by David Cunningham & illustrated by David Cunningham ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1995
In 24 carefully chosen words and 14 eloquently modulated pastel illustrations, readers follow a small boy from that moment on a late summer afternoon when the breeze dies, through ruddy sunset and misty twilight, until he falls asleep to the sound of crickets. Like the splash of a fish accentuating the stillness of a lake, the spare text set in the white expanse of each lefthand page accentuates the mood of deepening quiet in the pictures opposite. The style of the art ranges from a precisely literal closeup of a frog to a mistily impressionistic view of a neighboring house to the small final scene, in which lake, woods, and sky are represented by three abstract bands of blue, dark green, and dusky violet. A few meticulously observed details punctuate these carefully controlled scenes, their content pared down almost to the essentials: the last gleam of the setting sun in the shallows at lake's edge; the big old-fashioned key and tangle of fishing line looped over a nail outside the screen door; the fur of a patient cat backlit by light spilling from the house, sitting near its empty dish at the bottom of the steps; the two small rocks on the windowsill next to the boy's bed. Cunningham's first solo effort is an unqualified success—this masterful production is a reminder that now and then, less really is more. (Picture book. 2+)
Pub Date: March 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-8075-5624-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1995
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by David Cunningham & illustrated by David Cunningham
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by Mary Bahr & illustrated by David Cunningham
by Pete Seeger & Paul Dubois Jacobs & illustrated by Michael Hays ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2001
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
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by Pete Seeger & Paul Dubois Jacobs & illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
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adapted by Pete Seeger & illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin
by Janice Boland & illustrated by G. Brian Karas ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1996
A book that will make young dog-owners smile in recognition and confirm dogless readers' worst suspicions about the mayhem caused by pets, even winsome ones. Sam, who bears passing resemblance to an affable golden retriever, is praised for fetching the family newspaper, and goes on to fetch every other newspaper on the block. In the next story, only the children love Sam's swimming; he is yelled at by lifeguards and fishermen alike when he splashes through every watering hole he can find. Finally, there is woe to the entire family when Sam is bored and lonely for one long night. Boland has an essential message, captured in both both story and illustrations of this Easy-to-Read: Kids and dogs belong together, especially when it's a fun-loving canine like Sam. An appealing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8037-1530-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996
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