Beautiful and engaging, this book will inspire readers to find out more.
An introduction to the childhood of the creator of the noblest literary knight of all time.
Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra is to Spanish literature what William Shakespeare is to English literature and is best known as the creator of Don Quixote, the brave knight whose idealism and perseverance have made him an enduring character for the past 500 years. In this account written in free verse, Engle weaves fact together with fiction to tell the story of young Miguel de Cervantes. Cervantes’ childhood was one of hardship, as his father’s gambling debts constantly put the family on the financial edge, and of instability, as the family kept moving, always one step ahead of its creditors. Could the seeds of the brave knight’s deeds have been sown in Cervantes’ childhood? Engle imagines young Miguel retreating into his imagination: “But when I close my eyes, / the spark of a story flares up. / A tale about a brave knight / who will ride out on / a strong horse / and right / all the wrongs / of this confusing / world.” Colón’s stunning pen-and-ink–and-watercolor illustrations add dimension and life to the story, depicting an olive-skinned cast of Renaissance Spaniards and aging Miguel from round-faced boy to lanky young man.
Beautiful and engaging, this book will inspire readers to find out more. (author’s, illustrator’s, historical, biographical, literary notes) (Picture book/poetry. 7-10)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-56145-856-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
This is a worthy translation of a beautiful and engaging book.
With the assistance of Mlawer and Lázaro, National Young People’s Poet Laureate Engle brings to children the childhood of the great storyteller Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra in his native tongue.
Cervantes, recognized as one of the most important writers in the Spanish language, is also the creator of Don Quixote, one of the noblest literary knights of all time. In her trademark free-verse style, Engle tells the story of young Cervantes, the son of a barber-surgeon and gambler, and of the precariousness of the family’s economic situation due to his father’s debts. Weaving fact together with fiction, the author imagines that the seeds to the famous literary creation can be found in Miguel’s difficult childhood. Originally published in English, the Spanish translation by Mlawer and Lázaro beautifully captures the rhythm and language of the original: “Huimos de noche, / hacia Madrid, / con la esperanza de un futuro / sin / temores. / ¿Dónde encontraremos ese futuro imposible? / ¿Quizá solo en las páginas de mi / imaginación?” Colón’s remarkable pen-and-ink–and-watercolor illustrations have an old-masters quality that perfectly complements the narrative and brings to life the olive-skinned cast of Renaissance Spaniards.
This is a worthy translation of a beautiful and engaging book. (author’s, illustrator’s, historical, biographical, literary notes) (Picture book/poetry. 7-10)Pub Date: March 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68263-019-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
An outstanding contribution to the recent spate of reminders that women too helped send men to the moon.
Who would have guessed from standard-issue histories of the space race that the spacesuits worn on the moon were largely the work of women employed by the manufacturer of Playtex bras and lines of baby wear?
Here, in a profile that laudably focuses on her subject’s unusual skills, dedicated work ethic, and uncommon attention to detail rather than her gender or family life, Donald takes Eleanor “Ellie” Foraker from childhood fascination with needle and thread to work at ILC Dover, then on to the team that created the safe, flexible A7L spacesuit—beating out firms of military designers and engineers to win a NASA competition. Though the author clearly attempts to steer clear of sexist language, she still leaves Foraker and her co-workers dubbed “seamstresses” throughout and “engineer” rather unfairly (all so designated presenting male here) defined in the glossary as “someone who designs and makes things.” Still, her descriptions of the suit’s concepts and construction are clear and specific enough to give readers a real appreciation for the technical challenges that were faced and solved. Landy gives the figures in her cleanly drawn illustrations individual features along with period hair and clothing, varying skin tones so that though most are white, at least two are women of color.
An outstanding contribution to the recent spate of reminders that women too helped send men to the moon. (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: June 18, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-84886-415-3
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Maverick Publishing
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
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