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Roar Like a Dandelion
by
From Ruth Krauss, the children’s book author of The Carrot Seed and A Hole Is to Dig, comes this never-before-published ABC book of one-liners—brought to life by artist Sergio Ruzzier.
Dance with a leaf.
Jump like a raindrop.
Sit in the sun and shine.
Dance with a leaf.
Jump like a raindrop.
Sit in the sun and shine.
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Hardcover, 48 pages
Published
October 1st 2019
by HarperCollins
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Community Reviews
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Start your review of Roar Like a Dandelion

Jun 26, 2020
Calista
rated it
liked it
Recommends it for:
Toddler alphabet book
Shelves:
2019,
sub-bee,
genre-fantasy,
nature,
sub-garden,
bage-children,
genre-beginner,
z-ruth-krauss
This is an interesting alphabet book, not what I thought it would be. I didn't know it was an alphabet book, but its Ruth Krauss. Each letter is like a zen koan, "roar like a dandelion". Each one is something like that. It turns ideas on their heads.
The artwork is cute and I feel muted in the colors. This is very short and easy to read. I don't know that it really says all that much. I bet toddlers would enjoy it though. Nonsense is wonderful for kids.
Good news: I got this book from curbside p ...more
The artwork is cute and I feel muted in the colors. This is very short and easy to read. I don't know that it really says all that much. I bet toddlers would enjoy it though. Nonsense is wonderful for kids.
Good news: I got this book from curbside p ...more

What an inspiration!
Over the past few years, I’ve developed a fascination and a bit of an obsession for ABC books. I love how every alphabet book covers the same territory pretty much, but each and every one does it in its own special way. This little gem has a playful, quirky feel that fired me up. Every letter inspired me to move and think and create. I loved it!
Roar Like a Dandelion moves through the alphabet letter by letter with a unique to do list of sorts. Some simple and sweet like…
Make ...more

"Look under the bed for poetry"
Ruth Krauss and Sergio Ruzzier... together??? I knew I'd love this one before I even opened it. ...more
Ruth Krauss and Sergio Ruzzier... together??? I knew I'd love this one before I even opened it. ...more

Good and life affirming but not my favorite. I'm not familiar with Krauss's work and have never been a big fan of Ruzzier's artwork so it might be that I just lack the emotional investment.
...more

Vote for yourself. <3 And this delightful, unique book of ABC's <3
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I've been a fan of Ruth Krauss before I began paying attention to author names, and that's because she was writing books while I WAS A CHILD. Yikes! That's a long time ago!
That kid-appeal quality was always evident in the words and point of view Krauss provided in her books, and I adored them. You can read more about Krauss in this great article from Brain Pickings blog.
Sergio Ruzzier does not need my praise to bolster his stellar career. Even so, I can imagine that despite his success and awa ...more
That kid-appeal quality was always evident in the words and point of view Krauss provided in her books, and I adored them. You can read more about Krauss in this great article from Brain Pickings blog.
Sergio Ruzzier does not need my praise to bolster his stellar career. Even so, I can imagine that despite his success and awa ...more

Weak - as might be expected of the dregs dragged out of some dusty old chest. By no means is this in the same league as Krauss's masterworks (A Hole is to Dig, Open House for Butterflies, I'll Be You and You Be Me) or even her lesser efforts.
...more

This new little Krauss alphabet book uses each new letter of the alphabet to represented a verb, such as: Act like a..., Dance with a..., Fall like..., etc. The artist used pen & ink and watercolor to create the illustrations for this book. The soft colored pictures depict primarily animals and bugs doing the actions.
For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo! ...more
For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo! ...more

I had no idea what this book was about going into it, except that I adore the work of both of these contributors.
This is a unique and quirky alphabet book. Each letter is represented by a verb that begins a sentence. Some of them are delightfully out there.
At first I wasn't sure if the two different artists' styles were working together. Then it clicked for me and I came to appreciate the joy in this picture book. Like other reviewers have mentioned, that line, Look under the bed for poetry, i ...more
This is a unique and quirky alphabet book. Each letter is represented by a verb that begins a sentence. Some of them are delightfully out there.
At first I wasn't sure if the two different artists' styles were working together. Then it clicked for me and I came to appreciate the joy in this picture book. Like other reviewers have mentioned, that line, Look under the bed for poetry, i ...more

It's not the nonsensical content of the book (which is an alphabet book) that bothers me. As I read it to myself, I noticed several sentences I would not be comfortable sharing with my middle school students as I would not want them to emulate those ideas. However, there were lots and lots of positive sentences that I would love for my students to embrace.
...more

I love that this is an alphabet using verbs for each letter, and I love the absurdity (that nevertheless serves to inspire the reader to live in the moment) of some of the statements. I love that we get a new book by Ruth Krauss and Sergio Ruzzier is the perfect person to illustrate it.

A delightful alphabet book. Ruth Kraus's text and Sergio Ruzzier's wonderfully whimsical illustrations are perfectly complementary.
...more

Nonsense? I don't get it?
I guess it's jubilant and plays with words and the pictures with the text are sometimes amusing. Pass. ...more
I guess it's jubilant and plays with words and the pictures with the text are sometimes amusing. Pass. ...more

See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsfi...
A unique alphabet book, ROAR LIKE A DANDELION is filled with instructional that are sure to spark some giggles. Each page features a verb and phrase along with images of animals or bugs acting it out, using each letter of the alphabet along the way. Seussical at times, this pastel colored book is sure to spawn some disbelief as much as it provokes laughs.
Readers are told to "Ignore yourself and get mad" and "Look under the bed for ...more
A unique alphabet book, ROAR LIKE A DANDELION is filled with instructional that are sure to spark some giggles. Each page features a verb and phrase along with images of animals or bugs acting it out, using each letter of the alphabet along the way. Seussical at times, this pastel colored book is sure to spawn some disbelief as much as it provokes laughs.
Readers are told to "Ignore yourself and get mad" and "Look under the bed for ...more

That was not what I expected!
Here's the Booklist review, which covers it all pretty well:
This unconventional alphabet book pairs a previously unpublished manuscript from renowned author Krauss with whimsical pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations. Sergio Ruzzier matches Krauss’ playful tone and takes it in unexpected directions. “Act like a sprinkler in summer” shows a mouse cooling off under a whale’s spouting; “Butt like a billy goat” depicts a determined-looking rabbit trying to outmuscle a r ...more
Here's the Booklist review, which covers it all pretty well:
This unconventional alphabet book pairs a previously unpublished manuscript from renowned author Krauss with whimsical pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations. Sergio Ruzzier matches Krauss’ playful tone and takes it in unexpected directions. “Act like a sprinkler in summer” shows a mouse cooling off under a whale’s spouting; “Butt like a billy goat” depicts a determined-looking rabbit trying to outmuscle a r ...more

This picture book is full of silly nonsense words and pictures intended to put a smile on your face--and it does. There isn't a plot or a story, sort of like "The Jabberwocky", but focuses instead on word sounds and combinations that might spark the imagination or lay the groundwork for story invention of your own.
Fun book but not especially deep or enriching. The pictures are bright and colorful and illustrate the silly words very well, but compared to "S'mon, S'mon" or "The Mysteries of Harris ...more
Fun book but not especially deep or enriching. The pictures are bright and colorful and illustrate the silly words very well, but compared to "S'mon, S'mon" or "The Mysteries of Harris ...more

This is a beautiful book. I read about it in the Brain Pickings newsletter by Maria Popova (brainpickings.org) a little while ago and bought it immediately. Of course, I've known my ABCs for some time, but it's not often a book is this amazing, artistic, and all-around lovely. As the book's Goodreads page says, its whimsical way brings smiles to faces of all ages with the likes of "Jump like a raindrop" or "Sit in the sun and shine." My personal favorite is "Look under the bed for poetry." I'm l
...more

