Review by Booklist Review
Ages 4^-6. In this wordless, large-format picture book, a toy clown is thrown into the garbage can with some stuffed animals. He runs through the city streets, where he has a series of adventures as he tries to find a home for his discarded friends. A ruffian tosses him through a tenement window; inside the apartment, the clown charms a toddler and his mother with his antics and then helps clean up in time for a visit from grandmother. In return, they rescue the stuffed animals, joining both human and nonhuman friends together for a happy ending. This story in mime unfolds with lots of action and quiet charm. Even the clown's thoughts and speech, carried in cartoon-style balloons, appear as pictures rather than words. The deft line drawings, tinted with watercolor washes, indicate character traits and emotions with great sensitivity to form, movement, and detail. --Carolyn Phelan
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this tragicomic, wordless picture book, a discarded clown doll escapes from a garbage can, and endeavors to rescue his fellow toys from the trash. "With a few brushstrokes and scribbles of ink, Blake conveys moods, contrasts economic situationsand praises those who appreciate secondhand items," said PW. Ages 3-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 4Unceremoniously tossed in a trash bin with other toys, Clown escapes and attempts to enlist help in rescuing his discarded friends. He gains the sympathy of two little girls and the attention of one dog, but interfering adults thwart his efforts at every turn. Finally landing in the drab apartment in which a girl is baby-sitting her little brother, Clown not only gains his objective but also helps make a happy home for all (humans included). Blake's whimsical watercolor-and-ink illustrations are particularly well suited to this wordless tale presented in cartoon style. His spare but expressive lines effectively capture the hero's pluck, the cruel disdain of adults, and the dreariness of the urban apartment. Large drawings in frames combined with smaller, unframed sketches vary the tempo and pace and further dramatize moments of bold action. While accessible to young viewers, a certain level of visual sophistication is required to truly appreciate the nuances of the plot. For example, the relationship between daughter and mother remains unclear until the end, but this does not significantly detract from the drama. Blake succeeds admirably in presenting a multilayered and thought-provoking tale that will capture readers' imaginations.Carol Ann Wilson, Westfield Memorial Library, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Illustrated by Durga Bernhard. Emery and Durga Bernhard blend simplicity and elegance in following a storm-tossed branch through a swollen stream and on into a river and the sea. "Now the stream runs slow and clear. Caught between boulders, its soggy bark peeling, the willow branch steams in the sun. An osprey swoops low and grabs the branch." Durga Bernhard's naive figures of animals and people appear in broad, stylized landscapes in soft, warm tones of blue, green, purple, mauve, and apricot. Thick outlines in white and other light tones lend a batik quality, and the swathes of landscape are beautifully balanced by white space. A framed vignette, round or square, is set into many pages, offering a close view of a small bit of the larger scene. At journey's end, the now-smooth branch is discovered by a beachcombing boy, who adds it to a collection of found objects, which he uses to construct a mobile. The themes of journey and transformation, the pleasant glimpses of nature at work, and the concluding directions for making a mobile offer many possibilities for use with children of many ages. m.a.b. Quentin Blake, Illustrator Clown The traditional clown mixture of melancholy and merriment forms a thematic background to a wordless picture book by the famed illustrator. When a toy clown is discarded in the rubbish bin along with his stuffed animal friends, he starts on a quest to find them all a new home. Prowling through the grubbier parts of the gray, uncaring city, the clown looks for a child who will help him. The first child is yanked away by her father; the disdainful mother of the second child throws the clown out the window. After further unfortunate adventures, a young punk throws him high into a window of a rundown apartment building, landing the clown in a scene of domestic squalor. A crying baby is being cared for by a harassed latch-key older sister, unwashed dishes are strewn all around, pots and potatoes roll on the floor, a naked light bulb hangs from the ceiling, paint is peeling off the walls. Clearly this child cannot help him. But the clown goes to work - after cheering girl and infant up with