From Publishers Weekly
This visual pilgrimage to the native terrain of a variety of venerable writers suffers from Locker's visually homogeneous treatment of America's diverse landscapes. The journey begins in San Francisco, Robert Frost's birthplace (though most readers likely equate the poet with New England). His "Once by the Pacific" is comprised of strong, clear images: the "great waves" that "thought of doing something to the shore/ That water never did to land before"; the clouds, "low and hairy in the skies." In Locker's painting, however, power is diverted from Frost's fierce flexure of the sea to a purple-to-black sky brooding over agitated water and cliffs glanced by light. Throughout Locker's tour, his brush seems dipped in the Hudson Valley light of his own homeland, and not surprisingly, the standout paintings here are those paired with an excerpt from Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle"?depicting a leisurely sail up the Hudson River, the boat dwarfed by the dramatic Kaatskill mountains aflame at sunset?and his own "Birches in the Fall" with white trunks leaning inward, inviting readers down an autumn trail of golden grasses. But when called upon to conjure the Southwest of Pat Mora's "Gold" or the Amish country depicted in Merle Good's "Song of a People," Locker fails to capture the indigenous palette and mood. Unfortunately, the book seems driven by its theme, rather than a celebration of it. Ages 6-10. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
Grade 3 Up-American landscapes as viewed via paintings and words. Locker and Christiansen have collected poetic and narrative views of scenes from across the continent by such well-known writers as Robert Frost, John Muir, and Washington Irving as well as modern writers such as Pat Mora, Jane Yolen, and Joseph Bruchac. The oil paintings, in true Lockerian tradition, reflect an inner view of landscape, one reminiscent of early British painters who came to paint American scenes but made each of them look like home. This romanticized approach, relying not on accuracy, perspective, or detail, but rather on creating a mood, may appeal to adults but the use of the same color palette, massive cloud effects, and little action will not capture the imagination or hold the interest of children.Ronald Jobe, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, CanadaCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Each spread in this book celebrates an American landscape. On the left-hand side, bordered by a rustic frame of branches, appears a poem or an excerpt from a poem, novel, or journal as well as a sentence or two about the author and where he lived. On the facing page, Locker interprets the text in terms of the American landscape it represents for him. Writings include Pat Mora's poem "Gold" (southwestern desert), Jane Yolen's "River" (Connecticut River), Abraham Lincoln's "My Childhood Home" (Indiana), and Locker's own "Birches in the Fall" (Hudson River Valley). The full-page oil paintings are skillfully executed landscapes, sometimes with small figures. The compositions are impressive, even in a prairie scene where there's nothing to compose but banks of flowers among the endless grass and banks of clouds against the endless sky. Locker's purpose is to represent "home" as it appears to writers in many parts of America; for him, the eastern landscapes clearly say home. For larger collections or where Locker is popular. Carolyn Phelan


From Kirkus Reviews
Lush and romantic paintings of a broad range of landscapes illustrate the poetry and prose of a dozen American authors and poets, whose homes ranged from the Hudson River Valley to the midwestern prairies and beyond. Each spread includes a poem or other brief block of text about home, as well as a biographical snippet about the featured writer. On the opposite page is a painting that illuminates an aspect of the writing; in general, Locker's landscapes are august and riveting. The selection of those included is a hybrid: some names seem written in stone (Frost, Irving, Thoreau, Cather, Sandburg), while others are still very much of the earth (Bruchac, Yolen, Greenfield, Locker). Nevertheless, from the East Coast to the West, the book shows how individual feelings about nature and home have shaped the artistic efforts of writers. (map) (Picture book. 6-9) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Book Description
Home. In this unique volume, prominent American writers from the past and present--Willa Cather, Henry David Thoreau, Eloise Greenfield--give voice to the region of the country each calls home. Thomas Locker's lavish oil paintings accompany each passage, transporting the reader from the crashing waves of the Pacific coast to the bluebonnet fields of the Texas prairie. Come along on a spectacular journey through our home--America.


Card catalog description
An anthology of poetry and prose by such writers as Carl Sandburg, Willa Cather, Robert Frost, all celebrating aspects of the American landscape.


