To Every Thing There Is A Season

Leo and Diane Dillon have collaborated on 40 illustrated books and won a shelfful of major awards for their artistic work, including two Caldecott Medals. No surprise, then, that this book is a feast for the eyes--but it's remarkable even by their exalted standards. The text, printed in large, clear capitals along the bottom of the pages, consists simply of the famous verses from Ecclesiastes: "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die...." Each phrase is illustrated by one of 16 panels, and each panel stems from the artistic style of a different culture, from Egyptian tomb friezes, to Japanese harvest scenes, to Aboriginal bark paintings, to Greek vase paintings. The rich, sophisticated illustrations may appeal more to parents than to their children--and verses like "a time to kill" may be too much for the very young--but there could be no more beautiful vehicle for the old wisdom that we have to know, expect, and live with both the good and the bad that life will inevitably bring us. At the end of the book the authors provide interesting information on the style and the art history behind each illustration. (Click to see a sample spread. Illustrations copyright © 1998 by Leo & Diane Dillon. Permission from The Blue Sky Press, Scholastic, Inc.) (Ages 5 and older) --Richard Farr