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I discovered Emily while specifically looking for picture books illustrated by Barbara Cooney. The cover, with its enchanting, wintery imagery, promised to be magical - and it was!
Though I may have read Barbara Cooney’s books in my childhood, I didn’t truly remember them. It wasn’t until I began homeschooling that I first encountered her work, and at the time, I was absorbing a wealth of information about worthy authors and illustrators at such a rapid pace that I couldn’t keep track of them all. I recall checking out her books from the library and reading them to my children, but it wasn’t until the last few years that I began collecting her works in earnest. As a librarian, I’ve since fallen in love with her elegant style and the magic that infuses her art.
Emily marks my first encounter with Michael Bedard, and his thoughtful writing has certainly piqued my curiosity about his other works.
“Listen to Mother play. She practices and practices a piece, and sometimes a magic happens - it seems the music starts to breathe. It sends a shiver through you. You can’t explain it, really; it’s a mystery. Well, when words do that, we call it poetry.”
I love to be surprised by books, so I intentionally avoid summaries and jacket descriptions before diving in. This means I had no idea who “Emily” was until I gradually pieced it together midway through the story—an experience I thoroughly enjoyed.
”‘Is that poetry?’ I asked. ‘No, you are poetry. This only tries to be.’ Her voice was light and brittle, like the bluebells on the windowsill.”
The momentum of this story is one of its greatest strengths. Told from the perspective of a small child, Bedard’s writing invites us into the unique curiosity and courage children possess, making them so endearing. Cooney’s illustrations are lush and cool, adding an appropriate sense of mystery and timelessness to the narrative. Both the story and illustrations are of exceptional quality, holding the reader’s attention right through to the end.
Emily is a perfect book for a cozy read-aloud by the fire, but it would also serve as an excellent introduction to the poet Emily Dickinson. The note at the back of the book adds a personal touch, explaining how the author came to tell this story.