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Cozy Classics
Cozy Classics: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Give a kid a classic! Cozy Classics is the popular board book series that presents well-loved stories to children aged 0+ through twelve child-friendly words and twelve needle-felted illustrations. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is Mark Twain’s timeless tale of childhood about an imaginative boy who’s always getting into trouble, and is one of the world’s most beloved classics. Now you can share this classic with children of any age. www.mycozyclassics.com
24 pages, Board Book
First published April 1, 2014
About the author
Jack Wang
19 books45 followersWE TWO ALONE: STORIES
* Winner of the Danuta Gleed Literary Award from the Writers' Union of Canada for best debut collection in English
* Shortlisted for the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize
* CBC Books Best Canadian Fiction of 2020
* Quill and Quire 2020 Books of the Year
* 49th Shelf 2020 Fiction: Books of the Year
JACK WANG ’s fiction has been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize and longlisted for the Journey Prize. In 2014–15, he held the David T. K. Wong Creative Writing Fellowship at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, and in 2020, he was awarded a residency at Historic Joy Kogawa House in Vancouver. He holds a BSc from the University of Toronto, an MFA from the University of Arizona, and a PhD from Florida State University, and he is an associate professor in the Department of Writing at Ithaca College. Originally from Vancouver, he lives in Ithaca, New York, with his wife, novelist Angelina Mirabella, and their two daughters.
* Winner of the Danuta Gleed Literary Award from the Writers' Union of Canada for best debut collection in English
* Shortlisted for the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize
* CBC Books Best Canadian Fiction of 2020
* Quill and Quire 2020 Books of the Year
* 49th Shelf 2020 Fiction: Books of the Year
JACK WANG ’s fiction has been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize and longlisted for the Journey Prize. In 2014–15, he held the David T. K. Wong Creative Writing Fellowship at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, and in 2020, he was awarded a residency at Historic Joy Kogawa House in Vancouver. He holds a BSc from the University of Toronto, an MFA from the University of Arizona, and a PhD from Florida State University, and he is an associate professor in the Department of Writing at Ithaca College. Originally from Vancouver, he lives in Ithaca, New York, with his wife, novelist Angelina Mirabella, and their two daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 14, 2014
So how do you tell the story of Tom Sawyer in twelve WORDS? That's right; not PAGES, but WORDS.
Well let me tell you about this, I think its is such a brilliant idea~ This is a board book with one word per page and a picture. But not an ordinary picture. These are needle felted works of art taken from scenes of the book.
For example, page one is the word HIDE. The picture to go with that is a needle felted Tom Sawyer hiding behind an illuminated "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Chapter 1" title page with a pot of jam in his hands.
Page two is PAINT and the picture is the one that is on the cover.
Other words are KISS, CRY, PLAY, CAVE etc and each one features the characters and events from the book.LOST is a scene of Tom and Becky lost in the cave with Tom holding a candle and bats flying over them; Becky is ducking her head.
So, really you could use the book as any normal picture book just flipping the pages and learning words OR, what I would do is tell the story of Tom Sawyer aloud and turn the pages as you get to that point in the story (because the pictures are consecutive with scenes in the classic).
I think its an awesome way to introduce very young children to the classics. Very cool indeed!
If this was out 16 years ago when my daughter was little I would have bought the whole set!
* I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
Well let me tell you about this, I think its is such a brilliant idea~ This is a board book with one word per page and a picture. But not an ordinary picture. These are needle felted works of art taken from scenes of the book.
For example, page one is the word HIDE. The picture to go with that is a needle felted Tom Sawyer hiding behind an illuminated "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Chapter 1" title page with a pot of jam in his hands.
Page two is PAINT and the picture is the one that is on the cover.
Other words are KISS, CRY, PLAY, CAVE etc and each one features the characters and events from the book.LOST is a scene of Tom and Becky lost in the cave with Tom holding a candle and bats flying over them; Becky is ducking her head.
So, really you could use the book as any normal picture book just flipping the pages and learning words OR, what I would do is tell the story of Tom Sawyer aloud and turn the pages as you get to that point in the story (because the pictures are consecutive with scenes in the classic).
I think its an awesome way to introduce very young children to the classics. Very cool indeed!
If this was out 16 years ago when my daughter was little I would have bought the whole set!
