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Enchanted Lion's Stories Without Words
Eau Glacée
Sur l'île des cochons, le réservoir d'eau est presque vide. Une grande expédition est alors lancée pour trouver de l'eau douce.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
162 people want to read
About the author
Arthur Geisert
60 books24 followersArthur Geisert grew up in Los Angeles, California, and claims not to have seen a pig until he was an adult. Trained as a sculptor in college, Geisert learned to etch at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. Geisert has published just about a book a year for the past thirty years. Every one of his books has been illustrated with etchings. His work has appeared in The New Yorker and The Horn Book Magazine. In 2010 his book Ice was selected as a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated book of the year. Geisert currently lives in a converted bank building in Bernard, Iowa.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
February 23, 2019
What a strange little story! A bunch of pigs, suffering from the heat, use their ship and fly to a glacier, which they bring back to their village and cut up to cool themselves. I really liked the lack of words and the detailed illustrations.
March 23, 2011
Me and Arthur Geisert, Arthur Geisert and I . . . I wouldn’t say we've ever connected, exactly. Over the years I’ve had a hard time getting a grasp on his particular brand of picture book creation. I’m a librarian. I like categories and slots and easy ways to organize my thoughts on one person or another. Geisert sort of rejects that whole idea. His picture books work in and of themselves, but they don’t pander. You don’t pick up a work by the man and feel that it’s trying to ingratiate itself with you. There’s something vaguely unnerving, almost European, about this. We Americans are used to books dipped in glitter and outrageous characters that scream across crowded bookstores and libraries, “PICK ME!!! PICK ME!! I’M THE ONE!!!!” Arthur Geisert books, in comparison, sit quietly in amongst themselves playing a hand of Pinochle or, if they’re feeling particularly daring, maybe a round of Hearts. Should you choose to pick one up to read, it will tip its hat politely to you but make no attempt to smoother you with its marvelousness. All this came to mind when I read one of Geisert’s latest creations. Ice is a simple story focusing on pigs and glaciers.
On long horizontal pages, our wordless tale begins with a look at an island. The sun sits big and low over a series of adapted huts. At one end of the island sits a kind of pit or pool, low on water, where the resident pigs fill up their buckets. That night a conference is called and next thing you know the pigs are hoisting the rigging on their one and only ship. Not content with mere sails, a balloon is inflated and off go the pigs. Soon enough they locate some enormous glaciers. Enterprising to the last, they connect their ship to one such ice chunk (sails are added to help drag it along) and when they return home the ice is put to use. The bulk is added to the pool, but even smaller squares can be put to good use when they become impromptu air-conditioning aids. By the end, the pigs are happy yet again, and the hot days are tempered at last.
Periodically I’ll get folks in my library looking for wordless picture books. There are a number of ways of meeting that need. For my part, I’ve whipped up a little list of our best wordless books (Mirror by Jeannie Baker, The Red Book by Barbara Lehman, Flotsam by David Wiesner, etc.). If I knew Geisert better I could attest as to whether or not he is accustomed to visual narratives. If I were to take a guess though, I’d say he’s done this before. This isn’t one of the easier wordless books, though. It makes you work. When first you see the deep pool, low in its water supply, it’s not immediately apparent what is going on. The pigs throughout the story are pretty good natured about things. When they decide to set out for some ice, there’s aren’t folks who object to this notion. It seems the logical next step, though the reader doesn’t know what’s going on until much later. Geisert makes it evident that if you stick with the story, all will be revealed in time. That’s a lot to ask of the child reader that's used to action in every scene. For the quieter, curious type, however, the ultimate payoff is its own reward.
Geisert’s illustrative style uses etchings, always and forever. This allows him to create scenes filled with lots of little details. Read the book more then once and you’ll begin to notice all kinds of things you missed on a first run, like the fact that the female pigs do just as much of the work as the male pigs. I didn’t really notice this at first, noting only that the girls wore dresses and the boys wore overalls. But a second glance showed me the women sawing away at the ice, or helping to lug it across the island. It’s subtle, but then so’s the book. The lovely use of watercolors to fill in the spaces doesn’t hurt matters much either.
