A CALDECOTT HONOR BOOK “Brilliantly elegant in design and artwork, this perfect picture book retells an old fable, while subtly conveying the concepts of color, numbers, and days of the week.”— School Library Journal "It's a snake," says Green Mouse. "It's a fan!" cries Orange Mouse. "It's a spear," proclaims Yellow Mouse. One by one, the six blind mice investigate the strange Something by the pond. And one by one, they come back with a different theory. It's only when the seventh mouse goes out—and explores the complete Something—that the mice see the whole truth. A lesson in colors, numbers, the days of the week and most important, knowledge, this exquisitely illustrated book has stood the test of time and continues to entertain and teach. Based on a classic Indian tale, Ed Young's beautifully rendered version is a treasure to enjoy again and again. Kindergarten-Grade 3-- A real winner, on many levels. The first impression is visual delight. Brilliant colors and varied textures of paper collage are placed in striking contrast against velvety black pages. Bold white lettering imposed on the dark background tells of seven blind mice, seen in seven bright colors. Over the course of a week each investigates, in turn, the strange ``Something'' it encounters. To one it is a pillar, to another a snake, to another a cliff. Finally, on the seventh day, the white mouse, running across the thing and remembering what the others found, concludes that it is an elephant. The tale ends with the moral that wisdom comes from seeing ``the whole.'' Adapting the old fable of the blind men and the elephant by weaving in the days of the week, the mice, and the beautiful shapes of the things they see, Young gives children a clever story, wise words, and a truly exciting visual experience. - Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. A many-talented illustrator (Lon Po Po, 1989, Caldecott Medal) uses a new medium--collage--in an innovative reworking of ``The Blind Men and the Elephant,'' with splendid results: a book that casually rehearses the days of the week, numbers (ordinal and cardinal), and colors while memorably explicating and extending the theme: ``Knowing in part may make a fine tale, but wisdom comes from seeing the whole.'' The mice (first seen as an intriguing row of bright tails on the elegantly spare black title spread) are the colors of the rainbow plus white; they, the white text, and the parts of the elephant (as they really are and as the mice imagine them) are superimposed on a dramatic black ground. The real elephant is skillfully composed with textured and crumpled paper in gentle earth tones; in a sly philosophical twist, the form each mouse imagines is the color of the mouse: e.g., Green Mouse says the trunk is a snake, shown as green. On Sunday, White Mouse (the only female) runs over the entire elephant, getting the others to join her; now, at last, with her help, they all understand the whole. Exquisitely crafted: a simple, gracefully honed text, an appealing story, real but unobtrusive values and levels of meaning, and outstanding illustrations and design--all add up to a perfect book. (Picture book. 3+) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. “Exquisitely crafted: a simple, gracefully honed text, an appealing story, and outstanding illustrations and design—all add up to a perfect book.” — Kirkus Reviews , pointer review “Immensely appealing.”— The Horn Book , starred review “In a stunning celebration of color Caldecott medalist Young ( Lon Po Po ) offers a vibrant variation on the fable of the blind men trying to identify an elephant.” — Publishers Weekly “Brilliantly elegant in design and artwork, this perfect picture book retells an old fable, while subtly conveying the concepts of color, numbers, and days of the week.”— School Library Journal Caldecott medalist Ed Young was born in Tientsin, China, and brought up in Shanghai. He cites the philosophy of Chinese painting as an inspiration for much of his work. "A Chinese painting is often accompanied by words," he explains; "they are complementary. There are things that words do that pictures never can, and likewise, there are images that words can never describe." Mr. Young has been illustrating children's books for more than twenty years and has won many awards. He received the 1990 Caldecott Medal for his book Lon Po Po , and his much-lauded collaboration with anthologist Nancy Larrick, Cats Are Cats , was named one of the Ten Best Illustrated Books of 1988 by The New York Times . Mr. Young studied at the University of Illinois, the Art Center of Los Angeles, and Pratt Institute in New York City. He and his family live in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. copyright 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.