Maria Gianferrari
Author of Hello Goodbye Dog
Series
Works by Maria Gianferrari
La perrazo de hola y adios 1 copy
Fungi grow 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Gender
- female
- Occupations
- children's book author
- Agent
- Ammi-Joan Paquette (Erin Murphy Literary Agency, Inc.)
- Short biography
- [excerpt from author's website]
I write both fiction and nonfiction picture books. I am inspired by the human-animal bond. I love dogs, and most of my fiction picture books star dogs as main characters and were inspired by my late, very beloved rescue dog, Becca. My nonfiction picture books focus on the natural world. I love trees and birds and all kinds of wild creatures. I'm fascinated by the subject of urban ecology, and the ways in which wild animals have adapted to life and co-existence with humans. - Nationality
- USA
- Places of residence
- Keene, New Hampshire, USA
Northern Virginia, USA - Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
Author Maria Gianferrari and illustrator Jia Liu explore the fascinating world of tongues, and all of the amazing things that they can do in this informative, engaging work of picture-book natural history. A series of tongues are described in the narrative - tongues that work like swords, or straws, or air conditioners - and the young reader/listener is invited to guess the animals to which they belong. Turning the page provides the answers, while more details about each animal mentioned is show more provided at the rear of the book...
The eighth picture-book I have read from Gianferrari, but the first from Liu, who makes her American debut here, Terrific Tongues! is a fun title, taking a comparative approach to an aspect of animal life and anatomy that I have not seen explored that frequently before. I learned a number of things here that I did not know before - the fact that the Darwin hawkmoth's tongue is three times the length of its body, or that an octopus has two tongues - and I imagine young animal lovers will as well. The artwork, created digitally, is colorful and cute, capturing the humor of the somewhat wacky topic and the entertaining way it has been presented. Recommended to young picture-book audiences who are interested in animals and their terrific tongues. show less
The eighth picture-book I have read from Gianferrari, but the first from Liu, who makes her American debut here, Terrific Tongues! is a fun title, taking a comparative approach to an aspect of animal life and anatomy that I have not seen explored that frequently before. I learned a number of things here that I did not know before - the fact that the Darwin hawkmoth's tongue is three times the length of its body, or that an octopus has two tongues - and I imagine young animal lovers will as well. The artwork, created digitally, is colorful and cute, capturing the humor of the somewhat wacky topic and the entertaining way it has been presented. Recommended to young picture-book audiences who are interested in animals and their terrific tongues. show less
Gratitude to farmers is the theme of this engaging picture book from author Maria Gianferrari and illustrator Monica Mikai, as the narrative highlights all of the things we enjoy eating and wearing, that come to us thanks to farmers. Thank a farmer for your bread, the reader and listener are told, as the poetic narrative gives a simple outline of how wheat is harvested and processed. Thank a farmer for the milk in your cereal, the narrator next instructs, going on to describe what happens on show more a dairy farm. So it goes, as farmers are thanked for product after product, food stuff after food stuff (as well as wool). The book concludes with an afterword giving more information about each food product discussed, as well as lists of further reading and resources...
Thank a Farmer is the nineteenth title I have read by Gianferrari, whose work I have been exploring lately, and it the last I had yet to read. I am rather sad to have finished with her books, but will look forward to what she has to produce next. As for the book itself, I thought that it was informative and fun, seeking to inculcate a sense of gratitude in young people for all of the many people who work hard to produce the goods they consume, while also educating them, in ways overt and subtle, about the diverse array of farmers and farms out there. I appreciated the fact that the farmers and consumers depicted were diverse, but that so too was the farm type, from small family farms to industrial outfits, places where produce is picked by hand and those where large machines are used. I also liked that traditional cultural practices, such as the harvesting of wild rice by the native peoples of the Great Lakes region, was covered. The accompanying artwork from Mikai, with whom I was previously unfamiliar, was colorful and appealing, although I wish that the colophon had given information about the artistic media used (something I always look for). In any case, I would recommend this to picture book audiences looking for contemporary books about farmers and what they produce. show less
Thank a Farmer is the nineteenth title I have read by Gianferrari, whose work I have been exploring lately, and it the last I had yet to read. I am rather sad to have finished with her books, but will look forward to what she has to produce next. As for the book itself, I thought that it was informative and fun, seeking to inculcate a sense of gratitude in young people for all of the many people who work hard to produce the goods they consume, while also educating them, in ways overt and subtle, about the diverse array of farmers and farms out there. I appreciated the fact that the farmers and consumers depicted were diverse, but that so too was the farm type, from small family farms to industrial outfits, places where produce is picked by hand and those where large machines are used. I also liked that traditional cultural practices, such as the harvesting of wild rice by the native peoples of the Great Lakes region, was covered. The accompanying artwork from Mikai, with whom I was previously unfamiliar, was colorful and appealing, although I wish that the colophon had given information about the artistic media used (something I always look for). In any case, I would recommend this to picture book audiences looking for contemporary books about farmers and what they produce. show less
Moose the dog loved hello and she hated goodbye. Hello meant spending time with her favorite human, Zara. It meant playtime and games. Goodbye meant separation from Zara, and solitude. In a series of escapades, Moose proves that it is very difficult to keep her away from her little girl, even when she is in school, and dogs aren't meant to be there. Fortunately, Zara has an idea how Moose's disinclination to say goodbye can be put to good use...
