Joni Mitchell

The mark of a well dne children's book is when the illustrations and words are so intertwined that neither is complete without the other; both are required for a fully enjoyable read, and the contemplation of one can leade to new insights on the other. Unfortunately, I don't feel like this collaborative effort has hit the mark. The song lyrics and illustrations are perfect individually, but there is a distinct distance between them that makes the whole book quite disjointed. I think the show more major problem is that Froud chose to illustrate each verse separately, and with very literal interpretations of each. This resulted in very few of the illustrations matching eachother's colour scheme, contents, or layout, so the reader has no segway between pictures. The lyrics of the song may tell a story, but the pictures are a touch too much of a random assortment for them to be a proper compliment. At least they are beautifully done when viewed on their own! show less

With every new day comes the appreciation and pleasures of the simple things in life like milk, honey and rainbows. The sights and sounds of the everyday create music and wonders' demonstrating how magical an ordinary morning really is, filled with joy, faeries and new possibilities. Affectionate, light and playful, it is a perfect story to start your day by or just brighten your day with.

Chelsea Morning brings together Joni Mitchell's classic song with the liveliness of faeries as only show more Brian Froud can portray them. The Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter Joni Mitchell teams up with award-winning illustrator Brian Froud to create this light and dreamy coupling of music and imagery. Brian's images give Joni's words form and new life in this, Brian's first children's book in decades. This bright yet sweet book is inspirational in a beautifully innocent and naive way. show less

Lavish illustrations accompany the lyrics to Joni Mitchell’s quintessential “Both Sides Now,” evoking a sense of childlike wonder. The lyrics remain ethereal,

The picture book, with its targeted audience of young readers in second or third grade, is fanciful and, perhaps, magical when paired with the song’s lyrics. But this picture book may be more suited to adults who remember the song as they may be the ones who find the nostalgia most satisfying.

In my opinion, there is no one comparable to the artistry of this wonderful, creative, artistic and talented lady! If you, like me, appreciate her poems and songs and the incredible manner in which she paints an image, then this is a book you will love.

As I write, I'm humming the a few of the words to some of her poems which are of the lessor known variety, they spin round and round in my head like a circle game.

The Midway

I met you on a midway at a fair last year
And you stood out like a ruby show more in a black man's ear
You were betting on the numbers
You were shaking up the dice
and I thought I saw you cheating once or twice

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Urge For Going
I awoke today and found
the frost perched on the town
It hovered in a frozen sky
then it gobbled summer down
When the sun turns traitor cold
and all the trees are shivering in a naked row

I get the urge for going
But I never seem to go
I get the urge for going
When the meadow grass is turning brown
Summertime is falling down and winter is closing in

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The Hissing of Summer Lawns
He put up a barbed wire fence
To keep out the unknown
And on every metal thorn
Just a little blood of his own
She patrols that fence of his
To a latin drum
And the hissing of summer lawns show less