Little Lessons

by Seymour Chwast

Overview

Popular sayings from around the world come to life in Seymour Chwast’s iconic and humorous design style, perfect for graduates and curious kids.

“If you walk on thin ice, you might as well dance”—this and many other wise sayings from many countries take on a whole new dimension when Seymour Chwast’s pen delivers a memorable visual rendition. Life lessons have never been so amusing to think about and maybe even learn from. This colorful book is a perfect gift to spur laughter, learning, and cultural savoir faire for curious kids, graduates, or anyone starting a new chapter. Includes a brief and fascinating afterword explaining the history and staying power of these sayings around the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781662651175
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	04/04/2023
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	753,994
Product dimensions:	6.60(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD360L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

A master of historical styles and movements, graphic designer Seymour Chwast is famous for his diverse body of graphic design work, illustration, and lasting influence on American visual culture. Chwast is the author of more than thirty children’s books, cofounder of the internationally recognized and critically acclaimed Push Pin Studios, winner of the AIGA MEDAL, and a member of the Art Directors Hall of Fame. His work can be found on countless posters, packaging, album and book covers, advertisements and editorial illustrations in the the New Yorker, the New York Times, Forbes, Vanity Fair, The Wall Street Journal, and The Atlantic, among many others.

Editorial Reviews

04/24/2023

Revealing timeless truths about human nature, proverbs’ vivid metaphorical language proves visual catnip for Chwast’s graphic design–driven compendium of 18 sayings, which range from cautionary to YOLO. “A leopard cannot change its spots,” declares a hand-lettered headline as the digitally colored pen-and-ink image shows a growling, green-eyed feline covered in a bright patchwork of shapes. Another spread takes readers to a polar landscape populated by walruses, bundled up ice-fishers—and a waltzing couple in full formal dress who seem indifferent to the ice cracking underneath their feet. The lesson? “If you walk on thin ice... you might as well dance.” The title deftly manages expectations around the grouping, which is less about big revelations and deep insights, and more about the pleasure of savoring “little lessons” pleasingly wrought. An afterword concludes. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Proverbs’ vivid metaphorical language proves visual catnip for Chwast’s graphic design–driven compendiumAbout the pleasure of savoring “little lessons” pleasingly wrought." — Publishers Weekly

"Offbeat, weird, and wonderful." — Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

04/01/2023

PreS-Gr 3—Chwast illustrates 18 proverbs that he considers little lessons. He gracefully shows what each proverb expresses; some are engaging and very funny. But what the illustrations provide, the text lacks, with no further explanation that young children may need. The afterword by Wolfgang Mieder helps fill that out and adds to the book enormously; however, not all children will get to it or have the reading comprehension to be able to understand it. VERDICT Young children will need someone to talk these proverbs through with them to gain a greater understanding of the lessons behind them. This book creates opportunities for discussion and may be very helpful in English as a Second Language instruction because the proverbs are global.—Laura Ellis

School Library Journal

2023-01-12
Ready for a lesson in style?

Fans of proverbs and Chwast, rejoice—the perfect pairing is coming your way! Eighteen proverbs are captured in the author/illustrator’s signature style, each filling a double-page spread. The book depicts proverbs from around the world, from “Let sleeping dogs lie” to the Nigerian expression “When a mouse laughs at a cat there is a hole nearby” to the Japanese saying “Even a monkey can fall out of a tree.” The illustrations—with hand-lettered proverbs—stand alone on each page without comment or explanation. Savvy caregivers and educators will use each page as a springboard for conversations ranging from the immediate (“What does this mean?”) to the more elaborate (“What other proverbs do we say regularly?”). An afterword briefly touches on the cultural origins of many of the proverbs. Like most Chwast books, this is a study in art, as loose, colorful drawings fill the page and interact with the text in unusual ways. For example, “Don’t ride two horses at the same time” is written in speech balloons shared by the equine duo as a mustachioed rider straddles the pair. On the page labeled “Don’t cry over spilled milk,” the O of over cleverly becomes a crying mouth, while the S of spilled pours out of a sideways cup. As a whole, the book is a delight. Human characters depicted are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Offbeat, weird, and wonderful. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews