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Adele & Simon

Name: Adele & Simon
Author: Barbara McClintock
ISBN: 9780374380441

by Barbara McClintock

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Overview

When Simon’s older sister, Adèle, picks him up from school, he has his hat and gloves and scarf and sweater, his coat and knapsack and books and crayons, and a drawing of a cat he made that morning. Adèle makes Simon promise to try not to lose anything. But as they make their way home, distractions cause Simon to leave something behind at every stop. What will they tell their mother?

Detailed pen-and-ink drawings – filled with soft watercolors – make a game of this unforgettable tour through the streets and scenes of early-twentieth-century Paris. Illustrated endpapers extend the fun by replicating a 1907 Baedeker map of Paris. Adèle & Simon is a 2006 New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year and a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

When Adele walks her little brother Simon home from school he loses one more thing at every stop: his drawing of a cat at the grocer's shop, his books at the park, his crayons at the art museum, and more.

Synopsis

When Simon's older sister, Adèle, picks him up from school, he has his hat and gloves and scarf and sweater, his coat and knapsack and books and crayons, and a drawing of a cat he made that morning. Adèle makes Simon promise to try not to lose anything. But as they make their way home, distractions cause Simon to leave something behind at every stop. What will they tell their mother?

Detailed pen-and-ink drawings - filled with soft watercolors - make a game of this unforgettable tour through the streets and scenes of early-twentieth-century Paris. Illustrated endpapers extend the fun by replicating a 1907 Baedeker map of Paris.

Child Magazine

"Simon, please try not to lose anything today," Adele begs her little brother when she picks him up after school. Easier said than done, as forgetful Simon leaves his books, hat, coat, and more at stops along the way home. What makes spotting these tiny lost items an even more intriguing challenge for kids is the amazing milieu: early 20th-century Paris. Award-winning artist McClintock creates a breathtaking world where jugglers perform in front of Notre Dame, children watch a puppet show in the Jardin du Luxembourg, and the legendary Edgar Degas helps Simon look for the crayons he lost in the Louvre. It's a world where readers themselves can happily get lost. (Ages 4 to 6)
Child magazine's Best Children's Book Awards 2006

About the Author, Barbara McClintock

BARBARA MCCLINTOCK has written and illustrated several books for young readers, including Dahlia, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book. She is also the illustrator of many more. She lives in Windham, Connecticut.

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Editorials

From the Publisher

“[An] instant classic. McClintock’s illustrations . . . evoke the world of children’s books our grandmothers handed down, by Randolph Caldecott or Emile Gaillard.” —The New York Times Book Review

"Simon is a lucky kid—and so are the ones whose parents share this lovely book with them." —The Los Angeles Times

“The story is droll; the pen-and-ink drawings, glorious.” —Entertainment Weekly

“McClintock’s story is fun to read, and her illustrations, rich with autumn colors and scenes, make this book a standout.” —Scripps Howard News Service

“The illustrations are nonpareil.” —The Miami Herald

"Muted old-world watercolors pay homage to a great city and a special relationship at the dawn of the 20th century." —The San Francisco Chronicle

“A gifted artist offers gorgeous pen-and-ink watercolor drawings of early 20th century Paris.” —Buffalo News

“Parents will hunt for excuses to borrow this one.” —St. Louis-Post Dispatch

"McClintock's beautifully restrained use of color may evoke a long-ago time, but her compositions are so dynamic there's always something for contemporary children to discover." —Starred, Booklist

"Delightful . . . as enjoyable as a chocolate croissant." —Starred, Kirkus Reviews

"McClintock scores a double coup, creating a must-see for francophiles and an engaging hide-and-seek game for homebodies." —Starred, Publishers Weekly

"A beautiful example of bookmaking, with plenty to charm children, this is a visual delight." —School Library Journal

"With its cozy, Kate Greenaway flavor and many minutiae to discover, this will be especially nice to share one on one." —The Horn Book