juggling tricks, he helps with the dishes, sweeps, and makes the place tidy. He even changes the baby. Then they set out with baby in carriage and rescue the toys, and when the exhausted mother returns home from work, she is amazed at the shining house and happy children who await her. Only Quentin Blake's remarkable skill as an artist could produce such a touching, endearing story, told entirely through the postures and actions of lively, scratchy, almost cartoonlike figures. a.a.f. Caralyn Buehner Fanny's Dream Illustrated by Mark Buehner. Fanny Agnes is a farm girl, as plain as she can be and sturdy, too, but she has her dreams. She intends to marry a prince, and she knows how it will go - her fairy godmother will set it all up. So, on the night of the mayor's grand ball, she dresses up and waits in the moonlight. No fairy godmother appears, but Heber Jensen does, short and plain, but funny and nice. Fanny marries him and settles down to a life of working the farm and raising a family. Heber is a good husband, so when the fairy godmother arrives one night years later, full of apologies for being late and offering her a second chance, Fanny hardly takes a minute to turn her down and return to the house, where Heber is reading "Cinderella" to the children. Not only is the story warm and satisfying, the comic illustrations reward close study, with items slyly hidden in clouds and shadows. Plain Fanny is a princess, all right, and the story is a winner. a.a.f. Jan Carr The Nature of the Beast Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. Beast is the only pet that one dollar will buy, so Isabelle takes him home and is allowed to keep him for the purpose of scientific observation. In this day of required journals and portfolio evaluation, Carr is right on the cutting edge of pedagogy. While youngsters may not appreciate the timely nature of the book, they will adore Beast and his relationship to Isabelle's family. The young scientist's descriptions of Beast behavior from her notebook are straightforward and understated ("I watched him raid Dad's closet. I wrote, 'Likes red ties only'") and even the tense climax, when Beast becomes ill, is gracefully handled. Homely in the best sense, the acrylic, gouache, and pencil illustrations add affection and humor to the text. Words and pictures work so well together, in fact, that one recalls the totality rather than the usual experience of remembering one or the other first. e.s.w. Caron Lee Cohen Where's the Fly? Illustrated by Nancy Barnet. In a handsome concept book, Cohen takes the viewer from a close-up portrait of a fly sitting on a dog's nose to a journey outward to view the planet Earth. Much the way Istvan Banyai's Zoom (Viking) challenges older children, the simple questions and answers here - "Where's the dog? In the flower bed. Where's the flower bed? Against the house" - give preschool children a way to explore spatial relationships and relative size. The text follows a predictable pattern, and the reader must turn the page to discover the answer to each question. The illustrations, done in a style reminiscent of Nancy Winslow Parker's colored pencil drawings, take the viewer an increasing distance from the original fly to larger and larger perspectives. The complex concept has been executed with elegant simplicity, and the combination of surprise and predictability is satisfying. m.v.k. Stefan Czernecki, Author-Illustrator Zorah's Magic Carpet An original fantasy set in the city of Fez, Morocco, in a time long ago tells of a woman whose longing to travel is fulfilled when she spares the life of a sheep about to be sacrificed for the festival of Aïd el-Kabir. Thanks to the sheep's magical powers, she obtains sufficient wool to weave a carpet incorporating designs from many countries whose goods she has seen at the market and whose wonders have been described by merchants. But the finished product is more than a magnificent artistic achievement: it is also a means of transport, enabling her to visit places of which she has only dreamed, including Kiev, Bombay, and Beijing. Each time, she returns with a memento, which eventually enables her to procure more wool and to continue weaving carpets featuring motifs from distant cultures. Although the concept might seem contrived, the whole transcends a possibly didactic intent through the imaginative rendering of intensely colored illustrations in a style suggestive of Moroccan carpets and a carefully honed text punctuated with sly touches of humor. An appended author's note expands on the traditions mentioned in the text and defines words such as tanpura and palanquin. m.m.b. Anke de Vries My Elephant Can Do Almost Anything Illustrated by Ilja Walraven. "My elephant can do almost anything. He can stand on a wobbly stool, and he can balance on a balloon. Watch out! It will pop! 