A girl leaves her sandcastle at dusk, just as the inevitable tide rushes in, and misses a small, plaintive light that appears in its window. Rushes of tingly surrealism continue throughout this wordless adventure story about the tiny inhabitants of the sandcastle, who escape by boat.
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"The illustrations for this well-designed volume are all in double-page spread format in a large size, making this an excellent choice for reading aloud to a group. (Picture book. 2-7)"
Many young children have a difficult time understanding the historical orientation of long ago and far away.
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"Skip the 'Frameable portrait inside' and go with Michael Bedard's The Wolf of Gubbio (2001) or Guido Visconti's Clare and Francis (2004). (author's note, timeline) (Picture book/biography. 7-9)"
A saint's biography written by a celebrity author and illustrated by an artist best known for Fairy Wings, one is hard pressed to treat this with respect.
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"Very well-imagined and -integrated. (Picture book/biography. 7-10)"
From the ugly duckling to the emperor's new clothes, Denmark's 19th-century talespinner has brought us some of the most enduring stories and vibrant metaphors in Western culture.
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"Though the telling is often stiff and somewhat forced, this is a pretty tale, equally suitable for fans of conventional romance or fairy tale pastiches. (Picture book. 7-9)"
Disguised but recognizable elements from several fairy tales give this romantic episode a faintly arch undertone.
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Prolific Yolen (Not One Damsel in Distress, 2000, etc.) proffers eight tales that further embroider the legend of Robin Hood, by a mix of new and veteran authors.
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"As an introduction to the real thing, this may be useful to older readers who want to have the plot and characters in mind before they enter Shakespeare's realm. (Picture book. 7+)"
William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream ($16.99; PLB $16.89; Oct. 1996; 48 pp.; 0-8037-1784-6; PLB 0-8037-1785-7): Coville (Fortune's Journey, 1995, etc.) gracefully retells this famous comedy, retaining just enough of Shakespeare's language to lend a sense of the world of the play without overwhelming picture- book readers.
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"Challenge lovers of wee folk with David Christiana's surprising, considerably less conventional White Nineteens (1992) instead. (Picture book. 7-9)"
A collaboration between the creator of The Rag Coat (1991) and the creator of The Castle Builder (1993) results in an anemic, predictable tale of a wingless fairy saving her sept from a troll and getting engaged to a prince.
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"Share this pre-museum treat with the art teacher. (Picture book. 5-8)"
Scene: an elegant museum exhibit where a dapper gentleman (by Frans Hals or Rembrandt?) has long gazed affectionately from his frame at a wholesome lass with a basket of apples (typical Vermeer).
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"A handsome new edition of a classic well worth revisiting. (Fiction. 10+)"
The first part of The Once and Future King (1958), originally published in 1939 with endpapers by Robert Lawson—a charmingly imaginative and whimsical novelization of Arthur's boyhood, especially his education with Merlyn.
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"Still, authentic details plus Nolan's misty, rather somber paintings capture the period—especially the Ellis Island site—with grace and care. (Young reader/Picture book. 5- 9)"
A first-time author re-creates her father's experience of coming to America early in this century with his family.
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"A thoughtful, attractive presentation of the themes underlying classical tragedy, as exemplified by a particularly resonant myth. (Mythology. 7-12)"
A clear, well-balanced retelling of the tale of Daedalus, focusing on the loss of his son Icarus, who flew too close to the sun while the two were escaping from Crete, melted the wax that held feathers to his wings, and fell into the sea.
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