{"id":32703,"date":"2018-11-17T00:05:20","date_gmt":"2018-11-17T04:05:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=32703"},"modified":"2018-11-17T00:05:20","modified_gmt":"2018-11-17T04:05:20","slug":"review-of-tony-by-ed-galing-illustrated-by-erin-e-stead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=32703","title":{"rendered":"Review of Tony, by Ed Galing, illustrated by Erin E. Stead"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Tony<\/em><\/p>\n

by Ed Galing
\nillustrated by Erin E. Stead<\/p>\n

A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, 2017. 32 pages.
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

I\u2019m biased in favor of this book. At the 2017 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Atlanta, I heard Erin Stead talk about how they found the manuscript and I saw some images from the art.<\/p>\n

Erin and her husband first saw the text as a poem in a newspaper put out by homeless folks. When they tried to find the author, they learned he had just died in his 90s. Their publisher worked hard to get permissions, and the result is this beautiful and quiet picture book.<\/p>\n

I certainly would not have seen this poem as a potential picture book text. But seeing it in that form, I have to acknowledge that these words are the perfect vehicle for Erin\u2019s art.<\/p>\n

The story (almost the incident) is of a cart horse named Tony who pulled a milk truck. Early in the morning, Tony and his driver would bring milk, butter, and eggs to the author\u2019s house. He was awake, even though it was 3 a.m., and would greet Tony.<\/p>\n

The driver told the author that Tony always looked for him. And here are the words for the last five spreads of the book:<\/p>\n

wouldn\u2019t miss Tony for the world,
\nI would reply
\nsturdily,
\ngiving Tony another pat,<\/p>\n

he is such a wonderful
\nhorse, and so handsome.<\/p>\n

I am sure he heard
\nthat, Tom would
\nsmile widely,
\nas he got back into
\nthe truck<\/p>\n

and as they pulled away<\/p>\n

I knew that Tony
\ndid a little dance.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

See how simple? But oh, the beautiful art! The simple curve of one of Tony\u2019s legs, showing the little dance.<\/p>\n

The color is a simple green background, with radiant highlights of yellow for the rising sun or light coming out of a building.<\/p>\n

And Tony \u2013 well, I fully believe that he is such a wonderful horse.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t a snappy or silly story. This isn\u2019t a fable or a myth. It\u2019s more of a vignette, but a slice of life that reveals love and friendship.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the sort of book that compels an appreciative pause when you\u2019re done.<\/p>\n

This is another one where my descriptions don\u2019t do the artwork justice. Check it out yourself!<\/p>\n

www.mackids.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Picture_Books\/tony.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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