by Kristine O'Connell George
Illustrated by Lauren Stringer 
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
    ISBN 0-15-202-501-4
Ages 6 to 10

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See more of Hiroe Nakata's charming art


 






 


A trip to the park with Daddy is full of joyful opportunities to climb, to jump, to swing, to be lifted . . . Up! Once again, award-winning poet Kristine O’Connell George takes a playful look at the world through the eyes of a very young child. With a theme every parent and toddler will recognize, her brief stanzas, accompanied by Hiroe Nakata’s bright watercolor paintings, pArt © Hiroe Nakata 2005erfectly capture the thrill and exuberance of being "Up!"



Activity Guide for Up!
 

Art © Hiroe Nakata 2005


 


 


Art © Hiroe Nakata 2005


About Writing Up!


Writing UP! was uplifting. (Sorry! )

Up!
This single word seems a perfect way to describe young children. They experience the world from a variety of unusual perspectives; I don't think they're bound by the same rules of gravity as we adults. However, I haven't forgotten the irresistible joy of "Up!" and hoped to recapture that feeling. In writing UP! I  revisited some of my childhood joys: swinging, walking on walls, jumping on a trampoline, even jumping on the bed. (I avoided a pogo stick!)

 

Isn't Hiroe Nakata's art magical? Look for the whimsical surprises she's hidden on almost every page!


 


Reviews


Starred review, Booklist
 "[A] joyful, sun-soaked picture book which celebrates a father-daughter day in the park. In minimal, rhyming words that bounce with an irresistible beat...George conveys a vivid sense of a toddler's eye-view — from the "flying feeling" ... to the thrill of swinging high. Nakata's airy, spirited watercolors beautifully expand on the words' carefree physical elation with skewed angles, glorious fruit-juice colors, and leaping, tumbling toys and figures. Children will easily recognize the toddler's irrepressible energy, and they will feel the girl's gleeful empowerment when she flies high, as well as her deep trust and comfort when Dad's there to catch, "safe and snug - tucked inside ...daddy's hug."

"...Whimsical and bright watercolor art combined with rhyming text and lots of smiles make for a fun father-and-daughter outing. School Library Journal

"...[L]emon yellow, crisp sea-foam green and vibrant tangerine hues to create a visual palette that is as vivacious as the tale. George's bubble tale is just the right thing to capture a bustling toddlers' attention." Kirkus

"...You can be sure Daddy won't be sleeping for long in this joyful picture book..." CCBC Choices

 

 

 


Trinity, age four, our very first reader!

  

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