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The Blue & Green Ark
As each letter of the alphabet is presented, this poetic tale captures the many wonders of the universe while telling of the importance of preserving the earth's natural resources.
- GenresPicture Books
64 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1999
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7 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 17, 2018
The Blue and Green Ark is an alphabet book with a difference from 1999; the difference being that it is written by the celebrated English poet, Brian Patten. He wrote it to mark the dawn of the Millennium, hence its subtitle An Alphabet for Planet Earth. It is an engaging concept to think of Earth as an Ark, and Brian Patten develops this idea, highlighting many of the animals and people who live here, and the cycle of life which it supports. Different terrains are explored; features such as rainforests and volcanoes, creatures in the oceans, on land and in the sky, as well as the "ocean" the ark floats in. Whether he is describing the origins of the earth or the development of the child in the womb, the stars in the heavens or the technological achievements of human beings, Brian Patten progresses through each letter of the alphabet in free verse, with a refrain now and then,
"(for/of/on) the blue and green ark adrift in the dark".
The language is rich and diverse, with an oddly adult glossary of terms at the back, although this book has won an award for 7-11 year olds. A couple of years later, in 2002, Brian Patten additionally won the Cholmondeley Award for services to poetry.
The 4 page glossary is set out cleverly naming each illustrator at the letter heading. Eleven illustrators have contributed to this book: David Armitage, Sian Bailey, Patrick Benson, Tim Clarey, Jason Cockroft, Cathie Felstead, Karin Littlewood, Nick Maland, David Parkins, Jane Ray and Helen Ward. And here I feel the book is trying a little too hard to be all things to all people. The illustrations are completely different from each other in style, and use contrasting media.
I do however like the initial letter at the beginning of each double page spread. These are by Sian Bailey, in the fashion of the key letter of a medieval manuscript. They are minutely detailed, using watercolour and gold ink. Watercolour is the preferred medium of many illustrators, although some additionally use ink line, which added very attractive nuances. A few illustrators use gouache or acrylic for a more impressionistic effect. Inks, oils, wax crayon and bleach have all been used. But I feel that it was a mistake to choose quite so many illustrators; one can have too much of a good thing. Perhaps the initial letter was intended to link all the different styles together, but it is too small and discreet to do that; a 2 inch circular emblem in a large format book. And I do wonder if Brian Patten was the best choice to take on this project, of a homage to planet earth. His best children's work is much more lighthearted.
I first came across Brian Patten many years ago. He burst on the scene in 1967, alongside two other "Liverpool Poets", Adrian Henri and Roger McGough. All three have now received the accolade of the freedom of the city of Liverpool. They established the so-called "Pop Poetry" movement with an anthology of accessible poetry, called "The Mersey Sound". This was immediately a great success, and has been credited as the most significant anthology of the twentieth century, as it brought poetry to a new audience.
Since then all three poets have continued to write remarkable poetry. Brian Patten has written eight more collections of lyrical poetry for adults, primarily about love and relationships. But he is perhaps even better known as a solid writer of playful humorous verse for children with many collections to his name. A highly engaging performer of his own work, he gives readings frequently, and his books have been translated into Italian, Spanish, German and Polish. Coupling these facts, he was perhaps the obvious choice to write a children's book for the Millennium. The Blue and Green Ark is sensitive and poetic; rich in imagery and ideas for conservation, respect for life and the environment. It is good to read a nonfiction book such as this for children; one with such a strong appeal to the imagination. There is a reverence for nature, and a timely warning at the end,
"...And it is for zero
For the futures we will not have,
For the nothing we will become unless we cherish
the blue and green ark adrift in the dark".
For all the plaudits however, I am left with the idea that this is a worthy book rather than an enjoyable one for most children. Bought perhaps by adults for children, or by those with a pious intention to read it? My second hand copy certainly had never been opened. I cannot in truth rate this above a 3 star book. It simply tries too hard, and ends up being rather dull.
"(for/of/on) the blue and green ark adrift in the dark".
The language is rich and diverse, with an oddly adult glossary of terms at the back, although this book has won an award for 7-11 year olds. A couple of years later, in 2002, Brian Patten additionally won the Cholmondeley Award for services to poetry.
