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LIBRARY LIL

Move over, Paul Bunyan—here comes Library Lil, who can toss a motorbike over her head like an apple core, balance a set of encyclopedias on the palm of one hand, speed-read every book in the children's room, tell a whale of a story, and convert an entire town to reading. Williams (Made in China, 1997, etc.) teams up with Kellogg for an exuberant, tongue-in-cheek adventure that will certainly strike a chord with book lovers. Lil, who always wanted to be a librarian, works in Chesterville, where the people watch too much television (which Lil labels ``the Devil's Invention''). When a horrible storm takes down the power lines, Lil seizes her chance, pushing the bookmobile up and down the darkened streets and making sure that every man, woman, and child has a book to read. By the time electricity is restored two weeks later, the whole town is full of readers. When Bust-'em-up and his motorcycle gang roar into town and park in Lil's spot, there are more changes in the wind: Soon Bust-'em-up Bill becomes Bookworm Bill, and Lil finds time for a little Tuesday night wrestling on television. Great fun, with Kellogg's watercolors working hand-in-glove to put the humor of the tale over the top. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1997

ISBN: 0-8037-1698-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Dial Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1997

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I WISH YOU MORE

Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.

A collection of parental wishes for a child.

It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.

Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: April 1, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015

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RAPUNZEL

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your dreads! Isadora once again plies her hand using colorful, textured collages to depict her fourth fairy tale relocated to Africa. The narrative follows the basic story line: Taken by an evil sorceress at birth, Rapunzel is imprisoned in a tower; Rapunzel and the prince “get married” in the tower and she gets pregnant. The sorceress cuts off Rapunzel’s hair and tricks the prince, who throws himself from the tower and is blinded by thorns. The terse ending states: “The prince led Rapunzel and their twins to his kingdom, where they were received with great joy and lived happily every after.” Facial features, clothing, dreadlocks, vultures and the prince riding a zebra convey a generic African setting, but at times, the mixture of patterns and textures obfuscates the scenes. The textile and grain characteristic of the hewn art lacks the elegant romance of Zelinksy’s Caldecott version. Not a first purchase, but useful in comparing renditions to incorporate a multicultural aspect. (Picture book/fairy tale. 6-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2008

ISBN: 978-0-399-24772-9

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2008

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