There Is a Tribe of Kids

Lane Smith

$18.99

Publication Date: May 3rd, 2016

Publisher:

Roaring Brook Press

ISBN:

9781626720565

Pages:

Description

Winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal

When a young boy embarks on a journey alone . . .
he trails a colony of penguins,
undulates in a smack of jellyfish,
clasps hands with a constellation of stars,
naps for a night in a bed of clams,
and follows a trail of shells,
home to his tribe of friends.

If Lane Smith's Caldecott Honor Book Grandpa Green was an homage to aging and the end of life, There Is a Tribe of Kids is a meditation on childhood and life's beginning. Smith's vibrant sponge-paint illustrations and use of unusual collective nouns such as smack and unkindness bring the book to life. Whimsical, expressive, and perfectly paced, this story plays with language as much as it embodies imagination, and was awarded the 2017 Kate Greenaway Medal.

This title has Common Core connections.

About the Author

Lane Smith has written and illustrated a bunch of stuff, including the Kate Greenaway Medalist There Is A Tribe of Kids, and A Perfect Day.

He is also the author of the middle-grade novel Return to Augie Hobble, as well as author and illustrator of Caldecott Honor book Grandpa Green and runaway New York Times bestseller It's a Book which has been translated into over twenty languages. His other works include the national bestsellers Madam President and John, Paul, George & Ben. His titles with Jon Scieszka have included the Caldecott Honor winner The Stinky Cheese Man; The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs; Math Curse; and Science Verse. Lane's other high profile titles include Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! by Dr. Seuss and Jack Prelutsky; The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip by George Saunders; Big Plans by Bob Shea; and James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. In 1996, Lane served as Conceptual Designer on the Disney film version of James and the Giant Peach.

In 2012, the Eric Carle Museum named him a Carle Artist for "lifelong innovation in the field of children's picture books," and in 2014, he was awarded the lifetime achievement award from the Society of Illustrators. He lives in rural Connecticut with the designer Molly Leach.

Praise for There Is a Tribe of Kids

Winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal

"Gorgeously textured and colored . . . witty and humorous. . . Smith soars in this earnest, meditative work about longing, the joy of interaction, and family. Absolutely radiant." —Kirkus, starred review

"A kaleidoscopic look at nature imbued with a playful love of language that young readers can’t fail to embrace." —Booklist, starred review

"One of the book’s delights is its shifting moods and colors, which feel like the movements of an orchestral work... organically formed... vivid and clean." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"There is much to savor and explore in this cleverly crafted picture book, and readers will glean more with each perusal. A must-have." —School Library Journal, starred review

"This is a book straight from the thoughts of a young child, with the feel of a daydream... an emotion-filled journey." —The Horn Book