There is an ineffable sweetness in Rylant’s work, which skirts the edge of sentimentality but rarely tumbles, saved by her simple artistry. This companion piece to The Bookshop Dog (1996) relates how the cookie-store cat was found, a tiny, skinny kitten, very early one day as the bakers came in to work. The cat gets morning kisses, when the bakers tell him that he is “sweeter than any cookie” and “prettier than marzipan.” Then he makes his rounds, out the screen door painted with “cherry drops and gingerbread men” to visit the fish-shop owner, the yarn lady, and the bookshop, where Martha Jane makes a cameo appearance. Back at the cookie store, the cat listens to Father Eugene, who eats his three Scotch chewies and tells about the new baby in the parish, and sits with the children and their bags of cookies. At Christmas he wears a bell and a red ribbon, and all the children get free Santa cookies. The cheerful illustrations are done in paint as thick as frosting; the flattened shapes and figures are a bit cookie-shaped themselves. A few recipes are included in this yummy, comforting book. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: May 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-590-54329-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Blue Sky/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1999
Mollel (Kitoto the Mighty, 1998, etc.) skillfully reshapes this African tale about a magical bird that defeats a cow-stealing monster. Mariamu’s family can’t understand why their cattle are disappearing. One day, when clearing a field to grow food, Mariamu hears a magical bird singing. The bird tells her if she will spare the land (and the bird’s eggs), the bird will help restore milk to Mariamu’s family. Mariamu agrees, and the magical bird brings back the original field, and fills all the jugs and gourds with milk. Then Mariamu’s parents get greedy, capturing the bird while visions of an endless milk supply dance in their heads. Mariamu, of course, rescues the bird, and it is so grateful that it leads the girl to the monster who has stolen all the cows; together they rescue the cattle. Mollel includes words in Swahili and some excellent sound effects: “birim” for the sound of empty gourds rolling, “gulum” for the sound of swallowing. This fleshing out of the old tale and Litzinger’s spry, expressive watercolors make a vibrant presentation, ideal for noisy story-hour reenactment. (Picture book/folklore. 5-8)
Pub Date: Feb. 22, 1999
ISBN: 0-395-82908-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1999
A weak story that has echoes of familiar folktales, but no resonance. A selfish crocodile who lived “deep in the forest” commands all the other animals to stay away from the river, which he considers his. “I’ll eat you up!” he warns. The animals have to walk “for miles out of their way” to find drinking water. One day the crocodile has a toothache, and when the others are too frightened to get close, a mouse pulls the tooth and promises to help him in the future. Consequently, the crocodile invites all the creatures to enjoy the river, although the connection between having a friend and declaring open house is left vague. The illustrations have a greeting-card charm, with 13 animals trudging off for water bearing the same pop-eyed, frowning expression. When the crocodile groans in pain, the animals don’t look toward the source of sound, but up in the air at the words “GROAN . . . GROAN.” (Picture book. 3-7)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1999
ISBN: 1-888444-56-8
Page Count: 28
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1999
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