* I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
Read
May 3, 2014Have you seen these books by Jack and Holman Wang?
The pair are the author-artists behind an entire series of boardbooks that use adorable felt characters to retell classic stories such as TOM SAWYER, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, MOBY DICK, and more....
Yes, Board Books.
Now 'RETELL' is perhaps not the best word to use because these books have virtually no text. The first page might lead you to think that there's text, but that's not the case. The entirety of the Cozy Classic's TOM SAWYER contains just a dozen words: Hide, Paint, Kiss, Cry, Play, Camp, Storm, Home, Cave, Lost, Out, and Gold.
~
Now I don't know whether this book will work for you and yours, but it's certainly something different in the realm of boardbooks, and if you are familiar with TOM SAWYER --wikipedia might help-- you could sit down with your child(ren) and introduce them to this story. Obviously you'd have to give them the bullet-item version, but the engaging artwork will help to keep their attention, and I believe it's worth an experiment to see how your child reacts to the story and the book's presentation. (go library!)
**A collection of these books I think would make a charming gift for new or expecting parents.
The pair are the author-artists behind an entire series of boardbooks that use adorable felt characters to retell classic stories such as TOM SAWYER, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, MOBY DICK, and more....
Yes, Board Books.
Now 'RETELL' is perhaps not the best word to use because these books have virtually no text. The first page might lead you to think that there's text, but that's not the case. The entirety of the Cozy Classic's TOM SAWYER contains just a dozen words: Hide, Paint, Kiss, Cry, Play, Camp, Storm, Home, Cave, Lost, Out, and Gold.
~
Now I don't know whether this book will work for you and yours, but it's certainly something different in the realm of boardbooks, and if you are familiar with TOM SAWYER --wikipedia might help-- you could sit down with your child(ren) and introduce them to this story. Obviously you'd have to give them the bullet-item version, but the engaging artwork will help to keep their attention, and I believe it's worth an experiment to see how your child reacts to the story and the book's presentation. (go library!)
**A collection of these books I think would make a charming gift for new or expecting parents.
July 27, 2019
They were serious about a "12-word book." Each page was one word, which you would imagine would be difficult for these classics. The illustrations (photographs with cute, felt characters) spoke volumes. I'm very impressed with this boardbook. Not sure how well people entirely unfamiliar with the plot would be able to follow, but an easy way to familiarize yourself with the story. :)
January 7, 2022
So fun! simple words, detailed pictures. Just perfect.
January 13, 2026
I think there is more to this story than I realized. 🤣
July 4, 2014
Another fun read in a series that continues to be a source of curiosity and amusement for me personally. I do think that that last word/page felt slightly out of sequence and was a bit abrupt as an ending (they could have used the whole a lot more to their advantage. But it was pretty enjoyable overall. More to come later.
FULL REVIEW
So, I have read a few of these before, most notably Emma and Jane Eyre. I didn't realize how hard this particular book would be to translate to this narrative style, than say, Emma happened to be! But considering that unless you have the room to be wordy, Twain's story definitely makes NO real sense whatsoever! Just like in their previous books, Jack and Holman Wang use felt puppets staged in different scenes to tell a story, using only twelve words to describe exactly what's happening. Knowing the story previously, I expected it to make better use of the adventure storyline that monopolizes the last half of the book, but the way it was worked in was very jagged and really had no narrative flow.
The first word used in this book is HIDE and the page shows Tom with his hand in a jam-pot, hiding behind a re-creation of the first page of the original book. It definitely represents Tom's mischievious nature to a tee, and is a good example. The next picture is of Tom whitewashing the fence, with the word PAINT. That doesn't translate quite as well, considering all we see is Tom doing the work. Unless you already knew, it doesn't in any way hint that he's going to cause the other children to fight over doing the work for him, by fooling them into thinking it's fun. Next, they show Tom kissing Becky (seemingly for no reason, at school I think?), with the caption KISS. I guess it's an easy way to introduce Becky. It ties in with the fourth page, where Tom is trying to comfort Becky as she cries (because he kissed her?), with the word CRY. Huck is introduced next playing with some toy swords with Tom (PLAY), which I guess is as good a way as any of introducing him I suppose.
