Silver

by Walter de la Mare, Carolina Rabei (Illustrator)

Slowly, silently, now the moonWalks the night in her silver shoon;This way, and that, she peers, and seesSilver fruit upon silver trees; One spring evening, the fairies gather in the woods. Two sleepy children join in the parade to a wonderful, dream-like fairy party. Illustrated by bright new talent, Carolina Rabei, this Walter de la Mare poem is brought to life with shimmery, ethereal illustrations, making it the perfect book for bedtime. One of four seasonal Walter de la Mare picture books that form a set, each with complementing colour palates and illustrations by rising young star Carolina.

Genres: Picture Books, Poetry, Childrens, Classics

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 4, 2017

About the author

Walter John de la Mare was an English poet, short story writer and novelist. He is probably best remembered for his works for children, for his poem "The Listeners", and for his psychological horror short fiction, including "Seaton's Aunt" and "All Hallows". In 1921, his novel Memoirs of a Midget won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction, and his post-war Collected Stories for Children won the 1947 Carnegie Medal for British children's books.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

An illustrated picture book of Walter de la Mare's poem Silver. The illustrations were nice, I like the idea of a cat moon. This is a nice poem but feel there are many poems by this poet that would work better and be more interesting.

[Capn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Cute, but... when de la Mare writes, "From their shadowy cote the white breasts peep,
Of doves in a silver-feathered sleep;", then I for one feel that the vast majority of the canvas needs to be the breast of a dove in a dovecote, and not just have a small birdhouse-cum-dovecote in the scene of the facing page. I mean, I want to see the faint brushstrokes showing the structure of the plummage, and I want silver moonlight practically blinding me as it reflects off each bird... how are the artists not inspired by such poetry?!
We've read others in this series (the local librarians are clearly fans), and they all seem to be just a little irreverant to the poem supposedly showcased.

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Slowly, silently, now the moon
Walks the night in her silver shoon;
This way, and that, she peers, and sees"

This is a really beautiful picture book, and a strong candidate for my new release of 2017 award so far. With coinages and rhythmic repetition, this soothing poem is playful for young readers but maintains a distinct literary feel. It's great to see a poem written in 1931 get a stylish minimalist set of illustrations to make it accessible to today's children.
Carolina Rabei's illustrations are gentle, silver-chased, and a joy to observe. Incarnating the moon as an ellusive cat, followed by charming fairies and gnomes, gave the words of the poem an enhanced mystery and atmosphere. I adored the curious cat-moon, and was joyed by the appearance of all the nocturnal animals including my spirit animal the goose.
Thank you for reading the book with me, my beautiful husband! <3

[Alistair Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely, but short, children's picture book. It is appropriate for KS1, although some of the language would be more suitable for advanced readers. There isn't a major story in here, but the language is descriptive and the pictures beautiful.

[Maisie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rabei is still one of my favourite illustrators.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walter de la mare talks about how the moon changes your surroundings at night.

[Finley Fleet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this poem because of the rhyme scheme and makes me feel peaceful it also talks about the moon.The moon is silent so that is why the poem makes me feel peaceful.

[Hollie Abbott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really nice illustrations, minimal words, great to discuss the style of language used with older children but not a story I would choose to read again

[(Lectrice Vorace) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations, but the language may be too advanced for younger kiddos.