Wow! This cross-cultural cipher is a feast for the eyes and a challenge for the mind.
At first glance, this book looks indecipherable—but look closer!
This puzzle book opens with a mission and a clue: it invites readers to investigate pages of what looks like Chinese calligraphy, paired with lushly painted illustrations, to crack a secret code. Would-be codebreakers learn that the first 12 spreads are classic American folk songs (“Maybe you know them from campfire or school bus sing-alongs”), and the remaining five codes are English-language translations of classic Chinese folk songs. This mission may best be enjoyed intergenerationally with a participant who has some American cultural knowledge, as the songs will likely vary in familiarity for younger readers. Having cracked the code, readers of all ages will revel in the thrill of triumph, poring over each rich spread and going on to learn the lyrics of the songs they don’t already know, both American and Chinese. Indeed, the experience would be even more satisfying with music to accompany the text, so families may find themselves seeking it out. Stadtlander’s vibrantly textured scenes perfectly capture the nostalgia of the songs, and they smoothly transition from the West to the East. A guide to the code and an answer key complete the experience.
Wow! This cross-cultural cipher is a feast for the eyes and a challenge for the mind. (Picture book. 8-adult)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-451-47377-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
Though usually cast as the trickster, Coyote is more victim than victimizer, making this a nice complement to other Coyote...
Two republished tales by a Greco-Cherokee author feature both folkloric and modern elements as well as new illustrations.
One of the two has never been offered south of the (Canadian) border. In “Coyote Sings to the Moon,” the doo-wop hymn sung nightly by Old Woman and all the animals except tone-deaf Coyote isn’t enough to keep Moon from hiding out at the bottom of the lake—until she is finally driven forth by Coyote’s awful wailing. She has been trying to return to the lake ever since, but that piercing howl keeps her in the sky. In “Coyote’s New Suit” he is schooled in trickery by Raven, who convinces him to steal the pelts of all the other animals while they’re bathing, sends the bare animals to take clothes from the humans’ clothesline, and then sets the stage for a ruckus by suggesting that Coyote could make space in his overcrowded closet by having a yard sale. No violence ensues, but from then to now humans and animals have not spoken to one another. In Eggenschwiler’s monochrome scenes Coyote and the rest stand on hind legs and (when stripped bare) sport human limbs. Old Woman might be Native American; the only other completely human figure is a pale-skinned girl.
Though usually cast as the trickster, Coyote is more victim than victimizer, making this a nice complement to other Coyote tales. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-55498-833-4
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
A breathtaking picture-book account of a climb to the top of Mount Everest. Jenkins (Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest, 1998, etc.) documents each step of the way with vivid crushed-paper and cut-paper collages that will rivet viewers. He begins with a world map that shows the Himalayas, recounts efforts to measure the peaks, describes early expeditions, and includes the successful climbs of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953, and Rheinhold Messner in 1980. Next, Jenkins illustrates the necessary gear for modern mountain-climbing, and describes the journey itself, beginning in Kathmandu, Nepal, the 100-mile trek to the base of Mount Everest, then step-by-step, up the mountain to the summit. At each step, the striking collages extend the information of the text and capture the majesty of the mountain. Visually arresting and inspiring. (Picture book. 8-12)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-395-94218-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999
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