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shighley's review
4.0
This is a wordless picture book that is easy to follow. I loved the way that the covers became more and more "alive" as the book progressed.
beecheralyson's review
5.0
I have read this one many times. I love this beautiful and touching story.
andizor's review
4.0
Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson and Sydney Smith is the story of a girl and her father going for a walk. As they walk, the girl looks around, finding flowers and people that brighten her day. The illustrations start out primarily black and white, with the girl's coat a bright pop of red. Slowly, more color is cleverly introduced - the dandelions on the sidewalk, the fruit in the market, the reading woman's dress. At, what I imagine is, the halfway point, the girl starts to give her flowers away, imbibing the landscape with color. A dead bird gets a bouquet, a sleeping man on a bench, a dog who gives handshakes. Everything is full of color by the end. I think I just needed that book today. It brightened things up.
tashrow's review
5.0
As she heads home with her father who is distracted by his cell phone call, a little girl dressed in vibrant red picks wild flowers. Along the way, she takes a moment to smell each of them, creating a bouquet of bright colored blooms. The flowers grow unnoticed by the others on the street in this urban setting, but the little girl spots them all growing out of sidewalk cracks. When the girl and her father reach the park, she notices a dead bird on the sidewalk and leaves some of the flowers there with the bird. A man sleeping on a park bench is given a sprig too. Then she decorates the collar of a friendly dog with more flowers. As they reach home, the little girl gives each of her family members flowers, leaving a trail of them on their hair and heads. The final flower is used to decorate her own hair at the very end.
This wordless picture book is immensely lovely. The story arc really works well and has moments of sophistication that create a vibrant urban world for this girl to live within. As she gathers the flowers, other beautiful parts of the city that would have been overlooked too light up with color or are captured in small moments. From the display of bright fruits in the market to the pigeons on the street, each small piece adds together so that readers “see” the beauty of the city along with the young protagonist.
The art is expressive and lovely. The city is shown in black and white against which the red girl pops like a bright ruby. Portions of the city are done in color, like flowered dresses and the small flowers that the girl gathers too. Then when the girl starts sharing her flowers, the entire world becomes colorful and bright. It is a dynamic shift in the middle of the book, showing the power of generosity and community.
Subtle and powerful, this picture book celebrates seeing the beauty in everyday life and sharing it with others. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
This wordless picture book is immensely lovely. The story arc really works well and has moments of sophistication that create a vibrant urban world for this girl to live within. As she gathers the flowers, other beautiful parts of the city that would have been overlooked too light up with color or are captured in small moments. From the display of bright fruits in the market to the pigeons on the street, each small piece adds together so that readers “see” the beauty of the city along with the young protagonist.
The art is expressive and lovely. The city is shown in black and white against which the red girl pops like a bright ruby. Portions of the city are done in color, like flowered dresses and the small flowers that the girl gathers too. Then when the girl starts sharing her flowers, the entire world becomes colorful and bright. It is a dynamic shift in the middle of the book, showing the power of generosity and community.
Subtle and powerful, this picture book celebrates seeing the beauty in everyday life and sharing it with others. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
bgprincipessa's review
5.0
A sweet wordless picture book about a young child picking flowers from sidewalks and then gifting them to others around a city neighborhood. Great use of black and white vs. color to show how the flowers enrich others' lives.
noemi's review
4.0
Beautiful book, would recommend it.
The kids at my pre-school don't seem to be into wordless books, but as an adult, I really liked it.
The kids at my pre-school don't seem to be into wordless books, but as an adult, I really liked it.