The 4 page glossary is set out cleverly naming each illustrator at the letter heading. Eleven illustrators have contributed to this book: David Armitage, Sian Bailey, Patrick Benson, Tim Clarey, Jason Cockroft, Cathie Felstead, Karin Littlewood, Nick Maland, David Parkins, Jane Ray and Helen Ward. And here I feel the book is trying a little too hard to be all things to all people. The illustrations are completely different from each other in style, and use contrasting media.
I do however like the initial letter at the beginning of each double page spread. These are by Sian Bailey, in the fashion of the key letter of a medieval manuscript. They are minutely detailed, using watercolour and gold ink. Watercolour is the preferred medium of many illustrators, although some additionally use ink line, which added very attractive nuances. A few illustrators use gouache or acrylic for a more impressionistic effect. Inks, oils, wax crayon and bleach have all been used. But I feel that it was a mistake to choose quite so many illustrators; one can have too much of a good thing. Perhaps the initial letter was intended to link all the different styles together, but it is too small and discreet to do that; a 2 inch circular emblem in a large format book. And I do wonder if Brian Patten was the best choice to take on this project, of a homage to planet earth. His best children's work is much more lighthearted.
I first came across Brian Patten many years ago. He burst on the scene in 1967, alongside two other "Liverpool Poets", Adrian Henri and Roger McGough. All three have now received the accolade of the freedom of the city of Liverpool. They established the so-called "Pop Poetry" movement with an anthology of accessible poetry, called "The Mersey Sound". This was immediately a great success, and has been credited as the most significant anthology of the twentieth century, as it brought poetry to a new audience.
Since then all three poets have continued to write remarkable poetry. Brian Patten has written eight more collections of lyrical poetry for adults, primarily about love and relationships. But he is perhaps even better known as a solid writer of playful humorous verse for children with many collections to his name. A highly engaging performer of his own work, he gives readings frequently, and his books have been translated into Italian, Spanish, German and Polish. Coupling these facts, he was perhaps the obvious choice to write a children's book for the Millennium. The Blue and Green Ark is sensitive and poetic; rich in imagery and ideas for conservation, respect for life and the environment. It is good to read a nonfiction book such as this for children; one with such a strong appeal to the imagination. There is a reverence for nature, and a timely warning at the end,
"...And it is for zero
For the futures we will not have,
For the nothing we will become unless we cherish
the blue and green ark adrift in the dark".
For all the plaudits however, I am left with the idea that this is a worthy book rather than an enjoyable one for most children. Bought perhaps by adults for children, or by those with a pious intention to read it? My second hand copy certainly had never been opened. I cannot in truth rate this above a 3 star book. It simply tries too hard, and ends up being rather dull.
February 4, 2019
This book would be excellent for teaching children the alphabet and it would help children to see how they can relate the letters in the alphabet to words and the world around them.
April 29, 2024
I’ve used this book with 9 year olds for years. They love the poetry, chime in with the refrain, and we have rich discussions about everything from arks, to volcanoes, dodo birds and languages. The illustrations are beautiful.
June 2, 2022
This is one of my all time favorite books. It is lyrical, the illustrations are beautiful, and the ideas, profound. It is not a children's book however. Just because it is based on an ABC format, it has been misunderstood. I have read this book out loud to my biology high school students the first week of school for several years. It moves them and sets the stage for what we will be doing in class the rest of the year. We reread it at the start of the second semester for a refresher. They love it and the book does an amazing job of helping them realize a respect and love for Earth and life. The very different styles of the illustrations seem to help "hook" even the non-sciency kids into a greater interest in understanding our planet.
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August 29, 2021This book is great for a science lesson for elementary students, this is an alphabet book with unique science topics for each individual letter. This book has rhyming, alliteration, and repetition. This book even has a glossary to define the science terms.
September 29, 2011
A very interesting alphabet book with great vocabulary words. Can be used with many themes, science, space, social studies. The illustrations vary from the abstract to the very detailed.
June 21, 2013
Really wonderful Illustrative book of poetry. I'd recommend it to a lot of Iluustrators, like myself.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews