An earnest, if unpolished, rendition of a folk song with a strong musical accompaniment.
An American folk song about a shepherdess, her young friend, and a flock finds new life in this debut picture book.
The shepherdess and her friend glide through golden fields and gaze over ocean cliffs in their joyful quest for a special family of sheep. While the ram with the ebony horns and the gold-footed ewe roam the land, the two girls collect daisy chains and dance to the music of the shepherdess’s flute. By the end of the day, they realize that what is most valuable is not the sheep but the time they spent together (“And if we / never find them / I shan’t care, / shall you?”). Lush, impressionistic watercolor landscapes illustrate each line of the simple 1916 song by Eleanor Farjeon. Though the colorful paintings clearly complement the idyllic tone of the story, many panels are blurred and distorted as a result of lackluster production. Cobb’s delicate palette at times appears muddled and indistinct. The author includes an expanded narrative inspired by the song (giving names to the characters), but its placement at the end of the book, without illustrations, makes it feel out of place. Still, Cobb’s companion recording, with soaring operatic vocals backed by a gentle flute and piano arrangement, fully evokes the innocence and serenity of this rustic tale.
An earnest, if unpolished, rendition of a folk song with a strong musical accompaniment.Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4575-5180-2
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In her first children's book, Parton (the country music star) turns one of her songs into a saccharine tale about a girl who is so poor that her mama has to sew her a patchwork coat when the weather turns cold. (Joseph and his coat of many colors are mentioned but never explained.) Despite the girl's love for her coat, she is teased in school, which she counters by trying to explain to her classmates ``that one is only poor/if they choose to be.'' The logic here is as flawed as the grammar, and Sutton's illustrations, while competent, show a well-dressed, happy rural family who look anything but poor. The text is both clumsy and irrelevent (it ends with ``Through life I've remained happy/and good luck is on my side./I have everything that anyone/could ever want from life.'') An apparently autobiographical song that has a hard time standing on its own as a compelling children's story. (Picture book. All ages)
Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1994
ISBN: 0-06-023413-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1994
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IN THE NEWS
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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