Ostrich and Lark

Cute story

What a beautiful set of poems paired with phenomenal art. Marilyn Nelson is a master of the craft. Happy to have this book and to give copies to beloved children In my life.

A beautiful book, for children and adults alike.

Exquisite book. The language is indescribably beautiful, and simple at the same time. Get this book for the children you love, and read it to them often. The message of friendship and acceptance, of patience and respect is told softly and without any agenda other than to celebrate the beauty and voice within each of us.The pictures are beautiful and vibrant, and each is from a different artist in the Kuru Art Project in Botswana. I love introducing children to the rich array of art spread across each page in today's picture books, and this one adds a particular African style and beauty that children will love.But what knocks my socks off are the words, the way the writer expresses the simplest things in phrases so beautiful and so simple it will take your breath away. As today's children get further and further away from hearing gorgeous, evocative, expressive language, parents and teachers can change this for the children they love by reading books like this. Let them hear language used so simply and masterfully, let them hear it often, and it becomes a part of what they know, what they love, and what they themselves can use one day.I often tell the children I have worked with, "You have a lot to say... learn language and expression well, so that people will hear it."Keep this book on the shelf, read it often, give it as gifts. You will be enriching the lives and expression of children lucky enough to hear it.

The Ostrich and the Lark is one of the Children's Africana Book Award's 2013 Best Books for Younger Readers. Marilyn Nelson's poetic language "tells a simple story, sure to engage readers." Exuberant, brilliant drawings illustrate each page, signed by the various artists in the Kuru Art Project collective, depicting the flora, fauna and colors of the Kalahari desert in Botswana. "Highly recommended not just for younger audiences, but also for older readers as an introduction to the rich artistic African heritage." (excerpts from Veronika Jenke review, published in Africa Access Review 1/14/13)see [...]