CHILDREN OF THE SUN

by Jan Carew ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 24, 1980

With prose too stilted, emotion too spurious, and a story too abstract and gratuitous for the folk-tale genre he intends to simulate, Carew tells how the irresponsible Sun impregnates a sleeping woman. Of the twin sons that result, Makunaima is mean and ambitious and Pia is meek and kind. One night Pia accidentally kills Makunaima while defending his mother. Father Sun returns him to life; but soon after, enraged by Makunaima's defiance, he grabs--sorry, ""seizes"" the boy and thereby turns his body to cinders and ashes. Pis sets out to roam the earth ""and bring peace and harmony to all,"" while the mother sits endlessly in her mountain-top home weeping for her lost sons. The Dillons outdo themselves here with their burnished, sanctimonious illustrations: the full-page depiction of a sleeping woman's head framed by sun rays could be used in an art appreciation class as an example of the worst sort of fraudulent art--provided that the students needed so rudimentary a lesson. If picture books could corrupt kids' tastes, this would do it.

Pub Date: April 24, 1980

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1980

Categories: CHILDREN'S