Shadow

This is a book all about the shadow. Shadow is mute and never speaks, he is never bothersome or hungry. Shadow lives in the forest and does not sleep, but he is always watching. Every morning, shadow comes out breaking loose, unwinding, stretching, and branching out like snakes, scorpions and worms. But shadow is known to be a trickster, and mocks you behind your back.
This is a beautifully written story about the shadow, and the illustration is just absolutely breath taking. The colors used were deep and gave a really spooky effect on the book. I put grades 3-5 as the recommended age because I feel like some younger kids may get scared by this book.

Shadow lives in the forest... It goes forth at night to prowl around the fires. It even likes to mingle with the dancers... Shadow... It waves with the grasses, curls up at the foot of trees...But in the African experience Shadow is much more. The village storytellers and shamans of an Africa that is passing into memory called forth for the poet Blaise Cendrars an eerie image, shifting between the beliefs of the present and the spirits of the past. Shadow... It does not cry out, it has no voice... It can cast a spell over you... It follows man everywhere, even to war...Marcia Brown's stunning illustrations in collage, inspired by her travels in Africa, evoke the atmosphere and drama of a life now haunted, now enchanted by Shadow.

With it's themes of multiple and forgotten identities, it can get a bit confusing at times, even on a re-read; but like a Raider attack, it flows around you while you are trying to understand it. You grasp a moment and think Aha, and then, like life, you see a different side... Fascinating

I did not enjoy Shadow at all. The art is terrific, and, in Brown's word, "eerie." The rhythm of the words is apt. If I were spiritual, or philosophical, or creative, or simply more imaginative, I suspect I might like the book better... but I just couldn't feel or understand anything about what was being presented. Nor can I find reviews that help - I believe it's one of those books that is intensely personal.

It reminds me a lot of a Parnall/Byrd book, for example Hawk, I'm Your Brother, in that it's a long plotless poem from a non-European perspective about a 'Nature Spirit' sort of icon, illustrated with a graceful but iconographic style... but I love the desert books of Parnall & Byrd...."

The woodblock/paper collage illustrations are both intricate and simple. The mood for the text and illustrations are darker yet still vibrant and bright. Interesting description of what a shadow is-certainly more interesting than the Peter Pan version. This version has life, and is neither dark nor light- it just is-living in its own way.

Very impressed by the illustrations from Brown. The media used throughout the book is of a collage. The pictures are bright, interesting, mysterious, bold, new, and cutting edge. It is easy to see why this book received a Caldecott award, I noticed that I spent more time looking at the illustrations as the story went on. The story is taken from African village storytellers and shamans dealing with the beliefs between the present and the spirits of the past, revolving around once central theme Shadows. The story is different and unique and the illustrations complement the story very nicely. This book sparks curiosity for children (illustrations and text) but also a book that can captivate the minds of adults. Children will be drawn to show more this book due to the illustrations and the story since being one that most children are not familiar with. I can see some children staying away from the book due to the mysterious and dark illustrations.
Ages 5 and 10. show less

A poetic story describing all the stages that a shadow will take form, such as differences between the time of day or the elements involved. A free verse poem that invites the reader to immerse themselves in a spiritualist like ritual in African lands. Intense black and red tones in a mix of water colors, pastels and markers.