The storyline begins to get coherent next, with Tom and Huck outside at night in front of a fire (CAMP). Next, there's a STORM and the two of them are caught in it. Randomly they're on the street in front of a house, in nice weather, with Becky looking all lovestruck and it says HOME. Then Becky and Tom are together again in front of a CAVE, then they're LOST in the cave with a candle and bats overhead, Tom is helping Becky climb OUT and then Tom & Huck are randomly back in the cave together with a pick-axe - and treasure (GOLD). As a whole, the photographs/staging are all very creative and visually appealing. But I do think that the treasure storyline wasn't really used to the best of it's abilities. Also, out of everything else that happens in the book, Becky is what gets the main focus? Talk about odd narrative decisions...but like I said, I can definitely see this being a difficult one to translate. All in all, an interesting attempt and not the worst I'll ever read (especially for a board book based on a classic), but not the best either. I'd recommend it if you want to compare and contrast, or want a cute book to look at with a child.
VERDICT: 3.5/5 Stars
**I received this book from Simply Read Books, on NetGalley. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. This book was published May 23rd, 2014.**
FULL REVIEW
So, I have read a few of these before, most notably Emma and Jane Eyre. I didn't realize how hard this particular book would be to translate to this narrative style, than say, Emma happened to be! But considering that unless you have the room to be wordy, Twain's story definitely makes NO real sense whatsoever! Just like in their previous books, Jack and Holman Wang use felt puppets staged in different scenes to tell a story, using only twelve words to describe exactly what's happening. Knowing the story previously, I expected it to make better use of the adventure storyline that monopolizes the last half of the book, but the way it was worked in was very jagged and really had no narrative flow.
The first word used in this book is HIDE and the page shows Tom with his hand in a jam-pot, hiding behind a re-creation of the first page of the original book. It definitely represents Tom's mischievious nature to a tee, and is a good example. The next picture is of Tom whitewashing the fence, with the word PAINT. That doesn't translate quite as well, considering all we see is Tom doing the work. Unless you already knew, it doesn't in any way hint that he's going to cause the other children to fight over doing the work for him, by fooling them into thinking it's fun. Next, they show Tom kissing Becky (seemingly for no reason, at school I think?), with the caption KISS. I guess it's an easy way to introduce Becky. It ties in with the fourth page, where Tom is trying to comfort Becky as she cries (because he kissed her?), with the word CRY. Huck is introduced next playing with some toy swords with Tom (PLAY), which I guess is as good a way as any of introducing him I suppose.
The storyline begins to get coherent next, with Tom and Huck outside at night in front of a fire (CAMP). Next, there's a STORM and the two of them are caught in it. Randomly they're on the street in front of a house, in nice weather, with Becky looking all lovestruck and it says HOME. Then Becky and Tom are together again in front of a CAVE, then they're LOST in the cave with a candle and bats overhead, Tom is helping Becky climb OUT and then Tom & Huck are randomly back in the cave together with a pick-axe - and treasure (GOLD). As a whole, the photographs/staging are all very creative and visually appealing. But I do think that the treasure storyline wasn't really used to the best of it's abilities. Also, out of everything else that happens in the book, Becky is what gets the main focus? Talk about odd narrative decisions...but like I said, I can definitely see this being a difficult one to translate. All in all, an interesting attempt and not the worst I'll ever read (especially for a board book based on a classic), but not the best either. I'd recommend it if you want to compare and contrast, or want a cute book to look at with a child.
VERDICT: 3.5/5 Stars
**I received this book from Simply Read Books, on NetGalley. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. This book was published May 23rd, 2014.**
December 19, 2016
This review also covers The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
From a purely artistic standpoint, the pictures in both of these books are just gorgeous. Each two-page spread consists of a single word on the left-hand page, surrounded by a background which resembles old-fashioned paper. The right-hand pages illustrate the words, and each one is almost like a scene from a dollhouse. The characters are represented by felt figures, whose faces are surprisingly expressive, and many of the outdoor scenes include real dirt, plants, water, and trees. Light and shadow are used in interesting ways to create the effects of night, sunrise, darkness, and candlelight, which helps to evoke the specific mood of each scene. In just twelve images, these books manage to recreate all the depth and emotion of their novel-length counterparts.
These are not story time books. I’m not even convinced that they are truly for children. Board books are always fine to give to babies because they provide opportunities to practice turning pages and most children enjoy looking at illustrations, regardless of the subject matter. Unlike the Babylit books, which actually do teach early childhood concepts, these Cozy Classics focus more on bringing the original stories to life than on relating to very young children. While there are some pages that focus on concrete nouns (cave and gold in Tom Sawyer, river and man in Huck Finn ), which can easily be understood from the illustrations, many others include abstract ideas (camp and play in Tom Sawyer, trapped and free in Huck Finn) that will be lost on babies, who aren’t yet able to appreciate subtlety.
Though these books will probably be given to babies, I think they are better suited to students who are reading the novels. They provide wonderful visual supplements to the original works, and give readers the opportunity to think about the books in a new way. They would make great coffee table books for English teachers and professors, and great end-of-the-year teacher presents. These are quality books; they just don’t fill the literacy needs of their intended audience.
From a purely artistic standpoint, the pictures in both of these books are just gorgeous. Each two-page spread consists of a single word on the left-hand page, surrounded by a background which resembles old-fashioned paper. The right-hand pages illustrate the words, and each one is almost like a scene from a dollhouse. The characters are represented by felt figures, whose faces are surprisingly expressive, and many of the outdoor scenes include real dirt, plants, water, and trees. Light and shadow are used in interesting ways to create the effects of night, sunrise, darkness, and candlelight, which helps to evoke the specific mood of each scene. In just twelve images, these books manage to recreate all the depth and emotion of their novel-length counterparts.
These are not story time books. I’m not even convinced that they are truly for children. Board books are always fine to give to babies because they provide opportunities to practice turning pages and most children enjoy looking at illustrations, regardless of the subject matter. Unlike the Babylit books, which actually do teach early childhood concepts, these Cozy Classics focus more on bringing the original stories to life than on relating to very young children. While there are some pages that focus on concrete nouns (cave and gold in Tom Sawyer, river and man in Huck Finn ), which can easily be understood from the illustrations, many others include abstract ideas (camp and play in Tom Sawyer, trapped and free in Huck Finn) that will be lost on babies, who aren’t yet able to appreciate subtlety.
Though these books will probably be given to babies, I think they are better suited to students who are reading the novels. They provide wonderful visual supplements to the original works, and give readers the opportunity to think about the books in a new way. They would make great coffee table books for English teachers and professors, and great end-of-the-year teacher presents. These are quality books; they just don’t fill the literacy needs of their intended audience.
April 15, 2014
I absolutely love the Cozy Classics series. I first read their Cozy Classics: Pride and Prejudice, which I received as a gift, and loved their simple summary of Jane Austen's classic, so when their takes on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn showed up on NetGalley, I knew I had to read them.
Cozy Classics: Mark Twain's the Adventures of Tom Sawyer opens strong with a fantastic representation of "hide." The "hide" spread is by far my favorite in the whole book, followed by "camp." Fantastic.
The Wangs are skilled at reducing complex classics to simple key words and images that most kids will understand. The Cozy Classics serve as "my first words" type readers, helping kids to grasp basic ideas with eye-catching visual examples.
The art itself is worthy of being framed. The attention to detail, expert lightning, and creativity make these simple books ones that you'll want to read over and over again.
But the best thing about the Cozy Classics is that they're a great way for parents and caregivers to share their favorite classic stories with kids in an engaging, age-appropriate way. Who wouldn't want to foster a love of the classics from a young age?
Note: I received a digital galley of this book through NetGalley.
Cozy Classics: Mark Twain's the Adventures of Tom Sawyer opens strong with a fantastic representation of "hide." The "hide" spread is by far my favorite in the whole book, followed by "camp." Fantastic.
The Wangs are skilled at reducing complex classics to simple key words and images that most kids will understand. The Cozy Classics serve as "my first words" type readers, helping kids to grasp basic ideas with eye-catching visual examples.
The art itself is worthy of being framed. The attention to detail, expert lightning, and creativity make these simple books ones that you'll want to read over and over again.
But the best thing about the Cozy Classics is that they're a great way for parents and caregivers to share their favorite classic stories with kids in an engaging, age-appropriate way. Who wouldn't want to foster a love of the classics from a young age?
Note: I received a digital galley of this book through NetGalley.