From The Critics

Publishers Weekly

In this nostalgic charmer, McClintock (Dahlia) imagines a walking tour of Paris circa 1900, traced by two distractible siblings on their way home from school. (The endpapers, taken from a 1907 Baedeker map, chart the roundabout route.) When Adele greets Simon, "He [has] his hat and gloves and scarf and sweater, his coat and knapsack and books and crayons, and a drawing of a cat he'd made that morning." Despite his sister's pleading that he keep track of his possessions, Simon loses everything on the list. At a market, closely observed from a bird's eye-view, vendors sell carrots, books, birds and baskets, and Simon misplaces his drawing. Sharp-eyed readers might locate the boy's picture, but the siblings do not. Adele and Simon move on to the Louvre, Notre-Dame and the Jardin du Luxembourg, where they watch the Punch and Judy show and a parade of the Republican Guard. Simon drops a belonging at every stop, but in the reassuring conclusion, a queue of watchful people arrives at the children's home to return the goods. In illustrations that mimic hand-colored engravings, McClintock pictures orange autumn foliage against pale blue-gray skies. She depicts every detail with precision and warmth, from architecture and cobblestones to horses, early automobiles and period clothing. An afterword with thumbnail images identifies each location and allusions to Daumier, Atget and a few Impressionists (other allusions, such as one to Madeline, are left to discover). McClintock scores a double coup, creating a must-see for francophiles and an engaging hide-and-seek game for homebodies. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Augusta Scattergood

When Adele retrieves her younger brother at school, his scarf is wrapped around his neck and he is holding up his picture of a cat. By the time they have stopped at the Paris street corner shop of Madame Biscuit on their walk home, Simon has lost the drawing. Soon to be followed by his school books, crayons, and knapsack. Simon, it seems, cannot hold on to anything. And that is the charm of this book. Although the story takes place in early twentieth-century Paris, modern day children will delight in helping Simon search the Jardin des Plantes, the Louvre, and Notre-Dame Cathedral for his lost possessions. The author has included a helpful list, with brief histories, of the Paris landmarks she illustrates. The endpaper 1907 map shows Adele and Simon's route from school to home. Her detailed pen-and-ink drawings are perfect for this timeless school story. McClintock's previous books have been award winners, and this one is no exception.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-When Ad le meets her younger brother after school, she cautions him not to lose anything on the way home. The children take a leisurely route, visiting friends, a street market, a park, and two museums. Predictably, Simon leaves an item (his drawing, hat, knapsack, glove) behind at each location. Set in Paris during the early 20th century, this simple story is the basis for some remarkable illustrations. McClintock's pen-and-ink with watercolor technique has the feel of illustrated children's books from that period. The retro effect is accented by an old-fashioned typeface, creamy paper, and wide borders around the spreads. The children's route is traced on the endpapers-a map of Paris from 1907. Each stop is based on a real place, some immediately recognizable, such as the Louvre and Notre-Dame. McClintock's research is described in wonderfully detailed endnotes. For example, in the picture of the bustling street market, the groupings of people are based on works by Honor Daumier and Eug ne Atget. In the Louvre, Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt help Simon find his crayons. Readers will enjoy the visual game of hide-and-seek; the more they look, the more they can find. A beautiful example of bookmaking, with plenty to charm children, this is a visual delight.-Robin L. Gibson, Granville Parent Cooperative Preschool, OH Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Set against scenes of early 20th-century Paris, this engaging, reverse cumulative story follows a girl and her young brother when she picks him up from school. Adele cautions Simon, "Try not to lose anything today." But at each stop, Simon loses something: his cat drawing at the grocer's, his school books when he climbs a tree, his scarf in the natural history museum, a glove at the outdoor puppet show, his hat at the parade, his crayons in the art museum and his knapsack in the pastry shop. Each item is subtly hidden in the pen-and-ink illustrations and unsurprisingly, they are all returned to Simon at the end. This delightful combination of Where's Waldo, Arthur Geisert-like chain reactions and delicate, fine lines that richly detail the scenes is as enjoyable as a chocolate croissant. Attention has been paid to every design detail from the endpaper maps taken from the 1907 edition of Baedeker's Paris and Environs (with the location of the ten lost items noted), to a salute to Madeline, to comic touches like a dog wearing Simon's coat, to the two-page legend that describes each actual Parisian site and location. Tres magnifique! (Picture book. 5-8)