Perma-Bound

"The inspiring words of three well-known spirituals, ""This Little Light of Mine,"" ""Oh, When the Saints Go Marching In,"" and ""He?s Got the Whole World in His Hands,"" are matched with powerful construction collage illustrations. Each double-page spread of this oversize picture book is an explosion of shapes and bright colors. Stocky figures, silhouetted against swirling colors are created from geometric shapes woven together. Rather than conceive a story to accompany the lyrics, Bryan presents series of scenes to reflect each set of lyrics. Children dance around with candles and march with saints; God holds a world of colored objects in his hands. The musical notation and lyrics for each song appear at the end of the book, as does a brief note from Bryan about the history of the spiritual and the changes he made in some of the lyrics. This will be hard to read without breaking into song." K-Gr 3-The title is certain to pique children's curiosity, and the quirky autobiographical story will quickly pull them in. Potter's first-person narration describes the year her family's theater troupe traveled throughout Italy, living in a truck amid their masks, puppets, and musical instruments. The illustrator's signature figures, with almond-shaped heads and curved legs that end in tiny feet, take to the stage in costumes with transparent veils and papier-mache heads, enacting whimsical tales. Potter's pencil, ink gouache, and watercolor scenes capture classic details of Italian culture, from the pigeons, roasted chestnuts, and fountains to the chastising glances of the nuns and the unyielding behavior of the espresso drinkers. The text is sprinkled with rhymed journal pages, Italian phrases, and a "picture dictionary" restaurant tablecloth. The endpapers reproduce pieces of Potter's actual childhood journal; she was seven at the time. Anyone who has lived or traveled abroad will relate to the child's perspective of a new culture. Others will be fascinated with the troubadour lifestyle, e.g., toddler Chlo' sleeping in a drawer, a serendipitous encounter with a stranger that leads to a pizza garden party. A madcap journey from a gifted storyteller.-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information. Using only cut-paper and clamorous, swirling, out-of-sight colors, Bryan sets three spirituals to pictures that are dynamic, monumental, and stirring. Throughout, the imagery is brilliant. Bryan has long been known for his exuberant decorative motifs, but in this instance, with three sets of lyrics that are themselves all imagery, his scope widens. With words and music appended: exciting, absorbing, immensely moving.