My Life with the Wave

By Catherine Cowan

Book Overview

Based on a story by Nobel Prize laureate Octavio Paz, this delightful tale of a boy and his pet wave is charmingly retold with beautiful new illustrations. See if you can find the hidden cat, dog,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 068812660X
• ISBN13: 9780688126605
• Release Date: July 1997
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 1.08 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 9.5" x 11.2"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Beautiful writing and illustrations!

We used this book in a university class I am taking called children's literature. I was amazed at the quality and the brillance of the writing, it is remarkable. The language is so vivid and beautiful, that it could be out of a literary novel. The illustrations are equally as beautiful and the storyline is very well thought out and original.

"My Life With the Wave" is extraordinarily imaginative

I love books that begin with a fanciful, "what-if" premise. In this case, what if a sliver of the sea -- a wave -- followed a family home from the beach like a stray animal? The illustrations, humorous in a borderline-grotesque way, capture the muscular spirit of this fantasy. I need not convince my children to read this story again and again, and they need not waste time coaxing me. I love it because it permits every reader to imagine the delightfully surreal.

A Truly Wonderful Children's Book

My Life With The Wave is, by far, my favorite children's book and just fascinates my 6-year-old daughter. The story, the writing, the illustrations are all wonderful. We've taken this book out of our local library many times. Now, we are buying our own copy, one for my daughter's teacher and one for a friend.

beautifully drawn and very entertaining

this book plays on the beliefs of a child; wanting the impossible. i must admit that i wanted a wave of my own after reading this book! the artwork is magnificent, the dialogue is intriguing yet understandable...this is a MUST have for anyone with children...or anyone with an imagination.

fantastic illustrations will capture the imagination

This is a translation and retelling of an Octavio Paz story about a boy who befriends a wave on his first trip to the seashore and brings it home with him "cup by small cup". The ensuing problems associated with domesticating a wave, while amusing and delightful, prove to be too much for the boy's family. They finally cleverly figure out how to take the wave home. Cowan's fluid adaptation suggests a love of language and fidelity to the original. Buehner's vibrant, colorful full-page illustrations capture the humor and silliness as well as the drama of the tallish-tale. Good design handsomely combines text and pictures to make this an outstanding book.