On The Day the Tall Ships Sailed - Hardcover

In a radical departure from their Junior Kroll stories, the Paraskevases offer a patriotic, even militaristic ode. On the Fourth of July, as stately tall ships journey up the Hudson River past modern Manhattan, a lone eagle joins their procession, a symbol come to life. Against a full-bleed background of water and sky, the bird is seen with wings outstretched. A twice-repeated refrain ("He was gallant, he was regal,/ Did you see that eagle,/ Eyes, canary diamonds in the sun?") emphasizes the creature's imperial splendor; elsewhere, his feathers are likened to weaponry ("Did you see his armor shine,/ As the tall ships fell in line...?"). As the ships and the solitary eagle glide in unison, a crowd of mostly white adults waves American flags ("Were you proud/ To be there in the crowd...?"). When the eagle "scream[s]" above the noise of a ceremonial cannon blast, the text exhorts readers to think not of symbols but of "flesh and blood and bone": "There were scars for times he failed,/ But on the day the tall ships sailed,/ Did you think of all the good things that he'd done?" Betty Paraskevas includes sheet music for her drumlike text, while Michael Paraskevas's naturalistic, expansive acrylic paintings imply the eagle's (and America's) dominion over earth and air. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 4-8. The mother-and-son team that created Junior Kroll (1993) offers another rhymed picture-book presentation. The text is a patriotic song describing how a single eagle soars high above the tall ships sailing up the Hudson River on the Fourth of July. With eyes like "canary diamonds in the sun," this magnificent bird looks more regal in the flesh than carved in stone as he reminds the crowds below of all he symbolizes. The rich, acrylic illustrations feature a black, white, and yellow raptor set against a mostly blue background of sky and sea. Many spreads present aerial views of this American icon gliding high over Manhattan, and several scenes depict close-ups of the bird in flight. With music appended, this is a good choice for story hours, especially on Independence Day. Stephanie Zvirin
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