Book Summary
Tuesday is
a nearly wordless picture book that unfolds the story of a small town being inundated
with frogs, and with each illustration requiring the reader to determine the difference
between what is real and fantasy. Wiesner’s brilliant illustrations use
watercolors to paint one of the most vivid picture books to ever win the
Caldecott Award. In one mysterious night, the frogs come and go, leaving the
town and reader wondering, di that just really happen? and could it happen
again?
Reference
Wiesner, D. (1991). Tuesday. Houghton
Mifflin Harcourt. New York.
Impressions:
A surreal book nearly completed told in visuals.
The story of a Tuesday evening in a town being inundated with frogs is a great
example of the power of illustrations developing plot without text. The night
time scenes are exceptional with rich dark blues and forest greens. While a breakthrough book, some modern
Caldecott winners have expanded the expression in animal faces with better
detail to develop character feeling and mood. I’m not sure a book like this could be made today, because Wiesner's surrealist art is in a league of its own. The only three time Caldecott winner. Incredible two page spreads, comic books style, brilliant detail.
Professional Review:
K-Gr 4--As the full moon rises over a peaceful marsh, so do frogs on their lily pads levitating straight up into the air and sailing off, with surprise with some laundry, hovering briefly before a TV left on. A dog chases one lone low coasting frog, but is summarily routed by a concerted amphibious armada. Suddenly the rays of the rising sun dispel the magic; the frogs fall to ed but gratified expressions. Fish stick their heads out of the water to watch; a turtle gapes goggle-eyed. The phalanx of froggies glides over houses in a sleeping village, interrupting the one witness's midnight snack, tangling the ground and hop back to their marsh, leaving police puzzling over the lily pads on Main Street. In the final pages, the sun sets on the following Tuesday--and the air fills with ascending pigs! Dominated by rich blues and greens, and fully exploiting its varied perspectives, this book treats its readers to the pleasures of airborne adventure. It may not be immortal, but kids will love its lighthearted, meticulously imagined, fun-without-amoral fantasy. Tuesday is bound to take off.
Dooley, P. (1991). Tuesday (Book). School Library Journal, 37(5), 86.
Library Uses:
Grades K-8:
For younger readers, Tuesday can be used for readers interested in wordless
books. The illustrations allow for plenty of discussion and examination of the
fine detail in Wiesner’s work. For older readers, study of the graphical layout
of Wiesner’s storyboards, will help readers ultimately understand how
illustrations can carry plot, climax and conclusion without words. A neat
exercise for librarians could be allowing students to voice the book and bring
the frogs and characters in the paintings to life. Librarians could also extend
conversation about the book as to what could occur in the following days after
that surreal Tuesday evening.
