Patricia Lee Gauch
Author of Christina Katerina and the Box
About the Author
Author and editor Patricia Lee Gauch was born in Detroit, Michigan on January 3, 1934. She received a B. A. in English Literature from Miami University in Ohio, a M. A. in Teaching from Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York, and a Doctorate in English Literature from Drew University in show more Madison, New Jersey. Before she began writing children's books, she was a newspaper reporter for the Louisville Courier-Journal and freelanced for the Detroit Free Press. She has written over thirty children's books, which have received critical acclaim as well as numerous awards and citations. In 1985, she became the Editor-in-Chief of Philomel Books and was the editor for Caldecott Medal winners Owl Moon by Jane Yolen and Lon Po Po by Ed Young, as well as the Caldecott Honor winner Seven Blind Mice, also by Ed Young. She has taught children's literature at Rutgers University and Drew University and her reviews have appeared in The New York Times. She is currently the Vice-President and Editorial Director of Philomel Books and lives in Hyde Park, New York. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: rhcrayon
Series
Works by Patricia Lee Gauch
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1934-01-03
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
Loved this book about an spirited, independent-minded child and her developing friendship with another girl. The book showed girls being strangers to each other, and the anxiety of a type of competitiveness, without ginning up a lot of unnecessary hostility and girlhood rivalry. In short, a welcome departure from a lot of beginning-girl-friendship tales.[return][return]Plus, an excellent demonstration of imagination at work, and I loved the way the illustrations showed the girls dancing like show more animals. show less
Tanya loves to dance and she dances all the time, even when she's setting the dinner table and going to bed. In ballet class Tanya is the smallest and the wiggliest, but she doesn’t mind as long as she dances. Then Emily joins class and Tanya can’t take her eyes off her. Emily is a ballerina in every way. Unlike Tanya, Emily is calm and controlled. She can dance beautifully. She can even do a cabriole. Tanya can’t. But Emily and Tanya don’t talk, until the day they both walk home on show more the path through the park zoo. Emily can dance in class, but Tanya can see dance in everything around her. As they pass the animals in the zoo, Tanya shows Emily how to dance an ostrich, a flamingo, a leopard. Soon both girls are dancing giraffes, antelope, penguins, and best of all, Emily teaches Tanya to dance a wild goat, a cabriole! Now Tanya and Emily dance together all the time, in class and out, and at the end of the year recital they dance a pas de deux, with a cabriole of course.
Gauch’s text is simple, yet evocative and easy to read out loud. The correct ballet terminology is always used and the different personalities of the two girls are expressed through the verbal description of their movements, as well as the illustrations. The watercolor illustrations are beautiful compositions of light, shadow, and movement. Ichikawa not only accurately depicts ballet steps, but also captures the unique spirit and character of each girl. Short and strong, little Tanya dances with a spunky muscular joy, while Emily, lithe and slim, dances with poise and grace.
Full Review at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2012/08/book-214-tanya-and-emily-in-dance-fo... show less
Gauch’s text is simple, yet evocative and easy to read out loud. The correct ballet terminology is always used and the different personalities of the two girls are expressed through the verbal description of their movements, as well as the illustrations. The watercolor illustrations are beautiful compositions of light, shadow, and movement. Ichikawa not only accurately depicts ballet steps, but also captures the unique spirit and character of each girl. Short and strong, little Tanya dances with a spunky muscular joy, while Emily, lithe and slim, dances with poise and grace.
Full Review at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2012/08/book-214-tanya-and-emily-in-dance-fo... show less
Loved this book about an spirited, independent-minded child and her developing friendship with another girl. The book showed girls being strangers to each other, and the anxiety of a type of competitiveness, without ginning up a lot of unnecessary hostility and girlhood rivalry. In short, a welcome departure from a lot of beginning-girl-friendship tales.
Plus, an excellent demonstration of imagination at work, and I loved the way the illustrations showed the girls dancing like animals.
Plus, an excellent demonstration of imagination at work, and I loved the way the illustrations showed the girls dancing like animals.
I loved CK and the Box, but I had no idea there were more books about this strong-willed girl. I'm glad to learn about them, though, and will seek the others. This one, hm, not sure. I mean, there's letting a kid learn a lesson on her own, and there's being indulgent... not sure where this one falls. Will the girl remember this lesson when she's a teen, or will she rebel against curfew in order to take more consequential risks?
Lists
Ballet Books (5)
Awards
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Statistics
- Works
- 38
- Also by
- 2
- Members
- 2,527
- Popularity
- #10,154
- Rating
- 4.1
- Reviews
- 27
- ISBNs
- 111
- Languages
- 6