In simple, lyrical language, accompanied by richly colored paintings, newcomer Santangelo tells a story of how friendship and trust replaced fear and hatred. Once, a very long time ago, a lone wolf was “old and tired, and a new young leader had taken his place.” The wolf remained behind, near an Italian mountain village as his pack moved on. The next morning, to his surprise and good fortune, a young lamb strayed from its flock and appeared right in front of him. Gathering his last bit of energy the old wolf pounced and filled his empty belly. Over the next few weeks the wolf stole a lamb here, a goat there, and even wandered into the town. The town’s people didn’t see an ancient, wretched lone wolf. Their imagination and fear had created a monster so big and terrible that they could barely leave their homes. The baker grew tired of being afraid and set out for the village of Assisi, where a man named Francis lived. They had heard that Francis could tame the wildest of beasts. Santangelo creates unique illustrations by using ink and colored pencil on wood panels (bordered in gold leaf), laid out in a style reminiscent of segments of stained glass. Santangelo’s palette is slightly dark and muddy, which feels at odds with the reference to cathedral windows. However, the deep purples, greens, and blues are applied in a pattern of staining that allows the wood grain to show through, and the overall effect is quite lovely. A promising debut. No source notes. (Nonfiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2000
ISBN: 1-929766-07-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2000
Alert readers will find the implicit morals: know your audience, mostly, but also never underestimate the power of “rock”...
The theme of persistence (for better or worse) links four tales of magic, trickery, and near disasters.
Lachenmeyer freely borrows familiar folkloric elements, subjecting them to mildly comical twists. In the nearly wordless “Hip Hop Wish,” a frog inadvertently rubs a magic lamp and finds itself saddled with an importunate genie eager to shower it with inappropriate goods and riches. In the title tale, an increasingly annoyed music-hating witch transforms a persistent minstrel into a still-warbling cow, horse, sheep, goat, pig, duck, and rock in succession—then is horrified to catch herself humming a tune. Athesius the sorcerer outwits Warthius, a rival trying to steal his spells via a parrot, by casting silly ones in Ig-pay Atin-lay in the third episode, and in the finale, a painter’s repeated efforts to create a flattering portrait of an ogre king nearly get him thrown into a dungeon…until he suddenly understands what an ogre’s idea of “flattering” might be. The narratives, dialogue, and sound effects leave plenty of elbow room in Blocker’s big, brightly colored panels for the expressive animal and human(ish) figures—most of the latter being light skinned except for the golden genie, the blue ogre, and several people of color in the “Sorcerer’s New Pet.”
Alert readers will find the implicit morals: know your audience, mostly, but also never underestimate the power of “rock” music. (Graphic short stories. 8-10)Pub Date: June 18, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-59643-750-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
Only for the strong-stomached.
Simon's dream to win a fortune in the school talent show with his two best pals, Munch and Ralph, is thwarted by the band trio’s lack of practice.
Simon likes to speak in big words (boldfaced and defined in a lengthy glossary in the end). Munch eats anything, even boogers and turds. Everything makes Ralph sick. These three jokes are repeated ad nauseam. But the exaggeration in this first novel by picture-book writer Kelley (Twelve Terrible Things, 2008) doesn’t end with these characterizations. Everyone is a stereotype: Simon’s hated big sister, their overweight and inattentive teacher, their ancient, muffin-flinging neighbor, Mrs. Annand, and their archenemies Mike, Evil Ernie and Eviler Ernie (who actually loves to knit). Chapter by chapter, Simon describes their failed attempts to practice for the Friday night show, Mrs. Annand’s bran-muffin attacks and finally, their lame performance, dancing to a toddler’s CD. Kelley’s graphite sketches accompany each chapter. Simon, with his glasses and V-neck sweater, is easily identifiable, as are other characters. Sharp-eyed readers will notice that Munch is not the only one who gets a haircut. The concluding glossary includes example sentences but no pronunciation guides, making it less-than-useful.
Only for the strong-stomached. (Fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2606-5
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: July 24, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2012
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