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The Carousel
Two sisters remember their dead mother's love and what she told them about the carousel horses in the that they sleep all winter and wake in the spring, but peeping behind the carousel canvas one cold grey day, the sisters cannot believe their the horses are alive. A picture book with luminous illustrations by Jim La Marche.
Paperback
First published September 15, 1995
83 people want to read
About the author
Liz Rosenberg
55 books185 followersLiz Rosenberg is an American poet, novelist, children's book author, and book reviewer. She is currently a professor of English at Binghamton University.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 20, 2023
A very interesting tale of two sisters going home through the park on their way home. They pass by the broken carousel and hear the horses making noises, and go for a magical ride and they also have to take things their mom taught them to help the horses. Very detailed illustrations, a good book to discuss grief and realizing that loss of a loved one doesn't mean you lose all the time you had with them.
May 18, 2024
this story felt confusion and disjointed to me. It was unclear whether what the sisters experienced was a dream or not. Giving it 2 stars cause the artwork was very nice.
December 31, 2025
anything related in any way even a little to a circus of any kind is 😘😘😘😘
April 21, 2016
At twilight and the gloaming hour, two sisters walk through the park. As they approach the canvas covered carousel, they hear the sound of hoofs and the whinny noises of horses.
As they enter, they discover the horses and menagerie animals are alive. When one sister rides the zebra, the other rides a lovely horse and together they fly through the winter sky.
Remembering their mother, they are mindful of her stories of broken animals. Using her tool kit, they fix what is broken.
The incredible illustrations of LaMarche combine light and dark and create an atmosphere of magic."> The Carousel
by Liz Rosenberg with lovely illustrations of Jim LaMarche
At twilight and the gloaming hour, two sisters walk through the park. As they approach the canvas covered carousel, they hear the sound of hoofs and the whinny noises of horses.
As they enter, they discover the horses and menagerie animals are alive. When one sister rides the zebra, the other rides a lovely horse and together they fly through the winter sky.
Remembering their mother, they are mindful of her stories of broken animals. Using her tool kit, they fix what is broken. The reader is left with the sense that the mother of the girls has passed on, and in riding and fixing the animals, their grief turns to joy.
The incredible illustrations of LaMarche combine light and dark and create an atmosphere of magic.
As they enter, they discover the horses and menagerie animals are alive. When one sister rides the zebra, the other rides a lovely horse and together they fly through the winter sky.
Remembering their mother, they are mindful of her stories of broken animals. Using her tool kit, they fix what is broken.
The incredible illustrations of LaMarche combine light and dark and create an atmosphere of magic."> The Carousel
by Liz Rosenberg with lovely illustrations of Jim LaMarche
At twilight and the gloaming hour, two sisters walk through the park. As they approach the canvas covered carousel, they hear the sound of hoofs and the whinny noises of horses.
As they enter, they discover the horses and menagerie animals are alive. When one sister rides the zebra, the other rides a lovely horse and together they fly through the winter sky.
Remembering their mother, they are mindful of her stories of broken animals. Using her tool kit, they fix what is broken. The reader is left with the sense that the mother of the girls has passed on, and in riding and fixing the animals, their grief turns to joy.
The incredible illustrations of LaMarche combine light and dark and create an atmosphere of magic.
December 6, 2014
The Carousel, by Liz Rosenberg, is about trying to bring an old and broken carousel ride back to life. Two young girls explore their town on a rainy day and end up running into quite the adventure! The story uses much imagination as the young girls use their magic, making it a great fictional story. Will the girls bring back the memories of the old carousel ride, or let them softly say good-bye from their memory? I encourage you all, as readers, to read it yourself to find out!
The book has a very dark tone all throughout the book. It starts with the cover as the first impression, which I don't think it has a very inviting front cover for the audience that this book is meant for, which is elementary aged children. But then even the pages have that same mood. In my opinion, the text throughout it doesn't necessarily match the color scheme though. The text has a fun story to tell for children as it regards to a carousel ride, that I don't think any child would be able to deny! But with the combination between the dark appearance and child-like story, I would recommend this to young readers.
The book has a very dark tone all throughout the book. It starts with the cover as the first impression, which I don't think it has a very inviting front cover for the audience that this book is meant for, which is elementary aged children. But then even the pages have that same mood. In my opinion, the text throughout it doesn't necessarily match the color scheme though. The text has a fun story to tell for children as it regards to a carousel ride, that I don't think any child would be able to deny! But with the combination between the dark appearance and child-like story, I would recommend this to young readers.
November 2, 2009
This is a beautifully illustrated book about two young girls that have lost their mother, but find way to continue her memory thru a Carousel in the park. One magical evening they find all of the house running free under the tent and get to ride them around the park. Soon the horses begin to fight each other and the girls decide to go home and get their mothers tools and try to fix the Carousel so the horses will be happy.
A great book for horse lovers as well as a good message to any youth who has lost a parent. FUN IMAGINITIVE book!
A great book for horse lovers as well as a good message to any youth who has lost a parent. FUN IMAGINITIVE book!
September 26, 2013
Beautiful story, beautifully told. I'm such a fan of Jim LaMarche's artwork that I will look at anything he works on. This was a special story, with subtle hints of grief and bittersweet mixed with adventure and wild all out excitement. I loved the contrasts...how this book made me feel as I read it. Definitely a favorite!
July 19, 2009
This is a magical story about two sisters who fix a broken carousel. The plot and the illustrations remind me a little bit of Chris Van Allsburg's style.
February 2, 2011
Find permanent copy for mom.
November 14, 2016
The Carousel
Rosenberg, Liz *
two sisters use their imagination to make an adventure and remember there long lost mother on a stormy walk home. Beautiful pictures.
Rosenberg, Liz *
two sisters use their imagination to make an adventure and remember there long lost mother on a stormy walk home. Beautiful pictures.
September 29, 2011
Magical illustrations, though the portrayal of the girls didn't quite mesh with the mood. Interesting story but never quite resolves.
September 8, 2016
Read in July 2010. Deals with two young girls dealing with mother's death. Fantasy of a carousel coming to life.
January 5, 2021
Lovely illustrations, strange story.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews