Wake Up, Island

2016
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Author:

Mary Casanova
Woodcuts by Nick Wroblewski

In a picture book for all ages, lyrical language and elegant woodcuts celebrate the waking natural world on a North Woods island

Conjuring the morning life around a cabin fragrant with berry pancakes, this timeless book wakens the child in every reader to the wonders of nature that greet every new day in the charmed world of a northern woodland island.

Casanova turns in something different with this lyrical look at an island’s start to a brand new day.

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Kirkus Reviews

Wake up, little one, a soft voice beckons, the world around you is already stirring. As Wake Up, Island gently rouses the sleepy child, it summons a world of nature coming to life on a summer island in the magical North Woods. Sunlit fingers touch the shores, pine trees stretch their limbs, and lichen warms on ancient rock. Doe and fawn rise from their grass bed and pearls of dew bead a spider’s finely woven web. Mallards skim the water’s surface. Ravens perch and gargle greetings, chickadees call dee, dee, dee, and a heron swoops—minnows flee! The moose and her calf wade, munching on plants. The red squirrel chatters. The black bear lazily scratches her back against a tree.

Conjuring the morning life around a cabin fragrant with berry pancakes, this timeless book wakens the child in every reader to the wonders of nature that greet every new day in the charmed world of a northern woodland island.

Awards

Honorable Mention: National Outdoor Book Award

Mary Casanova grew up in a camp-like atmosphere on the edge of St. Paul, with parents who regularly packed the station wagon to capacity—ten kids and the family dog—and headed “up north” to a cabin. She is the author of One-Dog Canoe and thirty other books. Several of them—including Moose Tracks, Wolf Shadows, When Eagles Fall, and Frozen—are published by the University of Minnesota Press. These books, frequently found on state reading lists across the country, have earned countless awards such as the ALA “Notable,” Parent’s Choice “Gold” Award, Booklist Editor’s Choice, and two Minnesota Book Awards. She lives with her husband and three dogs in a turn-of-the-century house in Ranier, Minnesota.

Nick Wroblewski is an artist and printmaker specializing in handmade woodcut block prints. He prints from his home studio in the Driftless region of Wisconsin. A native of Minnesota, he enjoyed reflecting on a landscape very close to his heart while illustrating this book.

Casanova turns in something different with this lyrical look at an island’s start to a brand new day.

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Kirkus Reviews

With simple statements and delicate woodcuts, Wake up, Island creates a vivid sense of an island coming to life on a beautiful morning. Each page is a unique work of art. Even the text stretches and dips along with the fauna and flora of the island.

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Foreword Reviews

A lovely, versatile title to be used in storytime and to supplement many classroom lessons.

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School Library Journal

A fun yet thoughtful sensory read.

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Children’s Book and Media Review

What a beautiful, engaging combination—Mary Casanova’s lyrical but stirring ‘wake-up’ language and Nick Wroblewski’s handmade woodcut block prints as illustrations.

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ReaderKidZ

Wake Up, Island, with its serene narrative and gorgeous woodcut illustrations, is stunning, playful, and a truly fulfilling read.

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The Picture Book Review

In this beautiful book, gorgeous woodcut illustrations are paired with a simple, yet lyrical and rich text to give readers a picture of what it is like to be on an island in a northwoods lake on a summer morning. 

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Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Review

A colorful feast for the eyes that will make the magic of nature come alive for any child.

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Marquette Monthly