This is bad, but that's primarily the fault of the art, which is in a style I'm not fond of--but more importantly the animal-protagonists undermine the invitation to the reader in Krauss's declarative, playful, profoundly childlike text. And there's so much potential in that text, but some panels are underwhelming and some, like the always-naked duck that can't "undress to match trees in winter," fail completely.
...more

I put this on hold weeks ago and finally it is out! Simple and fun wording for an alphabet book with Sergio Ruzzier's whimsical characters pleased me a bunch! Though it's meant for younger readers, my granddaughters, eight and ten, still enjoyed it! Smiles come on every page, like "Go like a road" for G, but the road is a snake! And "Look under the bed for poetry" for L. Of course, there's "Roar like a dandelion." for R. It is a happy book!
...more

Such a silly book! This is a list of silly, smart and sometimes nonsensical things to do, listed in abc order and employing figurative language. I really enjoyed studying the pictures as they have some unexpected surprises and some great facial expressions. Great for trying to infer what the author meant. I'm not totally sure what the idea was behind this book, but it turned out to be a whimsical delight.
...more

Freewheeling, free-associating alphabet book. Some lines are goofy (Eat all the locks off the doors) and some lines can be acted out (Hold your arms out like a little pine tree).
Making sense and more nonsense of it all are Sergio Ruzzier's adorable, ingenious, simple and intricate creatures. Roar Like a Dandelion is a perfect pairing of words and pictures. ...more
Making sense and more nonsense of it all are Sergio Ruzzier's adorable, ingenious, simple and intricate creatures. Roar Like a Dandelion is a perfect pairing of words and pictures. ...more

I'm not sure what Ruth Krauss had in mind with this alphabet book, but Sergio Ruzzier's illustrations give the reader lots of unexpected ideas!
As a collector of alphabet books, this is one I'd like to own.
I think it has a lot to say about thinking outside of the box to make the best of your circumstances. ...more
As a collector of alphabet books, this is one I'd like to own.
I think it has a lot to say about thinking outside of the box to make the best of your circumstances. ...more

An alphabet of activity ideas, illustrated with silly animals or insects doing them.
26 activity ideas that range from practical to silly. Each one starts with a different letter of the alphabet. Possibly an idea to hand to a child who says they are bored or who likes silly books. Also a good one for kids learning about metaphors and similes as most of the pages include one or the other.
26 activity ideas that range from practical to silly. Each one starts with a different letter of the alphabet. Possibly an idea to hand to a child who says they are bored or who likes silly books. Also a good one for kids learning about metaphors and similes as most of the pages include one or the other.

For every letter of the alphabet there is a playful example of figurative language in this clever picture book. Young readers will have fun looking at all of the wonderful ways to play with words. This could be a great way to talk to kids about figurative language, especially similes. It could also inspire young writers to look for ways to share their own examples of plays on words.

The title reminds me of this classic Sesame Street animation. Both are wonderfully surreal and hearken back to a different era!
...more

Mew like a pussywillow.
This review was originally published at http://www.drttmk.com/books/roar-dand....
It's all right as far as alphabet books go. It's decent. It's unconventional, in that instead of the word that starts with the chosen letter being a noun, it's a verb, which is kind of cool. "I" is "ignore." "M" is "make." "N" is "nod." There's a lot of references to nature, leaves, the sun, and also to freedom. "Eat all the locks off the doors" or "Paint a picture of a cage with an open door ...more
This review was originally published at http://www.drttmk.com/books/roar-dand....
It's all right as far as alphabet books go. It's decent. It's unconventional, in that instead of the word that starts with the chosen letter being a noun, it's a verb, which is kind of cool. "I" is "ignore." "M" is "make." "N" is "nod." There's a lot of references to nature, leaves, the sun, and also to freedom. "Eat all the locks off the doors" or "Paint a picture of a cage with an open door ...more
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