'Don't worry,' my elephant says. 'As long as I hold my breath, I'm fine.'" Each turn of the page reveals a new aspect of this most talented imaginary friend illustrated with a forthright yet offbeat portrait. Many of the paintings are signed and dated over a period of several years, indicating that perhaps the text was written after the pictures, rather than the more usual turn of events. The illustrations have been executed in a variety of media, primarily oil on canvas or linen with some outlines of pencil and charcoal. In nearly every painting the elephant has a fuzzy aura of orange, red, or blue, and most paintings use a simple background of black, white, and raw canvas. Despite its startling shifts in shape and color, this elephant will seem familiar to any preschooler who's ever been a friend ("He wasn't hurt, but I wrapped him up in bandages, just in case") or needed one ("My elephant is never afraid of the dark"). Though simple in concept and execution, there is a mysterious quality to the static yet mesmerizing art and a clear understanding of children's concerns in the text. lolly robinson Ann Doro Twin Pickle Illustrated by Clare Mackie. In this simple story-in-rhyme, Jenny and Ivory - lively, mischievous, imaginative twin sisters - romp throughout their house, play with their cat Tabs, and pester their little brother. And, because they are identical twins, they deliciously confuse adults and other onlookers all day long. At bedtime, however, Jenny and Ivory both enjoy being tucked in and read to. Although the story is predictable, the rhyme is engaging, and the girls' activities are recognizable and familiar. "Who is stomping on the stairs? / Who is clomping like a bear? / Who is thinking, 'Do I dare?' / Ivory, of course. Or is it Jenny?" Two lines of text appear on each page, complementing the action of animated double-page spreads. Muted color and strong line in an uncluttered format are effectively used to create humor and movement in the contemporary, childlike illustrations. Jenny and Ivory are memorable creations, with their long, thin legs, triangular polka-dot dresses, and long, thin, remarkably expressive braids. m.b.s. Tim Egan, Author-Illustrator Metropolitan Cow Dr. Seuss's masterwork The Sneetches (Random) has always been the role model in children's books in holding absurd social pretensions up to scorn, but a new entry in the field offers an updated view. Young Bennett Gibbons is a young calf in a prominent cow family. He lives in an upper-class city neighborhood where there are few young calves to play with, though there are plenty of pigs. But he can't play with the pigs, of course; cows are far too dignified for that. When a nice young pig, Webster Anderson, moves in next door, Bennett's father is reluctant to let Bennett play with him. But the two youngsters find they are natural soulmates. Bennett's parents are uncomfortable - "they liked young Webster, but he was, after all, a pig" - and put a stop to the friendship. In response, Bennett runs away, but Webster finds him, and all become friends, taking delightful (if undignified) mud baths together in the park. This splendid romp through bovine and porcine prejudice is made more pointed by the extremely urban and sophisticated setting, including the Gibbons's arte moderne apartment. A good lesson for us all, and funny, too. a.a.f. Karen English Neeny Coming, Neeny Going Illustrated by Synthia Saint James. Broad, flat forms and rich color depict Essie's island home as she anticipates the arrival of her "best cousin." This is Neeny's first visit to Daufuskie Island, one of South Carolina's Sea Islands, since she moved away to a big city on the mainland. Essie soon discovers that Neeny is not the same cousin with whom she once shared everything. Neeny has become citified, criticizing all of the island ways and customs. But when Neeny prepares to leave, Essie packs a surprise present, her own "new bed quilt so [Neeny] can remember her family on the island." Essie realizes that things will never be as they were, foreshadowing the inevitability of the changes coming to their Sea Island home. The author sets this believable story of loss on Daufuskie Island in the 1950s, a time of great change, as she notes in a brief preface. Essie's guileless narration provides the essence of the island language, a blend of African languages and English, without impeding the flow of the text. Illustration and text combine to create a memorable portrayal of a universal situation while also giving the reader a glimpse into a specific experience of African-American life. m.b.s. Max Grover, Author-Illustrator Circles and Squares Everywhere! This oversized book organizes a brightly-colored, toylike urban environment into elements defined by the two basic shapes mentioned