On the day of its unveiling, the flag covering the Statue of Liberty’s face was mistakenly lowered too soon; Drummond imagines how it happened. The harbor was filled with boats—some of them bringing new immigrants to this country, and one containing women protesting the new statue. They found it odd that liberty should be portrayed as a woman when women were not allowed to vote in the US, and in fact only one woman and one small girl were allowed at the unveiling ceremony on the island. But the island was crowded with men—men who helped build the statue, put it together, and transport it from France. And in the crowd was a small boy enlisted by Mr. Bartholdi to signal him with his handkerchief. While everyone was waiting, the young French girl sneezed, and the young boy offered his handkerchief. And that is how the world came to see the Statue’s face a little too early. Enhancing the story are Drummond’s (Casey Jones, 2001, etc.) marvelous watercolors full of bright yellows, blues, and reds. The rainy gray day is reflected in the grayish-green water and the dark clothing and umbrellas of the crowds, while the excitement and importance of the event are seen in the brightly colored flags of France and the US. As the story mentions the men who put the statue together in America or made the statue in France, vignettes show the various stages and steps involved in its construction. In closing, Drummond reminds readers what freedom really means. An author’s note introduces the story, separating the facts of the day from those details he imagined and giving more historical information about Lady Liberty. (Picture book. 4-10)
Pub Date: April 3, 2002
ISBN: 0-374-34385-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Frances Foster/Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2002
This biblical tale is filled with wonder, hope, and beauty.
Miriam is pivotal in the story of Moses and the Exodus.
A 7-year-old girl narrates the details of the day that she heeds “God’s voice,” places her baby brother in a basket, sets him adrift in the Nile River to save him from “Pharoah’s men,” and then watches as Pharoah’s daughter rescues him. That baby boy will grow up to be Moses, and his sister is the prophet Miriam. In her author’s note, Yolen explains that she has taken this story from Exodus and from the Midrash, tales that interpret the Torah. Miriam’s story is interwoven with miracles associated with water, ranging from that basket on the Nile to the parting of the Red Sea and the life-giving water flowing from a rock that sustains the Jews wandering in the desert, but there are relatively few children’s books that place her at their center. Many celebrants of the Passover Seder sing a song honoring Miriam and will welcome a book that celebrates her childhood. It is Le’s illustrations that truly shine, however. The vibrant blues and oranges reflect both calm and swirling waters dotted with a multitude of plant life. Elegant storks wade in the water as hippos and crocodiles swim nearby.
This biblical tale is filled with wonder, hope, and beauty. (Picture book/religion. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5415-4400-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
Fantasy training wheels for chapter-book readers.
Elliot’s first day of school turns out to be more than he bargained for.
Elliot Eisner—skinny and pale with curly brown hair—is a bit nervous about being the new kid. Thankfully, he hits it off with fellow new student, “punk rock”–looking Uchenna Devereaux, a black girl with twists (though they actually look like dreads in Aly’s illustrations). On a first-day field trip to New Jersey’s Pine Barrens, the pair investigates a noise in the trees. The cause? A Jersey Devil: a blue-furred, red-bellied and -winged mythical creature that looks like “a tiny dragon” with cloven hooves, like a deer’s, on its hind feet. Unwittingly, the duo bonds with the creature by feeding it, and it later follows them back to the bus. Unsurprisingly, they lose the creature (which they alternately nickname Jersey and Bonechewer), which forces them to go to their intimidating, decidedly odd teacher, Peruvian Professor Fauna, for help in recovering it. The book closes with Professor Fauna revealing the truth—he heads a secret organization committed to protecting mythical creatures—and inviting the children to join, a neat setup for what is obviously intended to be a series. The predictable plot is geared to newly independent readers who are not yet ready for the usual heft of contemporary fantasies. A brief history lesson given by a mixed-race associate of Fauna’s in which she compares herself to the American “melting pot” manages to come across as simultaneously corrective and appropriative.
Fantasy training wheels for chapter-book readers. (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7352-3170-2
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: March 4, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
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