Whaddayamean [Englisch] [Bibliothekseinband]

It takes God millions of years to make planet Earth, and when he finishes, he takes a long nap. Awakening, he returns to Earth to see how his paradisiacal planet is faring, and is disgusted at what human beings have done to pollute the air, the water, and the forests. Not only that, but humans are threatening each other with war, engaging in religious quarrels, and sinking into apathy.

God appoints two children to go tell grownups to change the way they are living. The adults who run the world, as well as the ones who ignore what's happening around them, pooh-pooh the children's message at first: "Whaddayamean? Don't waste our time, you snotty little kids. You can't tell us what to do. Run away, we're busy." But when the youngsters explain that it is God who told them to save the world, the grownups change their ways. Thankfully, children will be left with the sense that they can make a difference.

John Burningham's unusual illustrations, in pen and ink, watercolor wash, and collage, provide a picture of the planet no reader will forget. Winner of several awards, including two Kate Greenaway Medals and four New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year Awards, Burningham is one of the most highly acclaimed children's author-illustrators of our time. Some of his best-loved children's books include Mr. Gumpy's Outing and an earlier environmental fable, Hey! Get Off Our Train. (Click to see a sample spread. Copyright 1999 by John Burningham. With permission of Crown Publishers, Inc.) --Emilie Coulter -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine andere Ausgabe: Gebundene Ausgabe .

In this original fable, God, who has been sleeping since creating Earth, awakens to investigate the planet, taking along a girl and a boy. Unfortunately, God doesn't like what he sees and enlists the children's help to change things. The children don't think grown-ups will listen to their pleas to stop polluting, quarreling, and killing. And at first they are right. But when the children explain that it's God who is asking them to stop, the grown-ups miraculously change their ways. This is not the sort of book that children will want to hear a second time: it's preachy, and it won't engage the listener. Still, libraries in which Burningham's ecological tale Hey! Get Off Our Train (1989) moves well may want to purchase it anyway. As in Cloudland (1996), Burningham uses actual photographs in his collages, which he's painted, scratched, and smudged to convey the damaged Earth. The result is striking, and Burningham's deep concern about the future can be clearly felt throughout the book. Shelley Townsend-Hudson -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine andere Ausgabe: Gebundene Ausgabe .

PLB 0-517-80067-5 A displeased God, a deplorable environment, and the idealistic quest of two innocent children to change the world are the basis for this latest environmental saga from Burningham (Cloudland, 1996, etc.). God awakens from a long-needed nap after the creation of the world to discover that it has been defiled. In the company of two children, God tours the world, dismayed to see the decimated forests, pollution, mass poverty, hunger, and global warming. God charges the children with the task of convincing adults to change the way they live. At each encounter, the children are ridiculed with the refrain of the title until they explain that God is the one who wants the people to change. That immediately brings the people in the various groups around; harmony is restored and the world becomes as God had intended. Burningham's goal of bringing attention to the critical state of the environment is laudatory, but the manner in which he addresses the sensitive topics of religion and the military will cause consternation. No sector is spared blame as Burningham targets big business``the men with the money''religious factions, the military, and the apathetic masses that ``took no notice of what was happening to the world.'' While the author strives for a light tone, the sometimes-inflammatory juxtaposition of text and art concerning such volatile issues makes for a cutting adult satire, difficult to translate for or make accesssible to children. (Picture book. 10+) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine andere Ausgabe: Gebundene Ausgabe .

Kindergarten-Grade 6-In Hey! Get Off Our Train (Crown, 1990), Burningham brought endangered species to the attention of preschoolers with his signature sketchy caricatures. In his latest parable, he expands both the form and the content to great effect. God, who slept for a long time after Creation, visits Earth to see how things are going. He invites two children to join a tour that reveals pollution, deforestation, the greenhouse effect, war, and poverty. Disappointed, He commands the youngsters to change the world. The response from each constituency responsible for the mess is "Whaddayamean?" In the highly unlikely but delightful spreads that follow, Burningham reveals his vision of "Whatcouldbe." The touch of domestic humor when God returns for a follow-up visit adds a measure of realism, bringing the seemingly impossible into the realm of the worth trying. The mixed-media illustrations lend depth and drama to the tale. Particularly striking is the effect of the softly drawn childlike figures on white paper against bold, sweeping, painted or photographed panoramas. God is not personified; He is a voice in the midst of vivid skylines. This book can take its place with the small handful of other successful contemporary parables, allowing children a chance to reenvision the future.
Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ten years after his acclaimed Hey! Get Off Our Train set a new standard of fun for the environmental fable, John Burningham once again tackles the theme with a daring and enchanting new picture book about taking care of planet Earth. Whadayameanimagines God taking a tour of planet Earth with two children--and finding dirty water, foul air, forests chopped and burned, and hungry people. "You have spoiled my lovely world," God then tells the children. "You must go and tell the grownups to change the way they are living;." And so the children set off to spread God's message. And sure enough, people do listen and take notice. When God comes back for another visit, the world is a cleaner, better place. Told with John Burningham's signature ability to see with the eyes and heart of a child, here is a whimsical, exuberant, and entirely original tale filled with striking mixed-media art and an essential message about protecting the planet.