A celebration of therapy dogs - particularly, show more of therapy reading dogs - Hello Goodbye Dog paints a picture of an inseparable girl/dog duo, much like author Maria Gianferrari's previous picture-books about Penny and Jelly. I appreciated the fact that Zara is in a wheelchair here, but that no undue attention is paid to this fact in the text, as we often have customers coming in to work asking for children's books featuring disabled characters, where disability is not the point of the story. I also appreciated that Moose's natural exuberance is given a proper outlet through training, as I sometimes think that dog owners and lovers are a little oblivious to the chaos (and sometimes even harm) their beloved canine companions can cause to others, through lack of proper supervision and control. The artwork here, done by Patrice Barton, who also illustrated the wonderful picture-book, The Invisible Boy, is absolutely lovely, capturing Moose's hi-jinks, and the loving bond between girl and dog perfectly. Recommended to anyone looking for stories about reading dogs - perhaps it can be paired with Lisa Papp's Madeline Finn and the Library Dog - and to anyone who enjoys engaging stories about the bond between people and their animals companions. show less
A celebration of therapy dogs - particularly, show more of therapy reading dogs - Hello Goodbye Dog paints a picture of an inseparable girl/dog duo, much like author Maria Gianferrari's previous picture-books about Penny and Jelly. I appreciated the fact that Zara is in a wheelchair here, but that no undue attention is paid to this fact in the text, as we often have customers coming in to work asking for children's books featuring disabled characters, where disability is not the point of the story. I also appreciated that Moose's natural exuberance is given a proper outlet through training, as I sometimes think that dog owners and lovers are a little oblivious to the chaos (and sometimes even harm) their beloved canine companions can cause to others, through lack of proper supervision and control. The artwork here, done by Patrice Barton, who also illustrated the wonderful picture-book, The Invisible Boy, is absolutely lovely, capturing Moose's hi-jinks, and the loving bond between girl and dog perfectly. Recommended to anyone looking for stories about reading dogs - perhaps it can be paired with Lisa Papp's Madeline Finn and the Library Dog - and to anyone who enjoys engaging stories about the bond between people and their animals companions. show less
American author Maria Gianferrari and British illustrator Mia Powell team up in this picture book examination of the importance of play in the animal (including human!) world. The main text is playful and informative, with simple but poetic descriptions of how different kinds of animals—collared peccaries, rhinos, monkeys, ravens, river otters, dolphins, elephants, kangaroos, rats, wolves, ungulates, gorillas, and keas—play, and what that play accomplishes. A few pages of back matter show more gives more information about each animal profiled, as well as ideas for further reading...
Although not a personal favorite when it comes to Gianferrari's books—I prefer titles like Coyote Moon or Bobcat Prowling, which are both a little more in depth, and which were both illustrated by the marvelous Bagram Ibatoulline—Play Like an Animal!: Why Critters Splash, Race, Twirl, and Chase was still solidly engaging, and an informative and entertaining picture book for younger animal lovers. I particularly liked that it tied animal play to human play, and emphasized how important both were, in terms of the development of social skills, dexterity, and other abilities. The accompanying illustrations from Powell, whose work I have not encountered before, was colorful and cute, capturing the sense of movement in each scene. Recommended to playful young animal lovers, and to the adults caring for such children. show less
Although not a personal favorite when it comes to Gianferrari's books—I prefer titles like Coyote Moon or Bobcat Prowling, which are both a little more in depth, and which were both illustrated by the marvelous Bagram Ibatoulline—Play Like an Animal!: Why Critters Splash, Race, Twirl, and Chase was still solidly engaging, and an informative and entertaining picture book for younger animal lovers. I particularly liked that it tied animal play to human play, and emphasized how important both were, in terms of the development of social skills, dexterity, and other abilities. The accompanying illustrations from Powell, whose work I have not encountered before, was colorful and cute, capturing the sense of movement in each scene. Recommended to playful young animal lovers, and to the adults caring for such children. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 24
- Members
- 1,150
- Popularity
- #22,331
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 91
- ISBNs
- 61
- Languages
- 6