in the title. In cumulative fashion, circles first appear as tires stacked up outside a store. On the following spread the tires appear on round-shaped cars, then on more cars and trucks. Finally, all are pictured on a maze of clover-leafed roads. In like manner, squares form windows, houses, buildings, and more in illustrations of increasing complexity. This simple concept is given unique appeal by the vitality of the book design. Single words and phrases enclosed in a circle and/or a square surrounded by a wide white border appear on one page, while on the facing page a burst of colors and shapes evoke the feeling of a playground. Adults reading this book to toddlers will find many imaginative ways to share its riches. In addition to learning those two basic shapes, and taking an elementary lesson in widening perspectives, children can simply make a game of naming objects and colors, or child and adult alike can just enjoy the book for the pure pleasure of its pictures. n.v. Tad Hardy Lost Cat Illustrated by David Goldin. "Lost cat. / Where's he at? / Plump and soft. / Loves to chat. / Black stripes, / Whiskers white. / Nose is pink. / Has an overbite." The text of this breezy, humorous book shows two different points of view about the same cat. The first portion of the book describes a beloved cat described on a "lost cat" poster. The second section describes the same cat in a different light, as the finders of the cat try to get rid of it: "Cat found. / Fat . . . / And round. / Black stripes running / Up and down. / Huge pink nose. / Whiskers light. / Some are missing, / Some are white. / Sleeps all day. / Meows all night. / Teeth stick out / And don't bite right." The cartoonlike illustrations use heavy black line and watercolor to show a plump cat with expressive eyes and eyebrows, a snaggle-toothed grin, and a definite air of entitlement. The denouement shows the cat's original owner delighted to find his cat after seeing a "cat found" poster. "Cat is back! / Safe and sound! / Seems just fine, / Still soft and round. / . . . Missed him dearly, / Thrilled he's back. / Who could live / Without this cat?" Though full of slapstick humor and over-the-top antics, the book will surely elicit a strong emotional response from cat appreciators. Both text and illustrations show an understanding of the lovable and annoying aspects of any cat's personality, as well as the strong, if sometimes one-sided, bond that can exist between human and cat. lolly robinson Anna Grossnickle Hines, Author-Illustrator When We Married Gary In an antidote to the many picture books about the difficulties of second marriages for children, Hines tells a story about a welcomed new stepfather. The narrator and her sister are happy to have Gary in their family because "it's kind of like we're a puzzle - Mama, Beth, and me. Our daddy didn't fit with us, but Gary does." She admits that "sometimes Gary gets impatient with us" but that he brings many good things into their lives as well. Simply and directly told, the warm story is illustrated with watercolor and colored pencil sketches that fill out the emotional content of the story. The endpapers resemble a photo album that chronicles the changes in the family, beginning with Beth as a toddler and ending with Mama and Gary's new baby. A realistic, upbeat story about family life. m.v.k. Satoshi Kitamura, Author-Illustrator Sheep in Wolves' Clothing In Satoshi Kitamura's silly take-off on the old maxim, the comic scenario begins as three endearingly goofy sheep, Georgina, Hubert, and Gogol, set off in Gogol's convertible for a day at the beach. There, four wolves playing miniature golf on the sand offer some advice: "'I don't want to be rude,' said one of them, 'but think of your beautiful coats! The salt water will ruin them.'" The trusting sheep slip out of their sheepskins (the boys cheerfully emerging in striped boxer shorts, Georgina in a white slip) and go for a swim; when they return, their skins - and the wolves - are gone. Sounds like a case for Georgina's cousin, Elliott Baa, Private Detective, who eventually tracks the sheepskins to a seedy building where the wolves are operating - what else? - a knitwear factory. Total chaos erupts as a gang of rugby-playing cats in Elliott's employ make a fine mess of the operation. Full-page scenes filled with congenial clutter are interspersed with assorted vignettes of the jauntily cartooned characters. Younger children will delight in the climactic brouhaha and will also find this a satisfying mystery story. Older children will enjoy the detective story spoof and the new twist on the old sheep/wolves theme. The deft cartoonery is sure to tickle a wide audience. m.a.b. Kim Lewis, Author-Illustrator One Summer Day Toddler Max is enraptured when he sees "a huge red tractor" go rumbling by his front window. By the time he gets on his hat, coat, and shoes, the tractor is long gone; but to his delight, his grownup friend Sara comes to take him out. Laughingly removing his unnecessary hat and coat, Sara takes Max's hand, and they go off to explore a lovely summer day. Max shoos some hens, moos at a cow, and wades in the water where some boys are fishing; but his joy is unbounded when he and Sara come to a field, hear a loud roar, and see "Tractor!" After they watch for a while, Sara picks up a contented Max and heads for home with the youngster asleep on her shoulder. The gentle, sun-dappled illustrations done in colored pencil capture the unhurried pace of a small child's happy adventures with an empathetic adult on a summer's day. The very young audience for this book will especially enjoy the double-page image of the red tractor plowing a field and the very large tractor wheel that "loomed past" as Max watches from a fence. h.b.z. Alice McLerran The Year of the Ranch Illustrated by Kimberly Bulcken Root. The author of Roxaboxen (Viking) tells another story woven from her family history. At her father's instigation, Emily's family moves West to homestead a tract of desert just outside Yuma, Arizona. Her mother is reluctant to leave civilization (before they have even unpacked, she insists that they clear stones for a tennis court), but she manages the ranch while Emily's father commutes to the city to his office job. Gradually, the family learns to live with an outhouse, sandstorms, and rattlesnakes. McLerran draws readers into the unfamiliar setting with her skillful use of memorable details, such as the image of the children and their mother bravely squashing between flatirons the scorpions and tarantulas that collect on the screen windows each night. The author sets up a wonderful contrast between the tiny makeshift shack and the different dreams each family member has for their "year on the ranch." Root's old-fashioned watercolor-and-pencil illustrations are well suited to the tone of the story. Each painting is framed with a loose, uneven edge that mirrors the horizontal ragged shapes of the clouds in the desert sky, evoking both the beautiful and the difficult aspects of life on the homestead. m.v.k. Kate McMullan If You Were My Bunny Illustrated by David McPhail. A series of animal mothers - rabbit, bear, cat, duck, dog - each lull their young offspring to sleep with lullabies as a human mother tucks her little one into bed. A note at the end of the book identifies the five familiar tunes that may be used to sing each of the animal lullabies. David McPhail's appealing portrayals of animal scenes and sleepy child add a pleasant dimension for young readers and listeners. h.b.z. Lisa Maizlish, Photographer The Ring In a wordless book illustrated with photographs, a boy picks up a yellow plastic ring in a city park and is transformed along with the world, as the ring turns a gray landscape into one of glorious color. With the ring placed on his thumb, the boy begins to fly, his winter coat, hat, scarf, and even sneakers and socks falling to the ground. Dressed in blue jeans and a red T-shirt, he flies through Manhattan, past the observation deck of the Empire State Building, past an escaped helium balloon, past the Statue of Liberty, and back to the park. He places the ring on the ground, the photographs revert to black and white, and he is once again dressed for cold weather. As he walks away holding an adult's hand, we see a little girl find the ring and look through it at the boy, shown in color, once again wearing a red T-shirt. While the book brings to mind elements of classics like The Red Balloon (Doubleday) and In the Night Kitchen (Harper), the presentation is so simple and new that these references are far from obvious. Maizlish is expert at digital manipulation of photographs, and the attention to detail and continuity is astounding. lolly robinson Walter Dean Myers How Mr. Monkey Saw the Whole World Illustrated by Synthia Saint James. Myers describes a time of famine when all the animals except Mr. Buzzard struggle to survive. Buzzard spends his time tricking other animals by offering them a ride in the clouds for the price of an item of food. Once airborne, Buzzard refuses to return the animals safely to earth until they surrender their entire food supply. When Mr. Monkey catches on, he decides to teach him a lesson. With the trickster tricked and the food supplies regained, the book ends with a calypso feast at which the animals and their wives eat as much as they can. Saint James's vibrant minimalist illustrations in her trademark neon bright colors bring the story to life. The animal characters, each with a distinct personality, are playfully depicted - most are dressed in shorts. Mr. Buzzard, robed in a black