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The Wise Owl

Name: The Wise Owl
Author: Boots Brizendine
ISBN: 978-1-4908-9175-0

A STORY OF JESUS

by Boots Brizendine ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 19, 2015

A fresh, if sometimes-sentimental, recounting of the first Christmas.

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A children’s story of Jesus’ birth, told simply, reverently, and often entertainingly by an owl in the Bethlehem stable.

In Brizendine’s (Grandma Thoughts, 2013) creative Nativity story, the titular bird starts off confused as Joseph and Mary unexpectedly intrude into his home, but he’s soon touched by their loving relationship and becomes excited at the prospect of witnessing the birth of their child. After the baby comes, the wise owl keeps tabs on the family, surprised at the arrival of worshiping shepherds and the gifts of the wise men. The last time the owl sees the family is when they’re on their way to Egypt, but later he hears miraculous things about the baby: specifically, how he’s actually both man and God and born to a virgin mother. The owl’s final words seem as if they come straight from Brizendine herself: “I continue to tell my story because I have seen God!” They’re followed by a few related New Testament excerpts and an invitation to readers to come to know Jesus personally in their hearts. One of the strengths of this presentation of the Christmas story is its comprehensiveness, as it covers all major events from the stable to the story of Herod’s infamous slaughter of male infants—a heavy topic for a children’s book but true to the tale. Like many Nativity stories, however, the text adds romanticized details, such as a glowing, smiling baby Jesus, and not all readers may be fond of this fact. The owl’s commentary also seems awkward at times, but overall, its unique perspective and juvenile tone is spot-on for this book’s target audience of Christian kids. The medium and mood of the illustrations constantly changes; after some owl photographs at the beginning, remaining illustrations seems to alternate between sedate and cartoonish, with colored-pencil drawings and what seems like clip art. Each of the images is appealing and relevant to the storyline, but the book would have benefited from greater illustrative predictability.

A fresh, if sometimes-sentimental, recounting of the first Christmas.

Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-4908-9175-0

Page Count: 30

Publisher: Westbow Press

Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2016

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
MOMMY, WHY?
by Boots Brizendine illustrated by Mandy Lambright

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.