An Anishinabe (Ojibwa) riddle/myth about the turning seasons. An old man invites a young visitor to sit in his wintry lodge. After the two exchange boasts (old man: ``When I blow my breath, streams stand still...''; young man: ``I breathe, and flowers spring up everywhere''), it is seen that the old man is ``Peboan'' (winter) while the other is ``Seegwun'' (spring). Peboan melts away (in the author's odd phrase, he ``grew less and less''), leaving only an early-blooming flower. Larry's first book is written in a formal, ornate style (``My breath unlocks the streams, which fill the air with musical laughter'') that carries over to his paintings; small, dignified figures go about their daily pre- European lives in big Northern landscapes rendered in exquisite colors, with sharp, careful detail. The story appears in several other collections, but these illustrations add a sense of place—as well as a light dose of cultural information. Afterword. (Folklore/Picture book. 6-10)
Pub Date: Oct. 20, 1993
ISBN: 0-374-35773-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1993
“Little Shop of Horrors” for the teddy bear set? Not at all, despite similarities: in this warmhearted tale, a tropical plant with a taste for meat goes from scary houseguest to beloved family member. Nolen (Max and Jax in Second Grade, p. 342, etc.) sketches the plot in a series of letters from young Mortimer Henryson and his parents to Mortimer’s science teacher, Mr. Lester. Having sat next to “Plantcilia” all through third grade, Mortimer begs permission to bring it home for the summer, but after it proves to be both mobile and carnivorous (the family Chihuahua vanishes), his mother is beseeching Mr. Lester to take it back. With characteristic comic extravagance, Catrow (We the Kids, p. 564, etc.) fleshes out the details in a series of frenetic scenes increasingly crowded with long, snaky tendrils, ragged leaves, and bulbous green appendages with ominously toothy rims. As the summer goes on, however, Plantzilla proves less a menace than an eager asset, as capable of playing field hockey with Mortimer as jazz for his boogying parents—even spitting out the unharmed dog and, ultimately, writing a letter of its own: “PEEEple Gooood. I wil sta widdem fro ever!” Readers, plant-lovers or otherwise, will find this vegetative visitor taking root in their affections too. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-15-202412-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Silver Whistle/Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2002
No scandal mongering or shady PACs weasel their way into Stier’s bright-eyed story of running for the office of president. This will be an innocent and charmingly earnest race with lots of different kids tossing their hats into the ring. (Forget for the moment that candidates must be at least 35 years old, one of the bevy of facts presented at the outset.) Stier follows the candidates, and Avril draws them in all their crayon guilelessness, as they brood over entering the race, move from caucus to convention, ponder their positions and spread their wares before the public. Whiners need not apply, as Stier lets it be known that getting your message across is a long, tough job. But the story is refreshing, too; no one is pandering or posturing. Honesty is a virtue here, as is being concerned and well-scrubbed. This is a campaign to yearn for, all issues and not a spin doctor in sight. It’s enough to make you consider lowering the age requirement by about 30 years. (Picture book. 6-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-8075-3543-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2007
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