``Oooooowwww!'' wails Sara, in the first line of this book. Her loose tooth hurts but she won't let Papa pull it out, even when he tells her that the tooth is an old dragon roaring in her mouth, and that it needs to get out of the way so the new tooth can grow in. Sara throws a tantrum and knocks over the trash. Then, gathering up the spilled items, she retreats to the garage where she constructs a dragon with big egg-carton teeth. After gently pulling one of the dragon's teeth, Sara is ready to have her own tooth out. Falwell (The Letter Jesters, 1994, etc.) created bold, brightly colored collage illustrations that suit her text well, especially when Sara sails out of the kitchen and into her creative frenzy. In fact, the creation of the dragon is the best part of the book; the rest runs a little too close to bibliotherapy and feels labored. Have it on hand for readers who made it through Lucy Bates's Little Rabbit's Loose Tooth (1988) but want just a bit more encouragement about their own dragon teeth. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: March 18, 1996
ISBN: 0-395-56916-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1996
Sloat collaborates with Huffman, a Yu’pik storyteller, to infuse a traditional “origins” tale with the joy of creating. Hearing the old women of her village grumble that they have only tasteless crowberries for the fall feast’s akutaq—described as “Eskimo ice cream,” though the recipe at the end includes mixing in shredded fish and lard—young Anana carefully fashions three dolls, then sings and dances them to life. Away they bound, to cover the hills with cranberries, blueberries, and salmonberries. Sloat dresses her smiling figures in mixes of furs and brightly patterned garb, and sends them tumbling exuberantly through grassy tundra scenes as wildlife large and small gathers to look on. Despite obtrusively inserted pronunciations for Yu’pik words in the text, young readers will be captivated by the action, and by Anana’s infectious delight. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-88240-575-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004
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)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-399-24772-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2008
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