Martha Alexander (1920–2006)

I wanted this book to be so much better than it is. It deals with some very important ideas, but too simplistically and unrealistically. Max rebels against the safe rules for making pictures that his teacher, Miss Tilley, insists upon. The pictures are for Mother's Day and she believes that having each child color in a flower will provide an acceptable gift. In fact, Max knows that his mother will not like this; he chooses to make his mother happy rather than his teacher. Of course he does show more this by running away, hiding and creating his own picture. Miss Tilley calls the police and then things get strange. When Max is found, no one yells at him, they are just happy that he is safe. The children not only love Max's original artwork, they are all inspired to create their own pictures. Miss Tilley and the mothers are delighted by all the different pictures. Miss Tilley is not threatened by a student who defies her. Perhaps the real target audience of this book is the teachers and parents who want their children to follow the rules and stay within the lines, in lots of ways, not just artistically. Max is a revolutionary, not because he wants to change society, but because he must follow his own heart.
The book was published after Ms. Alexander died. James Rumford finished her sketches. There are also many beautiful, unique sketches at the beginning and end of the book by family, friends, and colleagues, many of them famous in the world of children's literature. show less

First sentence: I wake in the morning early
And always, the very first thing,
I poke out my head and I sit up in bed
And I sing and I sing and I sing.

I enjoy collecting vintage picture books. This one has a slightly Christian theme. I would say ninety percent celebrate nature and common joys in life and ten percent give a nod to God. It does include the Lord's Prayer and a few other familiar poem-prayers that you might have heard depending on your background.

I think it is a lovely-enough show more collection of poems. The poems aren't so religious and "Christian" that you are in any way teaching your children theology. But the poems are pleasant enough and not anti-Christian either.

I definitely liked the soft, soothing illustrations. show less

A young boy wonders what it would be like to visit the moon. When he goes to sleep at night, the chalk drawing of a bear on his blackboard comes to life and helps him build a spaceship. But is it too lonely on the moon?

This is a very sweet book about imaginative thought, the wonders of the unknown, and the comforts of home. It makes for a nice read-aloud, either with a group or a one-on-one situation. It pairs nicely with other books like Kitten's First Full Moon and Astronaut Annie, which show more also have imaginative takes on the moon and space travel.

The illustrations nicely complement the text, and the 'chalk' drawings are especially well done. The only downside is that many children today have never seen a blackboard, so an adult will have to explain that bit to them first. show less

Used for a presentation on T'shuvah because it is the first in a series containing We're in Big Trouble, Blackboard Bear. But while the latter book is charming, this one is a bit disturbing: The older children are not interested in letting a young boy play with them until he draws a large bear on his blackboard and the bear comes to life. The story ends with the boy drawing the older boys with their hats on his blackboard, explaining to the real boys that the bear might play with them after show more his lunch, and a final picture of a full bear with hats left on the blackboard.
The story has few words and is nicely drawn, but there is no positive moral that I can see. Although imagining revenge may be very satisfying. On the other hand, why must all children's books be edifying? On another hand, the book lacks political correctness: While there is a Black child, he is one of the Indians as the boys play Cowboys and Indians. There are also Cops and Robbers with toy guns. show less