Bibliographic
Data
Lunde, Stein Erik and
Kari Dickson. 2012. My Father's Arms Are
a Boat. Ill. By Oyvind Torseter. New York: Enchanted Lion Books. ISBN: 9781592701247
Brief
Plot Summary
Father reassures his
son on a sleepless night discussing the passing of the mother amongst other
topics.
Critical
Analysis
The characters of
this story are a father and a son who seem to live alone in a spacious house.
Though this plot takes place in Norway our characters could be from a number of
places. They do not exhibit too much vocabulary or customs unique to Norway,
besides the father planning to cut down a “big spruce.” The child does recall
his grandmother told him that red birds were dead people. The red birds appear
to be animals of the region.
(The large and spacious home)
It looks as though
the culture of this piece is consistent with contemporary times in Norway. They
have toys littered around the house. Records rest besides the couch. Cups
appear to be mass produced. There’s a light switch by the door. These are indicative
of current times.
(Records, cups, and a switch are clues for
what time period this takes place)
This story is an
example of imagery poetry. It vividly describes a home during a Norwegian
winter. Complementary to the text, illustrations feature a snowy night of quiet
animals. The house is minimalist and dark, a metaphor for the family. The
mother’s death is like a quiet and dark winter.
(Dark and minimalist house)
Readers are inclined
to trust the authenticity of this work as it is translated from Norwegian. It
even won the Norwegian Ministry's Culture Prize for the Best Book for Children
and Youth. Clearly this must be a literary piece that is a respectful
representation of an aspect of Norwegian culture.
This is subtle and
dense for a picture book. It also focuses on serious topics that are
uncomfortable for most to talk about. Despite that, the intended audience is
3-6 years old. We also know that the grandmother is deteriorating from only two
lines:
“She told me that when we were at the old
people’s home. She can hardly talk, but I knew what she meant.”
The author tackles
the subject matter with heartfelt reassurances, especially when we see the
birds snacking on the bread at the end of the book.
(The birds eat the bread just as the
father assured his son)
Torseter’s
illustrations are of a unique style. Three dimensional paper models appear to
be photographed. Sometimes the foreground is blurred giving the setting visual
depth. His choice of color creates a mood of cold and quiet desolation. The
negative space also contributes to the mood of this story.
(Observed the blurred foreground creating
depth)
Awards/Best
Books
Mildred L. Batchelder
Award, 2014 Honor Book United States
2014 USBBY
Outstanding International Books List
2009 Norwegian Ministry's
Culture Prize for the Best Book for Children and Youth
2011 German
Children's Literature Award
Kirkus Book Review
Stars, January 1, 2013
Notable Children's
Books, 2014 ALSC American Library Association
Review Excerpt(s)
“The striking,
paper-cut-out illustrations add an unforgettable touch to this poignant tale of
love, loss, and comfort. Highly recommended.” -Midwest Book Review (Children's
Bookwatch, January 2013)
“They seem grounded
in reality, yet they are dreamlike, giving the impression one has been
privileged to see someone else's memory.” -Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, January 1,
2013 (Vol. 81, No. 1))
“It depicts the pain
of the loss in the father and son clearly, but also shows how the two find
comfort in each other.” -Lisa Colozza Cocca (Children's Literature)
Connections
After reading this
book, show pictures of animals of Norway. Take this opportunity to share
nonfiction titles about the climate and other information about the region.
Read other Mildred
Batchelder Award winners such as Bathing
Costume: Or the Worst Vacation of My Life. Discuss or complete a writing
activity speculating why these books won this honor.
Follow this title
with another similarly diorama-esque You
Are Stardust by Elin Kelsey. Then have students create dioramas of their
own stories.
Read this title with Uncle Monarch and compare how the families
talked about death, particularly in reference to the animals in each story.
No comments:
Post a Comment