Morrison (Antonio's Apprenticeship, 1996) painlessly imparts an enormous amount of information, delineating step-by-step the creation of a Renaissance sculpture; attractive illustrations echoing period color, line, and composition accompany this tale of a fictional 17th-century apprentice and his master. Young Marco goes to the studio of the greatest sculptor in Rome, Luigi Borghini, with a wax figure he has made, and a request to be apprenticed. Borghini accepts him, and is alternately prickly and kind. Cutting stone is the very last of the tasks Marco learns: There are hours and days of sketching cadavers and ancient sculptures; copying drawings; molding in wax and mud and horsehair; measuring and planning. Marco visits the quarry that is the source of the fine white marble that will become the ``Neptune Fountain'' and helps to get the marble back to Borghini's studio by boat. Marco's own carving of a grotesque waterspout finds a place in the finished work, and the master reminds him of the necessities of hard work, patience, and the passing down of the art to others. A note recounts Morrison's visit to the studio of a contemporary Italian marble sculptor, and the source of the slightly didactic closing lines. A worthy companion to the previous book. (glossary) (Picture book. 6-10)
Pub Date: March 15, 1997
ISBN: 0-8234-1293-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1997
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
BOOK REVIEW
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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