This exquisitely illustrated Chinese legend explains why just one sun rests in the sky above. In a long-ago time, the Emperor Di Jun has ten suns—his sons. Each day, they take turns orbiting the earth by walking across the sky, bringing light and warmth to the planet and its people. Though the people show their gratitude by worshipping the Emperor-god and his suns, the boys soon grow weary of following the same path in solitude. Against their father’s warnings, the suns walk across the sky together one day, and their combined heat sears the earth, drying the crops and soil, boiling the waters, and nearly killing all the earth’s inhabitants. Di Jun sends an archer to find the suns and shoot them down, which the archer does, to all but one. Xuan’s magical illustrations are as richly crafted and detailed as fine embroidery on Chinese silk. The varied vibrant colors, shapes, and textures are a feast: Sinews pop from trees, muscles bulge on the archer, garments roil and flow from the gods. Combined with Kimmel’s simple yet captivating retelling, these evocative illustrations will appeal to readers and listeners alike. (Picture book/folklore. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 15, 1998
ISBN: 0-8234-1317-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1998
What if the market was closed when you wanted to bake a pie? You could embark for Europe, learn Italian en route, and pick up some semolina wheat in Italy, an egg in France, kurundu bark for cinnamon in Sri Lanka, and an entire cow in England (butter) before coming home via Jamaica (sugar) and Vermont (apples). The expertly designed illustrations in which a dark-haired lass journeys by various means to these interesting places to get her groceries are lovely and lively, and the narrative, too, travels at a spritely pace. The journey is neither quite logical enough to be truly informative nor quite bizarre enough to be satisfyingly silly, while the rich, sweet recipe that's appended will take some adult assistance. Still, fun. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: May 2, 1994
ISBN: 0-679-83705-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1994
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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