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book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
Diane and Leo Dillon were awarded the Caldecott Medal for their woodcut illustrations of this African folk tale.
When the mosquito tells the iguana what he saw, the iguana gets annoyed. Not wanting to listen to such nonsense, he plugs his ears. As a result, he doesn’t hear the python’s greeting, and the snake believes iguana is angry with him and plotting some sort of revenge. So, python looks for a hole to hide in, which frightens the rabbit …. Etc It’s a fun, repetitive story that children will enjoy listening to, and which explores the unintended consequences of our actions.
When the mosquito tells the iguana what he saw, the iguana gets annoyed. Not wanting to listen to such nonsense, he plugs his ears. As a result, he doesn’t hear the python’s greeting, and the snake believes iguana is angry with him and plotting some sort of revenge. So, python looks for a hole to hide in, which frightens the rabbit …. Etc It’s a fun, repetitive story that children will enjoy listening to, and which explores the unintended consequences of our actions.
kitsuneheart's review against another edition
4.0
I can not tell you how many times I've read this over the years. It's certainly a classic, and a warranted winner of the Caldecott Medal for its time, though, with the years, it has gone down somewhat, in my estimation. There's just so many modern books which surpass it.
That said, though, it's a must-read for kids, and certainly a must-have for public libraries. The artwork is so soft, thanks to the airbrushed watercolors, and the style instantly makes me think of African art (I do so dearly wish I could give a better region, but all I can tell is that it's West African). The story is a typical series of established events and then a backwards recapping of events, in this case, to determine the true culprit of a crime.
I will say, some parents might be a bit opposed to the death of an owlet and the squashing of a mosquitoe in the book, but they're not traumatic, so I think kids will be fine.
That said, though, it's a must-read for kids, and certainly a must-have for public libraries. The artwork is so soft, thanks to the airbrushed watercolors, and the style instantly makes me think of African art (I do so dearly wish I could give a better region, but all I can tell is that it's West African). The story is a typical series of established events and then a backwards recapping of events, in this case, to determine the true culprit of a crime.
I will say, some parents might be a bit opposed to the death of an owlet and the squashing of a mosquitoe in the book, but they're not traumatic, so I think kids will be fine.
claudia7799's review against another edition
legend, told with a building repetition as the animals accuse the other of causing panic in the forest
annabannana's review against another edition
I read "Because Amelia Smiled" to my son after reading this book, to end with a more positive cause and effect story.
jmitschke's review against another edition
4.0
Absolutely gorgeous illustrations. I can definitely see why this one the Caldecott. The repetitive/cumulative story works better for longer attention spans.
sducharme's review against another edition
4.0
The illustrations are striking in this classic West African folk tale. They are bright watercolor paintings in the style of batik.
onomatopoeia320's review against another edition
5.0
Verna Aardema has written some of my favorite children's books. I read (and was read to) a lot during my childhood, and this book continues to be among the most memorable. In fact, when I worked at a bookstore, I checked the children's department to make sure they had it in stock. They did.
bekah_'s review against another edition
4.0
Is a story about how caused a huge issue and it all started with one person. It sets off a wave effects that ends with the killing of a baby owl. The lion finds out what caused this huge issue and it all comes back to Mosquito. The illustrations are very bold and brightly colored. I love how it has a white background when there is day time and a black background when it is night time. It just adds another layer to the story and it adds another of interest to the story. Both colors bring out the bold colors in the illustrations but the black even more so than the white does.
smit1286's review against another edition
4.0
A fun tale to teach about making assumptions, communicating with one another, and asking questions to better understand intentions.
cstoeger's review against another edition
I love the colors! Compared to some other Caldecott winners, the book is so colorful!