A Story Is to Share: How Ruth Krauss Found Another Way to Tell a Tale

by Carter Higgins (Author) Isabelle Arsenault (Illustrator)

A Story Is to Share: How Ruth Krauss Found Another Way to Tell a Tale
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

The extraordinarily told, one-of-a-kind story of legendary author and children's book icon Ruth Krauss

Born a baby late at night

There's no parade just crashing rain

She listens listens writes and draws stitches pages sews a book

She finds another way to tell a tale

This unique picture book biography provides a mesmerizing look at the life of children's writer Ruth Krauss (1901-1993), best known for books such as The Carrot Seed, A Hole is to Dig, and A Very Special House. With an imaginative, spontaneous text from Carter Higgins that pays homage to Krauss's distinctive voice, and Isabelle Arsenault's exquisite illustrations that evoke a childlike sense of wonder, A Story Is to Share is a tribute to storytelling and creativity of all kinds.

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Kirkus

Doesn’t quite do its subject justice.

Publishers Weekly

To tell the story of Ruth Krauss (1901-1993), an unconventional person who became a writer of unconventional picture books, the creators assemble playful phrases and vignettes in the spirit of their subject. For only child Krauss, "sickness sticks around a lot/ and steals her voice away." What to do? In ink, watercolor, and gouache, Arsenault paints a tiny figure at work, head bandaged, writing, drawing, stitching pages together to make a book: "She finds another way to tell a tale," Higgins writes. Krauss finds "another way to play a song," too, experimentally addressing a violin's strings, but receives rejections when she considers creating a book. Knowing that Krauss's story ends in triumph gives the subject's idiosyncrasies particular significance in a light picture book tribute that foregrounds new ways to think about art-making over a substantive look at the subject's life. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)

Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3—While this picture book biography of children's author Ruth Krauss attempts homage by using the writing style Krauss deployed in such classics as The Carrot Seed and A Hole is to Dig, the result falls short. Young readers will have difficulty connecting the abstract text to the life of Krauss, especially given how much time has passed since her books were published. The reference to The Carrot Seed at the end of the book is subtle, aimed at adults nostalgic for the book, and many of the obstacles and accomplishments of the author are not clearly mentioned in the story. Only the summary at the end of the book fully recounts Krauss's life. VERDICT Illustrations and text pay tribute to Krauss but leave young readers confused as to her story or even why she's worthy of the honor.—Heidi Dechief

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"Arsenault blends touches of Maurice Sendak and Crockett Johnson (Krauss' prominent illustrators) into her own charming style. . .Beautiful in language and design." —Booklist
Carter Higgins
Carter Higgins is the author of many books for young readers, including Everything You Need for a Treehouse, Some of These Are Snails, and the chapter book series Audrey L & Audrey W. Her first book as both author and illustrator, Circle Under Berry, was named a Best Book of 2021 by Publisher's Weekly, Smithsonian Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal. She is also an Emmy-winning visual effects and motion graphics artist, and spent a decade as an elementary school librarian. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @carterhiggins. She lives in Las Vegas.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9781419749933
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Harry N. Abrams
Publication date
October 11, 2022
Series
-
BISAC categories
JNF007030 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Literary
JNF007120 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Women
JNF063000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Books & Libraries
Library of Congress categories
Biographies
Picture books
20th century
Poets, American
Authors, American
Authorship
Children's stories
Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.)
Krauss, Ruth

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