by Marie Sellier & illustrated by Catherine Louis & Wang Fei ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 2009
This pourquoi tale with a trickster slant, translated from the French, introduces the symbols of the Chinese zodiac. When the Great Emperor of Heaven invites all the animals to visit him before sunrise at the top of Jade Mountain, the rascally rat neglects to wake his friend, the cat, sneaks a ride between the ox’s horns and lands first at the emperor’s feet. The ruler rewards the rat’s cunning with the first year, and continues to grant each successive year to the next one in line, extolling each animal’s virtues in the process. Having missed its turn, the duped cat now considers the rat his enemy. This tall, slim book features Louis’s striking red-and-black linoleum prints, a double-page zodiac wheel and Wang Fei’s elegant calligraphy depicting each zodiac symbol; it is an apt companion to the team’s previous retelling, Legend of the Chinese Dragon (2008). Despite occasionally stiff prose, the story’s unique subject and engaging artwork create an enjoyable resource for celebrating Chinese New Year and may prompt children to invent their own symbols and attributes. (Picture book/folktale. 6-10)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-7358-2220-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2008
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by Marie Sellier & illustrated by Catherine Louis
BOOK REVIEW
by Marie Sellier & translated by Claudia Zoe Bedrick
by Joyce Milton & illustrated by Larry Schwinger ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1992
At ``Step 2'' in the useful ``Step into Reading'' series: an admirably clear, well-balanced presentation that centers on wolves' habits and pack structure. Milton also addresses their endangered status, as well as their place in fantasy, folklore, and the popular imagination. Attractive realistic watercolors on almost every page. Top-notch: concise, but remarkably extensive in its coverage. A real bargain. (Nonfiction/Easy reader. 6-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-679-91052-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1992
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by Joyce Milton ; illustrated by Franco Tempesta
by Meredith Hooper & illustrated by Bee Willey ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2000
Trickling, bubbling, swirling, rushing, a river flows down from its mountain beginnings, past peaceful country and bustling city on its way to the sea. Hooper (The Drop in My Drink, 1998, etc.) artfully evokes the water’s changing character as it transforms from “milky-cold / rattling-bold” to a wide, slow “sliding past mudflats / looping through marshes” to the end of its journey. Willey, best known for illustrating Geraldine McCaughrean’s spectacular folk-tale collections, contributes finely detailed scenes crafted in shimmering, intricate blues and greens, capturing mountain’s chill, the bucolic serenity of passing pastures, and a sense of mystery in the water’s shadowy depths. Though Hooper refers to “the cans and cartons / and bits of old wood” being swept along, there’s no direct conservation agenda here (for that, see Debby Atwell’s River, 1999), just appreciation for the river’s beauty and being. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: June 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7636-0792-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2000
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by Meredith Hooper & illustrated by Bee Willey
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by Meredith Hooper & illustrated by Stephen Biesty
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by Meredith Hooper & illustrated by Stephen Biesty
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