cape, evokes the sense of menace inherent in predatory birds. The suspense of the story combined with the eye-catching pictures makes the book a good choice for story hour. ellen fader Mary Nethery Hannah and Jack Illustrated by Mary Morgan. Hannah and her cat Jack are together constantly; she loves that his eyes are "big as copper pennies" and his fur smells "like warm gingerbread." When her family goes on a visit to Grandma's, Hannah must leave Jack behind, and she is heartbroken. Even a day at the circus fails to cheer up Hannah until, with her Grandma's encouragement, she finds a way to make Jack part of her vacation, sending him postcards and finding him a souvenir. When she comes home, she and Jack have "a Glad-to-Be-Back Party," and at the end of the day, the contented pair loll "like fat rabbits in the sweet grass, just being together again." Readers will enjoy both the sweet watercolor and gouache illustrations of a child and a loved pet and the fact that Hannah is able to solve her problem independently. h.b.z. Dav Pilkey, Author-Illustrator The Paperboy Like many of today's movies or television shows, Pilkey introduces his story with title and credits before the central characters appear, as a full-page painting followed by two wordless double-page spreads focus on a newspaper truck making its delivery to a young paper carrier's home. What then follows is a lyrical combination of text and pictures describing the pre-dawn routine of a paperboy and his dog as they force themselves from bed, make their rounds, and return at break of day for a well-deserved nap and a chance to dream - for it is Saturday. The words are carefully chosen to explain but not overwhelm the illustrations, and the print never obscures pictorial content. The emphasis is on balance and geometric form, giving solidity to this celebration of routine (so dear to the heart of preschoolers). Yet this interpretation is never boring, for the palette is rich and inviting, and the situations are exotic for children whose days begin in light, not darkness. A meditative evocation of the extraordinary aspects of ordinary living. m.m.b. Diana Pomeroy, Author-Illustrator One Potato: A Counting Book of Potato Prints A counting book from one to one hundred is illustrated entirely with classically beautiful potato prints. Each number from one to ten is given its own page, and the larger numbers (twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, one hundred) mostly receive two-page spreads. "One potato / Two eggplants / Three ears of corn." The higher numbers count smaller objects, such as twenty radishes and thirty blueberries. Pomeroy cuts intricate shapes, realistically outlining the vegetable or clusters of berries, leaves, and stems. By scoring the flat surface of the potato with a knife and then rubbing acrylic paint into the lines, she achieves a combination of relief and intaglio printing, with the intaglio lines providing textures that print darker than the smooth relief surface. This is a handsome book from start to finish. The text has been printed in a large, antiqued serif font and subtly colored to set off the art. The paper is a glossy cream-colored card stock that emphasizes the warmth of the art. Each page or spread uses a slightly different border, which the fruits and vegetables obscure in places, helping to create a sense of motion. Throughout the book, sunflowers peek out from behind some of the borders, foreshadowing the final spread featuring one hundred surprisingly realistic sunflower seeds. lolly robinson Bonnie Pryor The Dream Jar Illustrated by Mark Graham. Valentina and her family have come from Russia, where her Papa was a farmer and started each day with a song. Now, in America, he's too tired to sing; he works long hours as a bricklayer and dreams of owning a store one day. Mama does piecework sewing all day, and even Valentina's brother earns a few dollars as an errand boy. Every spare cent goes into a jar where they save money to make Papa's dream come true. Valentina is frustrated because she's too little to get a job; but when her brother quits school to work full-time, she begins teaching her Papa and her brother to read their new language every evening. Before long, five neighbors have joined them to crowd around the kitchen table for her evening school. With the money they pay her, Valentina is able to make her first contribution to the dream jar. The day finally comes when Papa takes the family on an elevated train ride to see their store and new home. When Valentina asks what will happen to the dream jar, Papa answers, "In America there is room for many dreams." Mark Graham's oil paintings, sometimes softly impressionistic, convey a sense of life on the Lower East Side and of the love and caring that help one immigrant family find a better life. h.b.z. Michael Rosen This Is Our House g Illustrated by Bob Graham. Playground dynamics become testy as a willful child attempts to exclude everyone else in this simple, humorous lesson in human relations. Bob Graham's cartoon sketches aptly set the scene in the opening endpapers, zooming down on a bird's-eye view of a small green play area surrounded by tall, uncolored-in buildings (clearly the playground is the world here). A sturdy crew of neighborhood children have made a house from a large cardboard box, and George has taken it over. "This house is mine and no one else is coming in." Approaching individually and in pairs, the other children try to gain entrance through various ploys, but George stubbornly rejects them all, saying the house isn't for small people, twins, or those with red hair or glasses. Graham's energetic vignettes, variously grouped, are framed in a simple line and make interesting use of color to heighten tension in the battle of wills. Spare lines suggest background details in the ample white space, and soft hues of watercolor and crayon focus attention on the central figures of each scene. Nature gets the best of defensive George: eventually he has to go to the bathroom. In his absence everyone piles in to the house, and of course he rages in vain as they exclude him until he has learned his lesson. The tale is patently didactic, but the economical text and pictures are deft and funny in capturing the interactions of children at odds and at play. m.a.b. Pat Schories, Author-Illustrator Over Under in the Garden: An Alphabet Book At first reading this may seem to be a basic alphabet book, displaying a plant (Foxglove, Grape) and an insect (Firefly, Grasshopper) for each letter. A closer inspection, however, reveals other fauna on each page and the drama of garden life played out in the background. In fact, this book might be titled Chipmunk Around as a companion to the author's Mouse Around (Farrar), since a chipmunk can be found in each illustration if the viewer looks very hard. The flowers and creatures are carefully drawn and faithfully colored to represent reality. Children may have their first encounter with kohlrabi and mandrake, but they will be able to recognize both if they ever meet them again. There's a lot to take in here, and the accessible presentation will encourage readers to try to find it all. e.s.w. Margaret Shaw-MacKinnon Tiktala Illustrated by László Gál. Her desire to become a famous soapstone carver leads Tiktala on a search for spirit help; she journeys in the form of a harp seal, the animal that she wishes to carve, and is guided by another seal sent to help her. While the village scenes before and after her transformation are depicted in realistic, concrete, solid forms of houses and people, the spirit journey is cast in appropriately dreamy, flowing scenes that follow the seals through the Arctic waters among schools of fish and past mountains of ice and softly glowing sunsets. The artist's interpretation supports the fantasy and helps make the mystical story accessible to younger children. The theme that art grows out of experience grows naturally out of the book. e.s.w. Erica Silverman Gittel's Hands Illustrated by Deborah Nourse Lattimore. Gittel's father is inordinately proud of his daughter's talents and frequently boasts about her in their village despite warnings that "words once spoken are like little dybbuks" dancing around and causing all kinds of trouble. Before Passover, when Gittel's father finds he can't pay the hay merchant the forty rubles he owes, he brings Gittel to him and boasts of her needlework, her cooking, and her silversmithing with which he will repay his debt. Since his boasts leave Gittel without a needle for sewing, with no firewood for cooking, and with only one silver coin for an Elijah's cup, she is unable to fulfill her tasks. Instead, she helps a trapped dove, feeds a hungry cat, and gives her shawl to a shivering beggar who turns out to be the prophet Elijah. Magically producing tools and bars of silver, he teaches Gittel to create beautiful candlesticks, seder plates, and "a graceful Elijah's cup." From then on, Gittel and her father live very well by selling the special silver objects she is able to create. Collagic, Chagall-like illustrations are an appropriate complement to this folklike tale of kindness rewarded. h.b.z. Gary Soto The Old Man and His Door Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. As in the "little Mexican song," an old man, el viejo, does not always listen as carefully as possible. Instead of bringing el puerco, a pig, to their neighbors for a barbecue as his wife asked, el viejo puts the door, la puerta, over his back and heads to the house of la comadre. Along the way, the door becomes very useful to the gentle old man. With it, he makes a sad girl happy, protects himself from angry bees, helps a tired goose, rescues a little boy, and helps a man load a piano onto a truck, collecting fortuitous - and tasty - gifts along the way. The party does without the pig, as la vieja and the neighbors enjoy the rewards of the old man's adventures and use the door as their table for the comida. The story seems slightly contrived, but preschool audiences will enjoy the humor and goodwill of the old man's journey. Although each Spanish word used is italicized and defined in context, there is also a glossary and pronunciation guide facing the title page. Thickly textured illustrations in rich colors place the amiable rotundity of the old man at center stage against a setting of flat, simplified backgrounds. m.b.s. James Stevenson, Author-Illustrator Yard Sale Another of James Stevenson's gently mocking explorations of the foibles of human nature features that perennial exercise in thrift and ingenuity, the yard sale. His animal characters are stupid, devious, wise, kindly, and sometimes all of these at the same time. Crocker the crocodile, a master of double talk, sells his rare and special alarm clock - it has no alarm, no way of winding it, no hands, and no numbers - to Henry, a credulous raccoon, for fifty cents. Simsbury climbs into his attic to look for things to sell and after a while finds himself sitting on a suitcase, strumming his old guitar. Beth, a very large yak, sells her old footstool to Matthew, a beaver, who likes it so much that Beth buys it back for twice the price. At the postsale party, Crocker has a change of heart and tries to give Henry his money back, but Henry likes the clock, Beth and Matthew sit together on the footstool, and Simsbury plays songs on his guitar. Laid back and wryly amusing, with expressive, sketchy pictures. a.a.f Craig Kee Strete They Thought They Saw Him Illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey. Little dark chameleon escapes from the unwanted attentions of a snake, an owl, a fox, and an Apache boy by becoming brown as a branch, green as leaves, tan as the sand, and golden as some rocks. The humor of chameleon's game of hide-and-seek and the frustration of his pursuers are captured perfectly in Aruego and Dewey's striking watercolor-and-ink drawings, which end with a multicolored chameleon, "the color of the world." h.b.z. Craig Kee Strete and Michelle Netten Chacon How the Indians Bought the Farm Illustrated by Francisco X. Mora. At last, a picture book about the Native American experience with a sense of (dry) humor. "In days not so long ago," a government man arrives to remove a "great Indian chief and his great Indian wife" from their homeland and install them on a bare farm. He tells them that the only way they can keep the farm is to raise sheep, pigs, or cows, knowing that they have no money to buy them. At his wife's suggestion, the great Indian chief takes his canoe down the river in search of any stray domesticated animals that may be hanging around, but finds only a moose, a beaver, and a bear. (In a wonderfully unmystical sequence, in which the reader is set up to expect a magically expanding canoe to accommodate the three large, heavy animals, the canoe sinks instead, and the great Indian chief has to walk home.) When the government man returns a week later to oust the Indians, they manage - with the help of the three animals and many of their brethren - to fool him and, at the same time, make sure he never returns. The pale watercolor illustrations are somewhat stiff but pleasant, and have the added virtue of not overwhelming this quietly droll tale. m.v.p. John Winch, Author-Illustrator The Old Man Who Loved to Sing A man moves to the country and spends his days singing around his house in the Australian bush. Many domestic and wild animals, at first disturbed by his singing and whistling and the music he plays on his wind-up gramophone, grow to love the sounds. When he becomes so elderly that he forgets to make music, the ensuing silence in the valley disturbs the animals. They devise a successful plan to return music to the valley: the drumming sound of the kangaroos' tails and the throaty frogs' croaks and the songs of the birds echo through the valley and remind the old man of what has been missing from his life. Once again, he begins to sing. This brief story possesses a simple elegance, and its joyful conclusion is satisfying. What commands the most attention, however, are the gouache and watercolor illustrations, which include unusual detailed close-ups of the old man's face or of various animals. Painted on splotchy earth-toned paper, the illustrations suggest pages from an old book, which perfectly suits the tenor of this gentle story. ellen fader From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
