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POLLY AND THE PRIVET BIRD

Name: POLLY AND THE PRIVET BIRD
Author: Ann Cartwright
ISBN: 0-09-173675-7

by Ann Cartwright & illustrated by Reg Cartwright ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 15, 1992

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Deciding that her overgrown privet bush is about to take over her garden, Polly snips it into a giant, sweet-looking topiary bird that she rides aloft on an adventure: she rescues a child who has fallen from a boat. Later, after a storm, the bird carries Polly to fetch groceries for her stranded neighbors. Only the children notice her extraordinary steed: ``Well, if they won't look they won't see,'' they observe of their parents. Finally, the grown-ups do see—but when they visit Polly's garden, the privet has reverted to its former shape and they laugh at their own foolishness. ``Well, if they won't believe, they won't know,'' say the children to Polly. The adventures here are stock, the message familiar; but Cartwright's telling is graceful and lively, while her husband's crisp, bright paintings are outstanding. His characterizations are slyly satirical, his bird a quietly imaginative pleasure, his light-bathed compositions mesmerizing. All in all, an appealing fantasy. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Jan. 15, 1992

ISBN: 0-09-173675-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Hutchinson/Trafalgar

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1991

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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NOAH CHASES THE WIND

by Michelle Worthington ; illustrated by Joseph Cowman ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 14, 2015

An invitation to wonder, imagine and look at everything (humans included) in a new way.

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A young boy sees things a little differently than others.

Noah can see patterns in the dust when it sparkles in the sunlight. And if he puts his nose to the ground, he can smell the “green tang of the ants in the grass.” His most favorite thing of all, however, is to read. Noah has endless curiosity about how and why things work. Books open the door to those answers. But there is one question the books do not explain. When the wind comes whistling by, where does it go? Noah decides to find out. In a chase that has a slight element of danger—wind, after all, is unpredictable—Noah runs down streets, across bridges, near a highway, until the wind lifts him off his feet. Cowman’s gusty wisps show each stream of air turning a different jewel tone, swirling all around. The ribbons gently bring Noah home, setting him down under the same thinking tree where he began. Did it really happen? Worthington’s sensitive exploration leaves readers with their own set of questions and perhaps gratitude for all types of perspective. An author’s note mentions children on the autism spectrum but widens to include all who feel a little different.

An invitation to wonder, imagine and look at everything (humans included) in a new way. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: April 14, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-60554-356-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Redleaf Lane

Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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RAPUNZEL

adapted by Rachel Isadora & illustrated by Rachel Isadora ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2008

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Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your dreads! Isadora once again plies her hand using colorful, textured collages to depict her fourth fairy tale relocated to Africa. The narrative follows the basic story line: Taken by an evil sorceress at birth, Rapunzel is imprisoned in a tower; Rapunzel and the prince “get married” in the tower and she gets pregnant. The sorceress cuts off Rapunzel’s hair and tricks the prince, who throws himself from the tower and is blinded by thorns. The terse ending states: “The prince led Rapunzel and their twins to his kingdom, where they were received with great joy and lived happily every after.” Facial features, clothing, dreadlocks, vultures and the prince riding a zebra convey a generic African setting, but at times, the mixture of patterns and textures obfuscates the scenes. The textile and grain characteristic of the hewn art lacks the elegant romance of Zelinksy’s Caldecott version. Not a first purchase, but useful in comparing renditions to incorporate a multicultural aspect. (Picture book/fairy tale. 6-8)