A playful, pointed tale that shines a light on the importance of narrative ownership.
What happens when a legendary lumberjack who loves to tell tall tales meets an Indigenous storyteller determined to set the record straight?
Red Nest, a proud Ojibwe woman, peels back the layers of the familiar “settler” stories surrounding Paul Bunyan and his blue ox. With tongue-in-cheek humor and plenty of heart, she challenges the narrative by weaving in Native knowledge and language, asking probing questions, and refusing to sugarcoat the past. Red Nest’s alternative version paints Paul as an axe-swinging buffoon with a bad toe rather than a larger-than-life folk hero. While Paul boasts of carving the Mississippi River himself, Red Nest and her friends explain that his stories are “taller than a pile of porcupine poo” and that “Gichi-ziibi has always been here.” Quigley’s (Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe) humor works best if readers have some familiarity with Paul Bunyan, and her narrative runs long, but the banter promises entertainment regardless. Chief Lady Bird’s (Chippewa and Potawatomi) digital illustrations combine bold outlines with softly textured, painterly shading in vibrant blues and earthy tones. Though the figures read stiff, the stylized characters and expansive scenery evoke the grandeur of oral storytelling and create a warm, mythic atmosphere. Readers will enjoy discovering how many of Paul’s seemingly legendary feats can be unraveled with a little Native storytelling magic.
A playful, pointed tale that shines a light on the importance of narrative ownership. (author’s note, glossary, people and places, more resources) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9781646143672
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Levine Querido
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2026
Innocuous adventuring on the smallest of scales.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle (1965) upgrades to The Mice and the Rolls-Royce.
In Windsor Castle there sits a “dollhouse like no other,” replete with working plumbing, electricity, and even a full library of real, tiny books. Called Queen Mary’s Dollhouse, it also plays host to the Whiskers family, a clan of mice that has maintained the house for generations. Henry Whiskers and his cousin Jeremy get up to the usual high jinks young mice get up to, but when Henry’s little sister Isabel goes missing at the same time that the humans decide to clean the house up, the usually bookish big brother goes on the adventure of his life. Now Henry is driving cars, avoiding cats, escaping rats, and all before the upcoming mouse Masquerade. Like an extended version of Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Two Bad Mice (1904), Priebe keeps this short chapter book constantly moving, with Duncan’s peppy art a cute capper. Oddly, the dollhouse itself plays only the smallest of roles in this story, and no factual information on the real Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House is included at the tale’s end (an opportunity lost).
Innocuous adventuring on the smallest of scales. (Fantasy. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-6575-5
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
A life devoted to freedom and dignity, worthy of praise and remembrance.
With the words of Massachusetts colonial rebels ringing in her ears, a slave determines to win her freedom.
In 1780, Mumbet heard the words of the new Massachusetts constitution, including its declaration of freedom and equality. With the help of a young lawyer, she went to court and the following year, won her freedom, becoming Elizabeth Freeman. Slavery was declared illegal and subsequently outlawed in the state. Woelfle writes with fervor as she describes Mumbet’s life in the household of John Ashley, a rich landowner and businessman who hosted protest meetings against British taxation. His wife was abrasive and abusive, striking out with a coal shovel at a young girl, possibly Mumbet’s daughter. Mumbet deflected the blow and regarded the wound as “her badge of bravery.” Ironically, the lawyer who took her case, Theodore Sedgwick, had attended John Ashley’s meetings. Delinois’ full-bleed paintings are heroic in scale, richly textured and vibrant. Typography becomes part of the page design as the font increases when the text mentions freedom. Another slave in the Ashley household was named in the court case, but Woelfle, keeping her young audience in mind, keeps it simple, wisely focusing on Mumbet.
A life devoted to freedom and dignity, worthy of praise and remembrance. (author’s note, selected bibliography, further reading) (Picture book/biography. 5-8)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-7613-6589-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Carolrhoda
Review Posted Online: Oct. 8, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2013
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