Amy the Dancing Bear
by Carly Simon
illustrated by Margot Datz
Though it's written by Carly Simon -- yes, THAT Carly Simon (the famous singer-songwriter) -- don't read Amy the Dancing Bear for the prose, which can seem at times like she's trying too hard to sound quaint and charming. What I love about it are the soft illustrations and the blossoming page borders, which are perfect for an end-of-August evening. The words work in concert with the drawings to evoke a lovely, fragrant summer night, and it's impossible not to feel relaxed and comforted once you reach the end of the sweet little story about an impetuous young dancing bear whose mother just wants her to go to sleep. In essence, it's sort of the literary equivalent of an Enya song -- relaxing and beautiful, but not too substantive. It's not going to win any literary awards, and it's certainly not going to make you contemplate the deep philosophical questions of the universe, but I love it for the mood it creates and its pitch-perfect recreation of a perfect summer night.
It was actually very comforting reading how relaxing and comforting you found these illustrations. I agree that the the drawings are sweet, calming and very evocative, thank you for sharing the sweet experience.
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