Books : Is There Really a Human Race?
List Price: $16.99Amazon.com's Price: $11.55 You Save: $5.44 (32%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
Binding: Hardcover
EAN: 9780060753467
ISBN: 0060753463
Label: HarperCollins
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 40
Publication Date: September 01, 2006
Publisher: HarperCollins
Reading Level: Baby-Preschool
Release Date: September 05, 2006
Sales Rank: 268451
Studio: HarperCollins
Related Items:
Editorial Review:
Product Description:
Is there really a human race?
Is it going on now all over the place?
When did it start?
Who said, "Ready, Set, Go"?
Did it start on my birthday?
I really must know.
With these questions, our hero's imagination is off and running. Is the human race an obstacle course? Is it a spirit? Does he get his own lane? Does he get his own coach?
Written with Jamie Lee Curtis's humor and heart and illustrated with Laura Cornell's worldly wit, Is There Really a Human Race? Is all about relishing the journey and making good choices along the way—because how we live and how we love is how we learn to make the world a better place, one small step at a time.
Average Rating: 
Rating: -
One of the great things about children is the way they can take words literally . . . and give us a new perspective on life as we stop to think about the words we employ for well-understood adult idiomatic expressions. "Is there really a human race?" might thus be seen as a literal question about all the racing around that children see around them, as perhaps reinforced by television shows like The Amazing Race and other reality show competitions. Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell take that literalness and turn it into motherly wisdom for a child who's concerned about what it means to be in so much competition.
As I looked at the second two-page spread in the book, I had to laugh aloud as I saw the vision of people racing through what looked a lot like Central Park in New York City while mom and child sit on a park bench. I have often wondered why New Yorkers walk so fast . . . and now here is a story that picked up on that.
From there, the child asks mom a series of naive questions about the race:
"Did it start on my birthday?"
"Do I warm up and stretch?"
"If the race is a relay, is Dad on my team?"
"Am I a jockey or am I a horse?"
"Is there pushing and shoving to get to the lead?"
"If the race is unfair; will I succeed?"
"Do some of us lose?"
"What am I winning?"
"And why do I do it, this zillion-yard dash?"
Mom then provides a bit of perspective:
"Sometimes it's ... Read More
Rating:  -
Mu problem with this book is that the title really has nothing to do with the content. Maybe I'm just being picky, but before I read the book to my sons, I prefaced it with telling them what "Human Race" means--people as a whole, or all the people in the world. I was expecting and hoping to see a message about how people are really just people, regardless of color, physical differences, etc. But as I read the book, we quickly realized that the book isn't really about "The Human Race". I LOVE, LOVE the message of the book-take time to enjoy the journey of life, don't get caught up in winning or losing, etc. But the title and the message seemed incongruous to us. That certainly doesn't really effect the value of the story or message, and the book itself is very fun to read and listen to. But it really has nothing to do with what most people mean when they use the term "Human Race".
Rating: -
Jamie Lee is very clever with her wordings and rhymes. The illustrations are very eye-catching. Always looking for a new way to challenge and stimulate children's minds....this is it!
Rating:  -
Jamie Lee Curtis, Is There Really a Human Race? (Joanna Cotler Books, 2006)
Man, this book started off so well. Of its thirty-two pages, fully twenty-six of them are great stuff. Playing on the multiple meanings of the word "race", Curtis asks all sorts of amusing questions about humanity. While it does get a tad overbearing at times with the moralizing ("If the race is unfair, will I succeed?" comes flying out of nowhere, for example), it's quick, funny, and wonderfully illustrated by Laura Cornell. Unfortunately, then come the last six pages, where Curtis tosses away the metaphor and dives straight into the moralizing. Show Don't Tell is gasping by the wayside, obviously not having the lung capacity to finish. Sense of Subtlety got knocked over the head by an unscrupulous racer and is lying in the gutter, quietly sobbing. Not Talking Down to Kids lost his jockey and bolted for the track bar. Moralizing and Sanctimoniousness hit the wire in a dead heat.
Still, the first bit's worth it. **
Rating: -
While I don't usually review picture books, I highly recommend this charming book for adults who need to be reminded to slow down. I bought a copy to purchase for a youngster -- but was so moved by the message that I plan to keep it myself and will have to buy another. Curtis's important message is sure to strike a chord with over-scheduled adults who happen to be reading the book aloud to children. Cornell's whimsical illustrations (I loved the girl who's got the biggest hair "without product") make you pause for a closer look as you follow the text, which is exactly what a good picture book should do. This book makes a great gift for anyone -- regardless of age. -- Cindy La Ferle [...]
Browse for similar items by category:
|
