Inspired by “Jack and the Beanstalk” as well as the familiar nursery rhyme, this chapter book tells a middling origin story about Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater’s infamous abode. The farmer and his wife adore every variety of their seasonal crop. When the rain pours into their humble hut, Peter Peter trades their favorite goat for a mysterious bag of treasure. Instead of jewels, the package holds a multitude of pumpkin seeds, and in a tantrum, he stomps them into the field. When the crop yields enormous produce, the couple prepares their sturdy new dwelling. Spare text favors repetition, and short chapters and ample drawings suit newly independent readers. The straightforward sequence of events quickly unfolds, while the couple’s actions maintain traditional gender roles. Earnest dialogue does little to enhance the slight narrative, and occasional rhymes provide lackluster results, as when the farmer sings, “Grow, oh, grow, / oh, pumpkin so / big and round / on the ground.” Boase’s nimble lines add necessary details, outlining facial features and family dynamics, strengthening the story. Though an interesting premise, the final product bears little fruit. (Fantasy. 5-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-8050-8706-2
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2009
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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