Author Description

From School Library Journal Kindergarten-Grade 2-While there is much to commend in this short, sweet tale, the whole is sadly less than the sum of its parts. A girl, her brother, and mother go to the country and see a swan. Later, in a 13-page wordless dream sequence, the heroine rescues the swan's mate from a discarded fishing line that had tangled around his neck. The next morning there are swan feathers by her bed. Months later the family returns to the country to see two swans with six babies. Mayo is obviously a skilled artist; however, the watercolor with pen-and-ink illustrations are too murky to be marvelous. There is something so magnificent about a white swan's whiteness that it's sad to see it in a gray wash. The timely message of the hazards posed to wildlife by discarded fishing equipment combined with a rude fisherman and a tiny tidbit of swan lore create a rather ponderous lesson. The Swan is an almost good book that children may enjoy in spite of its flaws because its heart is in the right place.Jody McCoy, Casady School, Oklahoma CityCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. Product Description A young girl on a picnic in the country sees a swan and later dreams of freeing it from a fisherman's line