Bouchard (That’s Hockey, below, etc.) uses his childhood recollections to preserve an old legend in written form. Two children, Ikciv and Witonia, forge a friendship and love that brings them into adulthood. When Ikciv is called to war, Witonia falls ill. As he bravely fights, her village mourns her. Once he returns and finds his beloved gone, he sets out in search of her. It’s believed that it is her voice that calls out for her loved one and his that responds, “Who calls?,” which in French is “Qui Appelle.” With a gentle rhythm, the romanticized legend is recounted in un-rhyming stanzas that flow effortlessly from one to another, with an uneven rhythm that is less poetic than narrative. Lonechild, a Cree artist who drew upon his own memories of the Saskatchewan prairie and its images, has created boxed paintings to illuminate each page of the recounting. Rich with the greens and lush colors of the prairie in all its seasons, the illustrations are vivid in detail and speak with images of the days of which Bouchard speaks. One might have wished for the designer to allow these works the full page, but the effect is that of an art catalog: lovely, but leaving the reader wishing for more. A poet’s note explains the origin of the legend and the importance of the Qu’Appelle Valley. Few offerings of poetry from the Native American community are available, making the inclusion of this accessible narrative poem a thoughtful selection for most libraries. (Poetry. 10+)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2002
ISBN: 1-55192-475-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A world-class charmer, Clements (The Janitor’s Boy, 2000, etc.) woos aspiring young authors—as well as grown up publishers, editors, agents, parents, teachers, and even reviewers—with this tongue-in-cheek tale of a 12-year-old novelist’s triumphant debut. Sparked by a chance comment of her mother’s, a harried assistant editor for a (surely fictional) children’s imprint, Natalie draws on deep reserves of feeling and writing talent to create a moving story about a troubled schoolgirl and her father. First, it moves her pushy friend Zoe, who decides that it has to be published; then it moves a timorous, second-year English teacher into helping Zoe set up a virtual literary agency; then, submitted pseudonymously, it moves Natalie’s unsuspecting mother into peddling it to her waspish editor-in-chief. Depicting the world of children’s publishing as a delicious mix of idealism and office politics, Clements squires the manuscript past slush pile and contract, the editing process, and initial buzz (“The Cheater grabs hold of your heart and never lets go,” gushes Kirkus). Finally, in a tearful, joyous scene—carefully staged by Zoe, who turns out to be perfect agent material: cunning, loyal, devious, manipulative, utterly shameless—at the publication party, Natalie’s identity is revealed as news cameras roll. Selznick’s gnomic, realistic portraits at once reflect the tale’s droll undertone and deftly capture each character’s distinct personality. Terrific for flourishing school writing projects, this is practical as well as poignant. Indeed, it “grabs hold of yourheart and never lets go.” (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: June 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-82594-3
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2001
This profoundly moving story is all the more impressive because of its basis in fact. Although the story is fictionalized, its most harrowing aspects are true: “Today, more than two hundred million children between the ages of five and seventeen are ‘economically active’ in the world.” Iqbal Masih, a real boy, was murdered at age 13. His killers have never been found, but it’s believed that a cartel of ruthless people overseeing the carpet industry, the “Carpet Mafia,” killed him. The carpet business in Pakistan is the backdrop for the story of a young Pakistani girl in indentured servitude to a factory owner, who also “owned” the bonds of 14 children, indentured by their own families for sorely needed money. Fatima’s first-person narrative grips from the beginning and inspires with every increment of pride and resistance the defiant Iqbal instills in his fellow workers. Although he was murdered for his efforts, Iqbal’s life was not in vain; the accounts here of children who were liberated through his and activist adults’ efforts will move readers for years to come. (Fiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-689-85445-5
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2003
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