Isaacs and Zelinsky tell an even taller tale about Angelica Longrider, the outsized heroine of their hilarious, Caldecott Honor–winning Swamp Angel. Having outgrown Tennessee, Angel moves to roomy Montana, where she faces a wild dust-devil horse and a bandit named Backward Bart, born so ugly that his mother rolled him around backwards in his stroller. He walked, spoke and robbed backward ever since. Bart’s garbled threats remain funny even after several readings. “Cash your gimme!” just doesn’t get old. Side-splitting similes abound as well; Bart’s nefarious cronies are “pricklier than porcupines in a cactus patch.” Singsongy, colloquial narration guides readers from predicament to outlandish predicament with humor and folksy charm. Angel’s antics, pictured in oval and rectangular panels and surrounded by rippling wood grains, neatly explain the topography of the West in traditional folk-story fashion (wrestling the bucking bronco, Angel’s feet drag across the ground, creating the Grand Canyon). Zelinsky’s rustic oil illustrations offer a gallery of comic faces, frozen in exaggerated surprise, shock and frustration. Artfully crude, comedic artwork, friendly, understated narration and a wildly hyperbolic story combine to create a new classic. (Picture book. 4-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-375-86722-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Pancheri has been the gardener at Westminster Abbey in London for five years, and she draws on her experience to create a visual and verbal treat. The endpapers lay out the monastery's buildings, cloisters, grounds and gardens. Brother William takes readers simply and clearly through the year 1383 from his perspective as the gardener. In January, there’s enough snow to make a “snowmonk” and a “snowdog” (Rufus, his canine companion). April is Easter, with blessings, painted eggs and the end of fasting. The many pictures, done in egg gouache (a medium suitable to the date), are utterly charming: Each month has an initial decorated with appropriate flora (June’s J entwined with roses, October’s O filled with acorns and oak leaves); the monks work hard, practice archery and play marbles; Brother William and Rufus dance on May Day. Recipes, the occasional gloss on a word in the text and such homely touches as information on the herbs used in healing add to the book's richness. Further notes are given briefly at the end in Brother William’s wry and sweet voice. (Picture book. 7-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-84507-953-6
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2010
A rather obscure human-interest story that, while beautifully illustrated, is not very enlightening on the topic of Mark...
The story of Mark Twain as a newly widowed, grieving, 69-year-old man holed up in his Manhattan apartment in 1904 is frankly a peculiar subject for a children’s picture book.
Granted, there’s a black cat named Bambino to capture the attention of younger readers, but will the picture-book set be familiar enough with Twain to appreciate this morose glimpse into the twilight years of “sad old Samuel Clemens”? Twain did own a cat named Bambino. True story: When Bambino escaped from an open window, the devastated Twain put a “LOST: MARK TWAIN’S CAT” ad in the paper and offered a reward for his safe return… a move that spawned such a heartwarming public response (and influx of cats) that he cast off his housecoats and rejoined the world in his legendary white suit. (As for whether Bambino was really responsible for that, the author says, “Only Sam and Bambino would know.”) The lugubrious tale is captured commendably in atmospheric, expertly composed mixed-media and digital illustrations, often of the scowling, long-faced Twain in various slumped positions. Unusual perspectives add visual variety and effectively highlight the apparent bond between the bereft author and his cat.
A rather obscure human-interest story that, while beautifully illustrated, is not very enlightening on the topic of Mark Twain, mourning the death of a loved one nor cats. A puzzler. (author’s note, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 8-10)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-58089-272-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
