We celebrated one another’s surprises: “Did you see this?!” How many “Oh my goodness-es” were uttered? We took turns asking each other questions and pointing out phenomena.

How do you “read” a wordless book? I spoke to my emergent reader about what was happening in the images. The word read is in quotes because this is a wordless book.Īt first Scarlet and I were attracted to the artwork and frogs, but as we reread it, many more meaningful lessons were uncovered. This tale of frogs flying through town, managing mayhem and inspiring mystery, was an instant favorite. We were drawn to the text by the beautiful cover. We found the book “ Tuesday” (1991) in a used book store. I first stumbled across David Wiesner when my daughter Scarlet became enamored with frogs. Like a cricket, chirping in the corner of the room, it beckoned him. Having just graduated art school the spring before, David didn’t plan to enter the world of children’s literature.

I bet at the end, after Trina Schart Hyman praised his work, he removed his spectacles, free to smile at his accomplishment. You are waging war on your soul.ĭavid Wiesner’s smile is a metaphor for this picture, drawn in 1979 for the table of contents of the September Cricket Magazine of that year. Smiling can be an act of violence, especially, when you don’t feel like it. Jumpstart the happiness by raising the corners of your mouth. If we wait for a reason, it may never arrive. My thinking has been that a reason for smiling will surface once you have begun. Is he still smiling? Is this a constant source of laughter? What kind of smile is it? Condescending? Amusement? Bemusement? I can picture Wiesner’s emotions evolving through many smiles. Why does the criticism of his very first professional art assignment cause him to smile? Did David Wiesner smile the moment he learned of people’s misgivings about his illustration? This statement is written in the first person present. The beauty, the magic of Wiesner’s work is that it raises more questions than answers. Unless, the implication was to stimulate a “violence of thought” Not “violent thoughts” But, thinking so transformative, so life-altering, so paradigm-shifting as to be jarring–to clash with the cognitive systems already set up, that are comfortable and familiar. “That makes me smile” a four-word phrase that implies quite the opposite of violence… ” David Wiesner explained the effect of critics in a blog, “ The Beginning“(Wiesner, 2020). The thought that he was implying violence to a naturalist by drawing glasses lying on the ground near open cages and free crickets made illustrator David Wiesner smile.

David wiesner caldecott