#ehsan abdollahi

Maria Russo, author as well as children's books editor at the New York Times Book Review, reviewed a number of recent picture books in her article entitled "Picture Books to Enrapture Little Readers and Listeners," which appeared in a recent issue of the New York Times. THINKER: MY PUPPY POET AND ME (Sourcebooks), written by Eloise Greenfield and illustrated by Ehsan Abdollahi, was included in the article. According to Ms. Russo, "...the distinguished children's poet Greenfield glides gracefully between rhyme, free verse, haiku and rap." We hope you had the chance to see the review, which appeared in the May 10, 2019 issue.

For more information on Eloise Greenfield, including her a list of her many books and numerous awards, just contact Balkin Buddies.

As you may recall, THINKER: MY PUPPY POET AND ME (Soucebooks), by Eloise Greenfield and illustrated by Ehsan Abdollahi, first published by Tiny Owl in the U.K. and Sourcebooks in the U.S., received excellent reviews, including this one in Kirkus and has now received this excellent review below on Reading Zone, which supports teachers and librarians in the U.K. in their efforts to help children grow as readers. We hope you find it as interesting as we did:

We would love to hear your own thoughts. How would you define the differences between the American reviews of this book and this British review? Do you agree with them? Disagree? Would you like to write your own review? Let us know if you do. Maybe we'll publish it on our blog. You can reach us through our website.

Here is Publishers Weekly's thoughtful review of THINKER: MY PUPPY POET AND ME (Sourcebooks), by Eloise Greenfield and illustrated by Ehsan Abdollahi:

We are delighted to announce that THINKER: MY PUPPY POET AND ME (Tiny Owl), by Eloise Greenfield and illustrated by Ehsan Abdollahi, is short-listed for the 2019 CLiPPA Award  (The Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award), which is a British Award and the only award for published poetry for children in the U.K. Now in its 17th year, it is sponsored by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE). According to one of the judges named in their press release, “At CLPE we want to make poetry integral to the school curriculum and for it to be in every school, classroom, library, corridor and book bag. This shortlist – selected from the biggest number of submissions in the award’s history – shows such a range and breadth of what poetry for children is and can be and recognises a real variety of voices and styles. We look forward to more children, teachers and schools discovering these works through our shadowing scheme.”

Please join us in congratulating Eloise and Ehsan on THINKER: MY PUPPY POET AND ME making their short list!

"Greenfield brings her vast experience to this delightful piece of poetic whimsy...." So says Kirkus in their recent review of Eloise Greenfield's THINKER: MY PUPPY POET AND ME, illustrated by Ehsan Abdollahi and published in the U.S. by Sourcebooks. Here's the whole review:

Here's School Library Journal's entire review of  THINKER: MY PUPPY POET AND ME (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky), written by Eloise Greenfield and illustrated by Ehsan Abdollahi:

“What if your dog could speak human words? When Jace and his family want to name their new puppy 'something cute,' the dog objects. 'Uh-uh! No way! No way!/I'm deep and I'm a poet. No!/A cute name's not OK.' Naming him Thinker, Jace, who is a poet, shares his ideas about poetry with the pup. The improbable–even goofy–premise plays out as an entertaining, empathetic story and congenial poetry lesson through Greenfield's skilled writing. Abdollahi's fine use of cutting tools with hand-crafted papers produce simple, attractive characters and scenes. The title suggests that Jace will be the narrator, but Thinker takes center stage most of the time. Greenfield favors free verse that moves easily along, recounting Thinker's days and his eventful visit to Jace's school for Pets' Day. There is one haiku and a small rhymed verse along the way, and Thinker closes his stirring class visit and the book with a rap. Greenfield's short concluding commentary on poetry writing, free verse, and rap invites readers to also write their own poems. Modest in size, the narrative will work best with an early grade range for personal enjoyment, read-aloud, and discussion. It could also serve nicely in teaching both art and poetry writing in older classes. VERDICT: A well-crafted title that is wide in appeal and possibilities for use.”-Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston

We had to share this interesting and unusual ad placed in Horn Book by Sourcebooks, the American publisher of Eloise Greenfield's new book, THINKER MY PUPPY POET AND ME, which was illustrated by Ehsan Abdollahi, first published by Tiny Owl in the U.K. and is now available from Sourcebooks in the U.S.:

We are pleased to report that THINKER: MY PUPPY POET AND ME, written by Eloise Greenfield and illustrated by Ehsan Abdollahi (published in the U.K. by Tiny Owl Publishing Ltd.) has been nominated for the 2019 Kate Greenaway Medal for illustrations. Awarded annually by CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals), the Kate Greenaway Medal is among the U.K.'s oldest and most prestigious children's book awards. Established in 1955, it is named after the popular and highly influential nineteenth century artist known for her fine children's illustrations and designs. Since considerations for the Greenaway Medal include how well the text and illustrations match, please join us in congratulating both the author, Eloise Greenfield, and the illustrator, Ehsan Abdollahi.