Now let’s say you want to give a kid a book on the circle of life and how living things rely on nature and ecological balance. All that good stuff. Well, there’s no shortage of didactic, preachy, not particularly good environmental books for the kid set. Ice could fall into the ecologically sound category of children’s fiction, though. Sure it could. It doesn’t take much stretching of the imagination to see how the pigs’ lives rely entirely on finding glaciers to lug back to their home. It’s interesting to note that they live on what is essentially uninhabitable land. The only way to exist there is to regularly go out and find ice. That said, one almost gets the feeling that these pigs have lived on this island for hundreds of years. They could leave at any time, but this is their home and they’ve adapted to it. Should the ice go away . . . well it doesn’t bear thinking about.
Look at the cover of this book. It took me a little while to notice but it’s set up very much like a professional photograph. Here are all the pigs in the village standing proudly in front of their boat. Two pigs are perched on the cabin of the boat itself, waving in the distance. Some pigs are boldly smiling at the camera. Others are stiff and formal, as if unsure how to act. These are our characters. This is a community. This is an extended family that may have once arrived on this island on that boat, but decided to stay for a reason. There’s no going back for them and indeed life seems pretty good. Cheers then to Mr. Geisert for coming up with such a strange but wonderful little wordless title. I’d pair it with the books of Elisha Cooper (Farm,Beach, etc.) for a similar subdued but cleverly illustrated off-kilter style. Don’t be fooled, though. Ice really isn’t like any other book out there. Consider it delicate and delightful.
For ages 5 and up.
On long horizontal pages, our wordless tale begins with a look at an island. The sun sits big and low over a series of adapted huts. At one end of the island sits a kind of pit or pool, low on water, where the resident pigs fill up their buckets. That night a conference is called and next thing you know the pigs are hoisting the rigging on their one and only ship. Not content with mere sails, a balloon is inflated and off go the pigs. Soon enough they locate some enormous glaciers. Enterprising to the last, they connect their ship to one such ice chunk (sails are added to help drag it along) and when they return home the ice is put to use. The bulk is added to the pool, but even smaller squares can be put to good use when they become impromptu air-conditioning aids. By the end, the pigs are happy yet again, and the hot days are tempered at last.
Periodically I’ll get folks in my library looking for wordless picture books. There are a number of ways of meeting that need. For my part, I’ve whipped up a little list of our best wordless books (Mirror by Jeannie Baker, The Red Book by Barbara Lehman, Flotsam by David Wiesner, etc.). If I knew Geisert better I could attest as to whether or not he is accustomed to visual narratives. If I were to take a guess though, I’d say he’s done this before. This isn’t one of the easier wordless books, though. It makes you work. When first you see the deep pool, low in its water supply, it’s not immediately apparent what is going on. The pigs throughout the story are pretty good natured about things. When they decide to set out for some ice, there’s aren’t folks who object to this notion. It seems the logical next step, though the reader doesn’t know what’s going on until much later. Geisert makes it evident that if you stick with the story, all will be revealed in time. That’s a lot to ask of the child reader that's used to action in every scene. For the quieter, curious type, however, the ultimate payoff is its own reward.
Geisert’s illustrative style uses etchings, always and forever. This allows him to create scenes filled with lots of little details. Read the book more then once and you’ll begin to notice all kinds of things you missed on a first run, like the fact that the female pigs do just as much of the work as the male pigs. I didn’t really notice this at first, noting only that the girls wore dresses and the boys wore overalls. But a second glance showed me the women sawing away at the ice, or helping to lug it across the island. It’s subtle, but then so’s the book. The lovely use of watercolors to fill in the spaces doesn’t hurt matters much either.
Now let’s say you want to give a kid a book on the circle of life and how living things rely on nature and ecological balance. All that good stuff. Well, there’s no shortage of didactic, preachy, not particularly good environmental books for the kid set. Ice could fall into the ecologically sound category of children’s fiction, though. Sure it could. It doesn’t take much stretching of the imagination to see how the pigs’ lives rely entirely on finding glaciers to lug back to their home. It’s interesting to note that they live on what is essentially uninhabitable land. The only way to exist there is to regularly go out and find ice. That said, one almost gets the feeling that these pigs have lived on this island for hundreds of years. They could leave at any time, but this is their home and they’ve adapted to it. Should the ice go away . . . well it doesn’t bear thinking about.
Look at the cover of this book. It took me a little while to notice but it’s set up very much like a professional photograph. Here are all the pigs in the village standing proudly in front of their boat. Two pigs are perched on the cabin of the boat itself, waving in the distance. Some pigs are boldly smiling at the camera. Others are stiff and formal, as if unsure how to act. These are our characters. This is a community. This is an extended family that may have once arrived on this island on that boat, but decided to stay for a reason. There’s no going back for them and indeed life seems pretty good. Cheers then to Mr. Geisert for coming up with such a strange but wonderful little wordless title. I’d pair it with the books of Elisha Cooper (Farm,Beach, etc.) for a similar subdued but cleverly illustrated off-kilter style. Don’t be fooled, though. Ice really isn’t like any other book out there. Consider it delicate and delightful.
For ages 5 and up.
May 18, 2019
Pigs looking for a cooler place to live - strange but fun!
December 3, 2015
The fun in this wordless picturebook is just answering the question: What are these pigs up to now? Once I realized what they were up to, then it was: How will they do it? Panoramic illustrations and a fairly distant zoom on the scenes makes each spread a rich experience with details to savor, and when paired with a short and wide trim size (10x6 inches) each spread feels larger.
I’m glad Enchanted Lion is willing to take a risk with interesting formats and ideas!
I’m glad Enchanted Lion is willing to take a risk with interesting formats and ideas!
September 5, 2019
Sweltering away on their island home, the pigs in this wordless picture-book hatch a plan to cool things down and replenish their water supply: head to the Arctic in their flying sailing ship, grab an iceberg, and tow it back home. And so it happens...
Part of Brooklyn-based publisher Enchanted Lion Books' "Stories Without Words" series, Ice is one of a number of porcine tales from artist Arthur Geisert. Although Geisert is American - I associate his work very much with the Midwest, where he lives, and which he frequently depicts - his wordless tale was first published in France, as Eau glacee. That in itself is quite interesting to me, leading me to wonder: was no American publisher willing to take a chance on it, originally? Whatever the case might be, I'm glad that Enchanted Lion decided to publish it here in the states! The artwork is charming, and full of detail - more than enough to carry the story along. Recommended to fans of wordless picture-books, as well as to those who admire Geisert's etching-style artwork.
Part of Brooklyn-based publisher Enchanted Lion Books' "Stories Without Words" series, Ice is one of a number of porcine tales from artist Arthur Geisert. Although Geisert is American - I associate his work very much with the Midwest, where he lives, and which he frequently depicts - his wordless tale was first published in France, as Eau glacee. That in itself is quite interesting to me, leading me to wonder: was no American publisher willing to take a chance on it, originally? Whatever the case might be, I'm glad that Enchanted Lion decided to publish it here in the states! The artwork is charming, and full of detail - more than enough to carry the story along. Recommended to fans of wordless picture-books, as well as to those who admire Geisert's etching-style artwork.
April 2, 2015
Ice- Wordless book
Text to self connection: When I looked through the pictures of this book, I was having a fun time trying to figure out what the pigs were doing. Once I made it through, I thought, "Oh I get it, they're working together to live in the place they want to, even if they have to travel to get supplies." This reminded me of the time we built a shed in our backyard. My parents, sister, and I all took numerous trips to Home Depot and Menards to get all the supplies we would need, and my dad designed and built the shed. I can remember helping him by handing him nails and screws, holding things in place, and painting the finished product. Just like the pigs did in the book, we worked together to make what we needed to. The phrase "Many hands make light work" came to mind while reading this and reminiscing on my shed building adventures.
Text to text connection: When I looked at the pictures, for some reason this made me think of "Gulliver's Travels". I think seeing the ropes the pigs used to tether their ship and move the ice made me remember when Gulliver was tied down on the island by the little people with ropes. Also, just the adventure aspect of traveling, using a map, and going somewhere new helped me recall the novel.
Text to world connection: This book is about a group (or colony I suppose) of pigs who live on an island and need to sail in a floating ship to get an iceberg for fresh water and cool air because their supply is running out. They work together and bring the ice back to their island and are happy to be living comfortably again. This is a great illustration of what people have done all through the world throughout the history of the world. People live together in groups to sustain life and they move to new places to get the things they need to continue living just like the pigs did. People have always worked together to make their lives better and that is what the whole world does on a daily basis.
Text to self connection: When I looked through the pictures of this book, I was having a fun time trying to figure out what the pigs were doing. Once I made it through, I thought, "Oh I get it, they're working together to live in the place they want to, even if they have to travel to get supplies." This reminded me of the time we built a shed in our backyard. My parents, sister, and I all took numerous trips to Home Depot and Menards to get all the supplies we would need, and my dad designed and built the shed. I can remember helping him by handing him nails and screws, holding things in place, and painting the finished product. Just like the pigs did in the book, we worked together to make what we needed to. The phrase "Many hands make light work" came to mind while reading this and reminiscing on my shed building adventures.
Text to text connection: When I looked at the pictures, for some reason this made me think of "Gulliver's Travels". I think seeing the ropes the pigs used to tether their ship and move the ice made me remember when Gulliver was tied down on the island by the little people with ropes. Also, just the adventure aspect of traveling, using a map, and going somewhere new helped me recall the novel.
Text to world connection: This book is about a group (or colony I suppose) of pigs who live on an island and need to sail in a floating ship to get an iceberg for fresh water and cool air because their supply is running out. They work together and bring the ice back to their island and are happy to be living comfortably again. This is a great illustration of what people have done all through the world throughout the history of the world. People live together in groups to sustain life and they move to new places to get the things they need to continue living just like the pigs did. People have always worked together to make their lives better and that is what the whole world does on a daily basis.
October 18, 2011
Ice by Arthur Geisert is an inventive wordless tale about pigs seeking ice that features adventure.
A community of clever, inventive pigs on an island suffering from heat decides to launch their ship fitted with a hot air balloon to search for an iceberg. Finding an iceberg, they fit it with a sail and tow in back to their island where they cut it apart, pushing most of it into a water holding tank. Smaller pieces are used to cool sheds with fans or ice drinks.
This wordless tale is told with Geisert's detailed etched illustrations. Full of detail, they feature Geisert's famous pigs. Both children and adults, male and female appear to help with the creative, inventive project which entails engineering expertise. These pigs are clever, creative, inventive problem solvers, who use natural resources to make their life more comfortable.
This book showcases creativity, inventiveness, cooperation, and awareness of the environment. Ice could provoke discussion on all these topics. I recommend this book for school and public library collections.
I was lucky enough to hear Geisert speak at a library when he still lived in Illinois. His books are always thought provoking and beautifully illustrated.
For ages 5 and up, cooperation, invention, environment, creativity, pigs, and fans of Arthur Geisert.
A community of clever, inventive pigs on an island suffering from heat decides to launch their ship fitted with a hot air balloon to search for an iceberg. Finding an iceberg, they fit it with a sail and tow in back to their island where they cut it apart, pushing most of it into a water holding tank. Smaller pieces are used to cool sheds with fans or ice drinks.
This wordless tale is told with Geisert's detailed etched illustrations. Full of detail, they feature Geisert's famous pigs. Both children and adults, male and female appear to help with the creative, inventive project which entails engineering expertise. These pigs are clever, creative, inventive problem solvers, who use natural resources to make their life more comfortable.
This book showcases creativity, inventiveness, cooperation, and awareness of the environment. Ice could provoke discussion on all these topics. I recommend this book for school and public library collections.
I was lucky enough to hear Geisert speak at a library when he still lived in Illinois. His books are always thought provoking and beautifully illustrated.
For ages 5 and up, cooperation, invention, environment, creativity, pigs, and fans of Arthur Geisert.
August 31, 2016
Ice
by Arthur Geisert
Text-to-Self:
In this book, it told the story of a community of pigs running out of water. They had little water left in the well and no water left at their homes. So they decided to go on an adventure to get a piece of an iceberg and bring it back to their community, which then provided them with a lot of water. I could relate this book text-to-self in saying that it is always important to go after what you want or, in this case, need. The pigs were in a bit of trouble, but they didn't just give up, they found out another way to get water and carried on with the plan. It has a good lesson of never give up.
Text-to-Text:
I could relate this book text-to-text by having a little bit of an animal and agriculture lesson. Pigs need water in order to live, so I could talk about the animal for a bit after reading the book and explain why it is so important for pigs to have a abundant water supply.
Text-to-World:
I could relate this book text-to-world by having a geography lesson with my students. The pigs traveled to the North Pole to get the chunk of the iceberg. I could put a map of the world up in my classroom and discuss where icebergs would most likely be located and why they are where they are.
by Arthur Geisert
Text-to-Self:
In this book, it told the story of a community of pigs running out of water. They had little water left in the well and no water left at their homes. So they decided to go on an adventure to get a piece of an iceberg and bring it back to their community, which then provided them with a lot of water. I could relate this book text-to-self in saying that it is always important to go after what you want or, in this case, need. The pigs were in a bit of trouble, but they didn't just give up, they found out another way to get water and carried on with the plan. It has a good lesson of never give up.
Text-to-Text:
I could relate this book text-to-text by having a little bit of an animal and agriculture lesson. Pigs need water in order to live, so I could talk about the animal for a bit after reading the book and explain why it is so important for pigs to have a abundant water supply.
Text-to-World:
I could relate this book text-to-world by having a geography lesson with my students. The pigs traveled to the North Pole to get the chunk of the iceberg. I could put a map of the world up in my classroom and discuss where icebergs would most likely be located and why they are where they are.
February 28, 2014
I liked the book ice but I felt as though it should be used for an older audience. There is so much going on in each picture and some of the things going on would be difficult for kindergarteners to understand. I think that second grade to about 6th would be appropriate. In relation to other books I have read this book while having no words has more going on than some books I have read with words. Relating this book to myself I am not as observant as I thought I was. There was so much I missed when looking at this book; I had to go through two times to catch everything that was happening. I probably still missed something! In relation to the world, ice is not realistic. This is a fiction book that makes you think about adventure. They went on an adventure half way around the world and enjoyed it so much just for a block of ice! This book would be great for having second or third grade think about an adventure they would like to go on and a weird way they could try to get there. For the older grades you could have them try and write a story about what is going on in this book so they really have to notice every little detail.
April 2, 2011
I loved this one. Originally published in France, Ice follows 2010’s excellent The Chicken Thief in Enchanted Lion’s Stories Without Words series.
The book opens with a two page spread of a tiny island, massive sun looming in the sky. A small band of Gpigs are doing their best to beat the heat with lackluster results. Their well, which provides water to the entire island, is running low. The pigs spring into action, lifting off in their frigate-meets-hot-air-balloon vessel. They journey north, hitch an iceberg, and pull it back to their home, where it provides much needed relief.
A simple, pitch-perfect story that will serve to get the imaginative juices flowing. The year is young, but Ice will likely be a 2011 standout. -TJ
And I would just like to add my two cents as well and agree with everything already stated here. This book is TOPS!! If I could give it more than 5 stars I would. - BB
The book opens with a two page spread of a tiny island, massive sun looming in the sky. A small band of Gpigs are doing their best to beat the heat with lackluster results. Their well, which provides water to the entire island, is running low. The pigs spring into action, lifting off in their frigate-meets-hot-air-balloon vessel. They journey north, hitch an iceberg, and pull it back to their home, where it provides much needed relief.
