. As you journey through the farm with the weaver you are transported to the old days, when we had to live off of what nature provided us. The imagery I mentioned is great for small children. The stories of the weaver seeing the "rainbow sheep" in the field caught my attention and I am an adult!
The watercolor illustrations by Stephanie Anderson are absolutely beautiful. Any page from this book could be taken out and framed as artwork. She brings so many beautiful colors into her work, and captures the pastoral landscape beautifully. The detail that she uses in the sheep, before and after shearing, is amazing. They look so lifelike!
Being from a farming background, I found the information that she uses extremely accurate and detailed. The use of organic dyes and the methods used by the weaver are adapted to today's living, to show children that these tasks can still be performed today, and are still performed today. The mention of Kentucky fields and the native plants also bring another level to the story. Children love it when they are connected to the stories in some way; it really helps develop an interest in reading.
I would also recommend this book to teachers for their classrooms. This is a fantastic book to use in a science class with small students, or even into the middle grades. I think students would enjoy learning about something new, and you could incorporate many of the events in the story to your classes. Things like field trips to sheep farms, lessons on wool and fibers, making dyes out of plant materials, just to name a few. Each of these lessons could be adapted to a classroom in multiple age groups.
a child's story told in prose and art worthy of adults
The warm and deceptively simple text of this book is attractive, and it leaves space for the expansive and simply astonishing watercolor illustrations which give the book its spellbinding power. Not every child will take to it, and our child "grew" into it near 5, but the pictures simply glow as they follow the young sheep through the seasons, shearings and ultimately follow the weaver and the wool to the loom and her work. This is a wonderful gift and a pleasure for grownups and children alike.
A beauty to behold
I loved it. It is a story about a child who has sheep, sheers them, dies the wool spins and weaves it. The story is very simple. You know what is happening but it is a wonderfully comforting and serene story. Most compelling is the beauty of the illustrations. I fell into the pictures and relished absorbing each part of the imagery. Go ahead and click on the see inside button to see some of the illustrations but I would recommend that you go to your local library and take a look at this excellent work.