April 15, 2014
Received a free digital ARC from NETGALLEY in exchange for an honest review.
I had never seen this series of books before and was pleasantly suprised. This is a brilliant and beautifully executed concept. Take a wordy, dense classic and boil it down to about 10 single words; illustrate it with the most adorable felt needlepoint "dolls" and you instantly have a huge hit! The illustrations alone are worth the price of these books. They have somehow managed to make these dolls have actual expression and convey movement and emotions in the pictures.
I have to say I enjoyed Huck Finn more than the Tom Sawyer one. The Huck Finn story arc seemed to flow better and make more sense. The ending of the Tom Sawyer one was a bit confusing and jarring (although it has been decades since I have read the original.) There are much more of these that I am trying to get my hands on to check out (especially Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre and Moby Dick!)
Great for preschoolers and early readers and anyone who wants to give their small children a taste of the classics (or adults like me who just love this concept!)
I had never seen this series of books before and was pleasantly suprised. This is a brilliant and beautifully executed concept. Take a wordy, dense classic and boil it down to about 10 single words; illustrate it with the most adorable felt needlepoint "dolls" and you instantly have a huge hit! The illustrations alone are worth the price of these books. They have somehow managed to make these dolls have actual expression and convey movement and emotions in the pictures.
I have to say I enjoyed Huck Finn more than the Tom Sawyer one. The Huck Finn story arc seemed to flow better and make more sense. The ending of the Tom Sawyer one was a bit confusing and jarring (although it has been decades since I have read the original.) There are much more of these that I am trying to get my hands on to check out (especially Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre and Moby Dick!)
Great for preschoolers and early readers and anyone who wants to give their small children a taste of the classics (or adults like me who just love this concept!)
November 24, 2014
Cada día estoy más convencida de que me encantaría que llegaran a España, ya que creo que es una gran idea que se pueda explicar historias muy conocidas y, en ocasiones complejas, a través de 12 sencillas palabras, que recogen perfectamente la esencia del libro y los momentos claves de las historias, junto a sus 12 bellas ilustraciones, que hacen con personajes de fieltro tan conseguidos que representan el espíritu de las palabras sin necesidad de decir nada más.
Las ilustraciones son cada vez más completas, con escenarios cada vez mejores, pero además las expresiones de los personajes siguen mejorando.
Un poco más en mi mini-reseña: http://chibiakasworld.blogspot.com/20...
Las ilustraciones son cada vez más completas, con escenarios cada vez mejores, pero además las expresiones de los personajes siguen mejorando.
Un poco más en mi mini-reseña: http://chibiakasworld.blogspot.com/20...
August 27, 2016
Love the concept of bringing the classics to kids at an early age. Also, important is the process of "actively" reading to your children, engaging in discussion about the story, and using both words and illustrations to tell the story.
I will use this idea in my classroom...as a choice for children to write book reports in this same format - 12 words, 12 illustrations - and as a device for creative writing - give the students 12 words and have them illustrate and tell their story.
I will use this idea in my classroom...as a choice for children to write book reports in this same format - 12 words, 12 illustrations - and as a device for creative writing - give the students 12 words and have them illustrate and tell their story.
April 15, 2014
Recensione su: http://wp.me/p3X6aw-ln
Review at: http://wp.me/p3X6aw-ln
Review at: http://wp.me/p3X6aw-ln
May 24, 2014
Although its a children's book, i really liked it and i laughed a lot. All the adventures are to funny and everybody cpuld enjoy it, no matter the age.
October 21, 2014
After reading this, I've realized that I've never read the real book! Always thought I had, but that must've been Huck Finn instead. Guess this classic is going back on my TBR!
December 3, 2014
this is the cutest telling on Tom Sawyer!
December 30, 2014
Cozy Classics are cleaned up, child friendly versions of old classics.
February 5, 2015
All Cozy Classics editions are similar: excellent photograph/artistic direction, one word text per photograph. No story. While I enjoy them, my son shows zero interest.
May 27, 2015
The felt figures gave me a "Davy and Goliath" flashback.
April 2, 2017
Normally, I’m not a fan of these books. Mostly, they’re for adults who appreciate classics. Sometimes they’re awfully watered down. As far as kids reading them goes, the authors chose good words. The pictures seem a little complicated, however. It was interesting to look at!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews