Is there any way to make a collection of Aesop’s fables feel fresh? Yes—turn it into a calendar.
The 90-degree rotation of the opening combines with the horizontal layout of the 12 fables to make the book look like a calendar; though there are no dates or monthly labels, the palette and mood of the fables modulate seasonally as they progress. The unusual format (akin to Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens, 1995) is a creative way to present these moralistic tales. The white-bordered paintings are placed on the top page; the story faces it on the bottom page, which is dotted with spot art that adds surrealistic accents. For example, in “The Cockerel and the Jewel,” a hungry rooster wears a bib and holds a fork as it eyes a large pearl ring. The spot art below shows three white plates holding jewelry, a fork twining a necklace spaghettilike around its tines next to one of them. The last line is: “I’d much rather have found a grain of corn to eat than all the jewels in the world,” and indeed, that necklace does not look very tasty. The cover depicts two jackdaws in front of a mirror, each in the process of transforming itself à la the two fables about the bird. From the familiar “The Lion and the Mouse” and “The Hare and the Tortoise” to the lesser-known “The Ox and the Frog” and “The Stag at the Pool,” this sophisticated collection will take readers beyond single-volume treatments. An assortment of fables fabulously illustrated and strikingly presented. (Picture book/fables. 3-7)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-988-8240-52-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: minedition
Review Posted Online: Oct. 19, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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