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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 811.52
EAN: 9780679881704
ISBN: 0679881700
Label: Alfred A. Knopf
Manufacturer: Alfred A. Knopf
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 24
Publication Date: 1998-01-16
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Product Release Date: 1997-12-16
Studio: Alfred A. Knopf

"It is because I love you I give you for your birthday present the aurora borealis" begins this never-before-published poem by quintessential American poet Carl Sandburg.  The brief text,  designed with the air of a turn-of-the-century love letter, tells of a lovestruck young man who struggles to bring the "shimmering swimmering" northern lights to the front porch of his beloved.  This stylish valentine for all seasons is luminously illustrated by Caldecott Honor artist Anita Lobel who lights up the sky in colors and images that dance on the page.  In a style suggestive of Georgia O'Keeffe's, Lobel has created a picturebook tour de force that speaks to all ages.  Handsomely formatted, complete with a pink satin ribbon bookmark, it is a beautiful testimony to the power of love and an elegant way to say "I love you" any day of the year.  

Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Not Everyday a Book Like This
Review: Right from the start this book is one of those that just feels good in the hand. A thin aesthetically pleasing little volume it has a red satin ribbon to mark your place and a brightly colored huge red heart invites you inside from the front cover. The text is a love poem by the great Carl Sandburg that has never before been published. The pictures are by Anita Lobel and they are filled with glad, warm-hearted images and colors.
A young man goes to "where the aurora borealises grow" and brings home a beautiful speciman for his true love's birthday. The enchanting swirls of color actually do quite well at depicting the essence of the aurora borealis and its mysterious, magical light show. I know, because the northern lights were swirling in the skies over my home just a few nights ago and Lobel captured the feeling just perfectly.
We follow the young man's struggle to find and bring the aurora borealis to his love and we believe that his feelings are so strong that he really can do anything for his love that he sets his heart on doing. He offers to bring her more aurora borealises or even a rainbow if she would like. This poetical man is letting her know that he will always work hard for her and struggle through life with her which is something a young woman may hope for, but this clever man has found a beautiful and romantic way to say it. His sensitivity to her need for beauty and abundance is the endearing point of the colorful promises he makes in this story.
I treasure this book and I think it makes a wonderful gift for anyone you love, especially yourself.

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Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Pure and amazing.
Review: I'm an avid reader of all sorts of novels. I've read 'em with thousands of pages, but none of them have ever moved me as much as this little book did. Both the poem and the illustration have a magical, enchanting quality to them. Buy it for yourself or as a gift. It's well worth the money.

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Customer Rating:
Review Summary: The Most Beautiful Book I've ever read.
Review: This book is so amazing that when i picked it up in the store and started reading it, i began to cry right there in the shop. i've never experienced that sort of thing in before. i bouth the book right there on the spot with money i had ear-marked for something else. It is just a really simple, really beautiful poem about love with wonderful illustrations. It makes a beautiful present for a child or even a sweetheart.

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