Oh Lord, I Wish I Was a Buzzard
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Book Overview
"We picked and we picked and we picked and we picked..." From dawn to dusk, a little girl harvests cotton with her family during the sweltering crop season. Imagining her way through the endless day, she wishes she could be anyone else-from a snake curved up and cool to a buzzard going round and round in the sky. Then at last, sunset approaches and a special treat awaits. Polly Greenberg's rhythmic, easy-to-read text and Aliki's striking sun-soaked illustrations together make an unforgettable tale-part story, part song, and all poetry. Though based on a sharecropper's childhood memory from generations ago, this timeless story reflects everyone's wish to escape...and to be as free as a bird. First published in 1968, it is a powerful today as the day it was first told.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:1587171228
ISBN13:9781587171222
Release Date:January 2002
Publisher:Chronicle Books
Length:32 Pages
Weight:0.70 lbs.
Dimensions:0.4" x 8.6" x 10.5"
Age Range:12 years and under
Grade Range:Preschool to Grade 7
Customer Reviews
1 rating
Simple, beautiful book to read again and again
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
My 15 month old loves this book, and I think I know why. The illustrations by Aliki depicting a day in a cotton field are simple but bold and full of character. The text is nothing short of poetry, and reminds one of a traditional spiritual song. For older children, there is a lot of content that can be discussed along with enjoying the song-like text: child labor, racism, stereotypes, history. Because of the repetitive text, it is a good book for children learning to read.My daughter asks for this one again and again since the day we came across it by accident, and I think we will continue to enjoy it for many years.
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