A simple, pitch-perfect story that will serve to get the imaginative juices flowing. The year is young, but Ice will likely be a 2011 standout. -TJ
And I would just like to add my two cents as well and agree with everything already stated here. This book is TOPS!! If I could give it more than 5 stars I would. - BB
February 22, 2013
Wordless
Audience: ages 6-10 (due to somewhat more complex story structure), kids with a thriving imagination, inventors, the environmentally friendly or aware
Appeal: Piggies are always a good topic for children. They're just so cute! And, although I did somewhat understand the audience to be a little older, the images in this book are so stimulating that I can't imagine a 2 or 3 year old wouldn't find it enjoyable as well. I would call this a "thinking book" because it takes a lot of prior knowledge connections in order to be well understood (even for adults!).
Application: If I was doing a lesson unit about space, travel in general, conserving Earths' resources, or about inventive ways to find new energy, this book would fit in perfectly. Even for a couple of the higher grades (maybe 7th to 9th) could benefit from reading of the piggy's journey.
Award: Best Illustrated Children's Book Award from the New York Times in 2011
Audience: ages 6-10 (due to somewhat more complex story structure), kids with a thriving imagination, inventors, the environmentally friendly or aware
Appeal: Piggies are always a good topic for children. They're just so cute! And, although I did somewhat understand the audience to be a little older, the images in this book are so stimulating that I can't imagine a 2 or 3 year old wouldn't find it enjoyable as well. I would call this a "thinking book" because it takes a lot of prior knowledge connections in order to be well understood (even for adults!).
Application: If I was doing a lesson unit about space, travel in general, conserving Earths' resources, or about inventive ways to find new energy, this book would fit in perfectly. Even for a couple of the higher grades (maybe 7th to 9th) could benefit from reading of the piggy's journey.
Award: Best Illustrated Children's Book Award from the New York Times in 2011
April 4, 2015
-Ice by Arthur Geisert Copyright 2011
Text to Text- This is like Chalk by Bill Thomson, a problem occurs such as running low on water or draws come to life and characters need to come up with a creative to problem solve. In Chalk they draw a rain storm to wash away their draws while in Ice they bring a glacier over to their island to cool themselves down and get water.
Text to Self- When I was younger my friend Stephen broke his leg. When we went place he was just wheeled around. There was a time when all of our friends wanted to go on a bike ride so I came up with the idea for strap his wagon to the back off a bike. Just like in the story we were creative so everyone could have fun.
Text to World- In history, there was a river that need to be stopped since it was going to run over a town. The town also need energy and the Hoover Dam was born.
Text to Text- This is like Chalk by Bill Thomson, a problem occurs such as running low on water or draws come to life and characters need to come up with a creative to problem solve. In Chalk they draw a rain storm to wash away their draws while in Ice they bring a glacier over to their island to cool themselves down and get water.
Text to Self- When I was younger my friend Stephen broke his leg. When we went place he was just wheeled around. There was a time when all of our friends wanted to go on a bike ride so I came up with the idea for strap his wagon to the back off a bike. Just like in the story we were creative so everyone could have fun.
Text to World- In history, there was a river that need to be stopped since it was going to run over a town. The town also need energy and the Hoover Dam was born.
May 16, 2018
My 6-year-old picked this out at the library based purely on the cover. It's a fairly unassuming book from the outside but once you pick it up and start to turn the pages it has a nice complexity. Tonight was my first time paging through it, but my son told me he had already "read" it to himself a few times. He and I described the pictures and actions to his baby sister. We liked how the story unfolded, kind of mysteriously at first, but then it all came together at the end. Nice book for a hot day, too, with its theme of trying to keep cool on a sunny, arid island. It's a little bizarre that the characters are pigs because they aren't actually pig-ish at all, just, basically, people that look like pigs. But I take it from the info on the back cover that pigs are Geisert's thing.
April 4, 2011
When the communal tank of fresh water on their island begins to run low, they do what any self-sufficient colony of pigs on a Northern island would do - they fill up the bag on their hot-air sailing ship and go off to find an iceberg to tow home. Geisert shows us just enough detail in the process of getting the iceberg home and transferring it to the island's tanks. It seems to be a holiday outing for the pigs, some of whom get to ride home on the iceberg. That looks like fun. Dumping the big blocks of ice into the open-air tank looks really fun.
Full review on Pink Me: http://pinkme.typepad.com/pink-me/201...
Full review on Pink Me: http://pinkme.typepad.com/pink-me/201...
September 25, 2011
I think this book could win a caldecott award. The illustrations explain the story in great detail without the need for words. The book tells about many important aspects of life in particular working together as well as how important fresh water is. The pictures in the book are very detailed and done in a sketch format. The pigs are very life like, but have human features which makes them like cartoons. The pigs go on an adventure to get an ice berg to have fresh water and as they are on this adventure the pigs do many funny things. I think children would enjoy reading this book. It would be appropriate for grades 2-4
December 19, 2011
The style of art in this book is right up my alley. I usually have some appreciation for a book that looks like it's already been around for a few years (I felt the same way about last year's A Sick Day for Amos McGee).
I shared this with my husband and he said, "Huh, interesting," which is a pretty lengthy response from him for a children's book. At first I gave this book a three because I thought the narrative was just blah, but then the book started making me think, all #hatback style, about whether I thought the pigs were being industrious or whether they were sticking to a totally inefficient system. Read it and talk with me about it, please.
I shared this with my husband and he said, "Huh, interesting," which is a pretty lengthy response from him for a children's book. At first I gave this book a three because I thought the narrative was just blah, but then the book started making me think, all #hatback style, about whether I thought the pigs were being industrious or whether they were sticking to a totally inefficient system. Read it and talk with me about it, please.
January 24, 2013
I always get nervous about "reading" my kids picture books with no words. Will I tell a good story? Can I do it justice? Will they "get" it? Usually it takes me a few tries to smooth out my own words, and looking through it before sitting down with the kids always helps. But this one... wow. What is happening in each picture is so unusual, Miles had many questions about what they are doing and what ice is and how are they flying that boat... it just sort of told itself. I kind of loved it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/20/boo...
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/20/boo...
November 9, 2011
This is a really delightful and whimsical wordless picturebook. I love wordless books because you and your fellow readers can make up whatever back story and narrative you want. This book, while basically a story about some pigs living on an island who build an aircraft that carries them to the North Pole to fetch an iceberg, lends itself so well to storytelling. Why do they need ice? What will they do with it? What happens when it all melts? What will they do with their airship? Great food for discussion and retellings.
August 14, 2011
I love the detail in Geisert's picture books - you can go through them multiple times and catch new details with each read. This one wasn't quite as fantastic as Lights Out or Hogwash, but still a must-read for fans.
May 31, 2011
When the pigs on an island need to find a way to cool off, they set sail in search of ice. They tow an iceberg home, and then slice the ice into bits to use in various creative ways to keep themselves cool. This wordless picture book pays tribute to the pigs' ingenuity and determination to solve their problems. The illustrations, rendered as etchings, show the pigs' air and sea travel and clever inventions. My appreciation for this title has increased each time I have read it.
September 1, 2017
Fun little wordless story. Could use for STEM, solving problems.
March 26, 2023
The magnificent ingenuity of these pigs is revealed to readers through masterful illustrations of gemlike quality.
This is a BIG book:
* Big in meaning
* Big in ingenuity
* And a superb starting book for a wonderful conversation between adult reader and curious child.
Such a happy ending is shown on the last two pages, a superb conversation starter right there.
SO EVOCATIVE, THE ENTIRE BOOK
For example:
Had my mother shown me this picture book, she would have told me how she grew up with an "ice box," stocked regularly by "the ice man." Even though she lived to be 82, she never referred to a fridge or refrigerator. To her, it was always "the ice box."
This is a BIG book:
* Big in meaning
* Big in ingenuity
* And a superb starting book for a wonderful conversation between adult reader and curious child.
Such a happy ending is shown on the last two pages, a superb conversation starter right there.
SO EVOCATIVE, THE ENTIRE BOOK
For example:
Had my mother shown me this picture book, she would have told me how she grew up with an "ice box," stocked regularly by "the ice man." Even though she lived to be 82, she never referred to a fridge or refrigerator. To her, it was always "the ice box."
May 15, 2017
Didn't hit me. Maybe I would have liked it more if I could see the details in the pix without squinting. Maybe not. It's simple, resonant, quiet, subtle... all good things... but it just doesn't work for me.
October 11, 2019
On the ISBN page, it says, "Stories without words".
This word-free book is lovely! I can see it being wonderfully interactive, where you can make up your own dialogue; or I can see it being blessedly silent where you just enjoy the pictures the story tells.
This word-free book is lovely! I can see it being wonderfully interactive, where you can make up your own dialogue; or I can see it being blessedly silent where you just enjoy the pictures the story tells.
July 13, 2020
Strange book with no words. Get to world build their patriarchal pig colony that survives on feast or famine ice economy
July 16, 2025
simple! effective!
February 27, 2014
In the wordless book Ice by Arthur Geisert, a group of pigs are living on a scorching hot, deserted island. Because of the extreme heat and sparse water supply, the pigs get creative and develop a plan for getting some ice. They place a balloon on the sail of their ship and float halfway around the world in search of ice. When they arrive in the artic, they attach an iceberg to their ship and turn around for home. When they return home, they fill their watering hole with giant chunks of ice, take a swim, have cold drinks, and enjoy the cool breeze of an ice cube sitting in front of a fan. Problem solved.
In order to introduce this book, I would wait for a hot day. I would ask the students to brainstorm some ideas for ways to stay cool and write the list on the board (text-to-world). Then, I would share with them the pigs’ idea. I would also relate this book to Miss Piggy and how she sometimes comes up with some crazy ideas, just like these pigs (text-to-text).
At the end of the story, as a closing activity, I would tell the students that we would need to do an experiment to see if ice really does help people stay cool. First of all, each student will need to write down his or her prediction or hypothesis. They will answer the question “Does ice help to keep people cool?” Then, each student will be given an ice-cold glass of lemonade. As they are drinking it, they will need to write down their process for testing their hypothesis. Finally, they will record their end result and how they measured it. Of course, this is not a very scientific study, but it gets them familiar with the scientific method.
In order to introduce this book, I would wait for a hot day. I would ask the students to brainstorm some ideas for ways to stay cool and write the list on the board (text-to-world). Then, I would share with them the pigs’ idea. I would also relate this book to Miss Piggy and how she sometimes comes up with some crazy ideas, just like these pigs (text-to-text).
At the end of the story, as a closing activity, I would tell the students that we would need to do an experiment to see if ice really does help people stay cool. First of all, each student will need to write down his or her prediction or hypothesis. They will answer the question “Does ice help to keep people cool?” Then, each student will be given an ice-cold glass of lemonade. As they are drinking it, they will need to write down their process for testing their hypothesis. Finally, they will record their end result and how they measured it. Of course, this is not a very scientific study, but it gets them familiar with the scientific method.
Read
February 21, 2013Audience: This book is primarily for grades K-3. This book could also be for preschoolers. The preschoolers will not be able to make connections with the pictures like the older grades can.
Appeal: This book is appealing because the front of the book shows a group (or community) of pigs on an island with a ship. The title also does not seem to go with the cover of the book so this could spark an interest to know what the story is about. As you skim the pages you can see the pigs cutting away at the ice which could help you make a connection with the title.
Application: I would use this in my classroom to talk about working together and having a positive attitude. I would talk to my students about how if you put your mind to something, anything can be done.
Awards: Wordless book
Copyright: 2011 by Arthur Geisert
Appeal: This book is appealing because the front of the book shows a group (or community) of pigs on an island with a ship. The title also does not seem to go with the cover of the book so this could spark an interest to know what the story is about. As you skim the pages you can see the pigs cutting away at the ice which could help you make a connection with the title.
Application: I would use this in my classroom to talk about working together and having a positive attitude. I would talk to my students about how if you put your mind to something, anything can be done.
Awards: Wordless book
Copyright: 2011 by Arthur Geisert
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