Tuesday (Hardcover)

David Wiesner

0395870828

32 pages

English

2.31 lbs

10.5" x 0.38" x 9"

David Wiesner is one of the best-loved and most highly acclaimed picture book creators in the world. His books have been translated into more than a dozen languages and have won numerous awards in the United States and abroad. Three of the picture books he both wrote and illustrated became instant classics when they won the prestigious Caldecott Medal: Tuesday in 1992, The Three Pigs in 2002, and Flotsam in 2007, making him only the second person in the award's long history to have won three times. He has also received two Caldecott Honors, for Free Fall and Sector 7.

Wiesner grew up in suburban New Jersey, known to his classmates as "the kid who could draw." He went on to become a student at the Rhode Island School of Design, where he was able to commit himself to the full-time study of art and to explore further his passion for visual storytelling. He soon discovered that picture books were the perfect vehicle for his work.

Wiesner generally spends several years creating each new book. Many versions are sketched and revised until the storyline flows smoothly and each image works the way he wants it to. He creates three-dimensional models of objects he can't observe in real life, such as flying pigs and lizards standing upright, to add authenticity to his drawings.

David Wiesner lives with his family outside Philadelphia.

"Tuesday evening, around eight" - a deceptively mundane beginning for what proves to be a thrilling, miraculous, and surreal amphibian journey. Slowly and quietly on this particular Tuesday, a few fat frogs begin hovering over a swamp, riding lily pads like magic carpets. Clearly satisfied and comfortable, the floating frogs are as serene as little green buddhas. Gradually, the flying fleet grows in momentum and number sailing over the countryside and into an unsuspecting town. These frogs know how to have fun - startling the occasional bird, waving webbed feet at late-night snack eaters, and even changing the channels on a sleeping granny's television. As day breaks, the frogs lose their lily pads, head back to the pond, and wait impatiently for their next scheduled departure.

Tuesday won the 1992 Caldecott Medal and, among other honors was named as an ALA Notable Children's Book. The critical acclaim will come as no surprise to anyone who opens the pages of this beautiful and humorous book. With hardly any words (except those noting the time), David Wiesner creates a wondrous romp as silent as the middle of the night. Using the rich purples, blues, and greens of late evening, Wiesner draws readers into the warm, incandescent world of frog flight. "Read" this wordless wonder to children and savor it for yourself as well. Chances are, you and the youngsters will both find yourselves poised at the window, hoping to catch a few airborne frogs in the act." - Amazon.com Review

"As the full moon rises over a peaceful marsh, so do frogs on their lily pads - levitating straight up into the air and sailing off, with surprise with some laundry, hovering briefly before a TV left on. A dog chases one low-coasting frog, but is summarily routed by a concerted amphibious armada. Suddenly the rays of the rising sun dispel the magic; the frogs fall but with gratified expressions. Fish stick their heads out of the water to watch; a turtle gapes google-eyed. The phalanx of froggies glides over houses in a sleeping village, interrupting the one witness's midnight snack, tangling the ground and hop back to their marsh, leaving police puzzling over the lily pads on Main Street. In the final pages, the sun sets on the following Tuesday - and the air filles with ascending pigs! Dominated by rich blues and greens, and fully exploiting its varied perspectives, this book treats its readers to the pleasures of airborne adventure. It may not be immortal, but kids will love its lighthearted, meticulously imagined, fun-without-a-moral fantasy. Tuesday is bound to take off.  - Patricia Dooley (University of Washington, Seattle)

Hardcover