About the Author
Thomas Locker lives in Stuyvesant, New York

ANNOTATION

An anthology of poetry and prose by such writers as Carl Sandburg, Willa Cather, Robert Frost, all celebrating aspects of the American landscape.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

A glorious celebration in words and paintings of the beauty and spirit of America. Home. In this unique volume, prominent American writers from the past and present - Willa Cather, Henry David Thoreau, Eloise Greenfield - give voice to the region of the country each calls home. Thomas Locker's lavish oil paintings accompany each passage, transporting the reader from the crashing waves of the Pacific coast to the bluebonnet fields of the Texas prairie. Come along on a spectacular journey through our home - America.

Thomas Locker is the illustrator of more than twenty books for children, including Joseph Bruchac and Jonathan London's Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back: A Native American Year of Moons. Mr. Locker is the recipient of the prestigious Christopher Award, and his book Where the River Begins was named a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year. Mr. Locker lives with his family on the edge of the Hudson River in Stuyvesant, New York.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

This visual pilgrimage to the native terrain of a variety of venerable writers suffers from Locker's visually homogeneous treatment of America's diverse landscapes. The journey begins in San Francisco, Robert Frost's birthplace (though most readers likely equate the poet with New England). His "Once by the Pacific" is comprised of strong, clear images: the "great waves" that "thought of doing something to the shore/ That water never did to land before"; the clouds, "low and hairy in the skies." In Locker's painting, however, power is diverted from Frost's fierce flexure of the sea to a purple-to-black sky brooding over agitated water and cliffs glanced by light. Throughout Locker's tour, his brush seems dipped in the Hudson Valley light of his own homeland, and not surprisingly, the standout paintings here are those paired with an excerpt from Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle"--depicting a leisurely sail up the Hudson River, the boat dwarfed by the dramatic Kaatskill mountains aflame at sunset--and his own "Birches in the Fall" with white trunks leaning inward, inviting readers down an autumn trail of golden grasses. But when called upon to conjure the Southwest of Pat Mora's "Gold" or the Amish country depicted in Merle Good's "Song of a People," Locker fails to capture the indigenous palette and mood. Unfortunately, the book seems driven by its theme, rather than a celebration of it. Ages 6-10. (Oct.)

Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot

Many of the poets and authors appearing in this collection will be recognized; Robert Frost, Pat Mora, Jane Yolen, and Joseph Bruchac, to name a few. The writings juxtaposed to the pictures all depict the landscapes that represent home to each of the authors. The oils by Locker move from seascape to mountains, to deserts and river valleys-and depict the variety and vastness that are America. A particularly attractive spread is the one containing a poem Locker himself wrote, "Birches in the Fall," with the accompanying picture capturing golden light playing on the darker gold leaves of the silvery white birch trees. The painting looks like it should be framed and hung in a museum. Located at the bottom right corner of the text pages are brief blurbs about the authors. It is a lovely book, but its appeal may be limited to those who enjoy poetry and classical painting.

School Library Journal

Gr 3 Up-American landscapes as viewed via paintings and words. Locker and Christiansen have collected poetic and narrative views of scenes from across the continent by such well-known writers as Robert Frost, John Muir, and Washington Irving as well as modern writers such as Pat Mora, Jane Yolen, and Joseph Bruchac. The oil paintings, in true Lockerian tradition, reflect an inner view of landscape, one reminiscent of early British painters who came to paint American scenes but made each of them look like home. This romanticized approach, relying not on accuracy, perspective, or detail, but rather on creating a mood, may appeal to adults but the use of the same color palette, massive cloud effects, and little action will not capture the imagination or hold the interest of children.-Ronald Jobe, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

Kirkus Reviews

Lush and romantic paintings of a broad range of landscapes illustrate the poetry and prose of a dozen American authors and poets, whose homes ranged from the Hudson River Valley to the midwestern prairies and beyond. Each spread includes a poem or other brief block of text about home, as well as a biographical snippet about the featured writer. On the opposite page is a painting that illuminates an aspect of the writing; in general, Locker's landscapes are august and riveting. The selection of those included is a hybrid: some names seem written in stone (Frost, Irving, Thoreau, Cather, Sandburg), while others are still very much of the earth (Bruchac, Yolen, Greenfield, Locker). Nevertheless, from the East Coast to the West, the book shows how individual feelings about nature and home have shaped the artistic efforts of writers. (map) (Picture book. 6-9)