Having just embarked on his leg of the Pony Express, young rider Johnny Free is pursued by Paiute Indians and eventually rescued by his loyal horse in this compelling tale set in the Nevada desert. Fuch’s epic oils, presented in framed and full-bleed spreads, heighten the drama. In one scene, Johnny, who has fallen from his horse during the chase, retreats beneath a rocky ledge. He clutches a revolver in his hands and a knife between his teeth. Above, Paiute warriors wait. In another, boy and horse are reunited and the two ride back to camp against a fiery sunset. Fuchs’s earthy palette—full of bark browns, brick reds, and honeyed gold—connects readers to the land. Searing heat and dusty trails and palpably rendered. The Storyteller’s Note puts the story in context, explaining the rising hostilities between settlers and native people in the 19th century. An engaging depiction of a unique slice of American frontier history. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: March 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-439-26645-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Blue Sky/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2004
A sweet parable on cooperation.
Teamwork makes the dream work! (Apparently this is especially true among office supplies.)
Geisel winners Kang and Weyant (You Are (Not) Small, 2014) reteam to examine the relationship between an eraser and her pencil. From the copyright page, readers see just how hardworking Eraser is. When Pencil makes mistakes, Eraser is there to proofread and help correct her work before Red Pen sees it. The relationship is one-sided, however, as Pencil sits with the superstars at lunch and Eraser sits with the other support staff (Pencil Sharpener and Ruler). Eraser’s frustration boils over when a meeting is called to plan out a science project and Pencil dismisses Eraser’s skill set. Eraser sets out on her own and with a flying leap ends up in a wastebasket, where she finds a fan club among the first drafts. While she’s gone, Pencil also realizes how much of a contribution Eraser makes. When they’re reunited, happiness abounds. Kang tells a good, pun-filled story, and Weyant’s anthropomorphic school supplies are both enjoyable and emotive. The story doesn’t have the snap and snark of recent similar tales such as The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors or The Day the Crayons Quit, but the book will find a loving home among readers who like a softer tone.
A sweet parable on cooperation. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5039-0258-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: May 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Dancer-choreographer Allen (of Fame fame) joins forces again with Nelson (Big Jabe, p. 565) in their second dance-themed picture book, following Brothers of the Knight (1999). Sassy is a tall African-American girl of middle-school age, a serious ballet student with extra-long legs, extra-big feet, and an extra-sassy manner of speaking that earned her the unusual nickname. She bickers with her brother, trading mean-spirited insults about his big head and her big feet, and snaps out sassy retorts to snide comments from her teacher and the more petite dancers in her ballet classes. Because of her height, Sassy is not allowed to participate in her school’s dance recitals—a most unlikely situation at any ballet school in the US. Despite this lack of performing experience (and despite wearing a non-regulation, sunshine-yellow leotard to the audition with a strict Russian ballet master), Sassy wins a competition to attend a summer dance program in Washington, D.C. She finally finds her way into the spotlight there, dancing with a boy who is taller than even she is. Some of Nelson’s illustrations would have benefited from tighter art direction: the height of the Russian ballet master seems variable from page to page and the dance shoes and positions of the feet are sometimes not quite correct. Despite these minor flaws, Sassy is an appealing girl with attitude who learns to accept her less-than-perfect physical features and make the best of her talents. Little girls who long for pretty tutus and pointe shoes of their own will like this sassy lassie. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-8037-2501-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2000
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