Stunning, jewel-toned illustrations in gouache and chalk pastel on mixed-media paper bring a young boy’s imagination to life in this riveting tale. Left on his own on a hot day when the other villagers would rather be napping, Pocu finds a peacock feather in the forest and waves it, creating an imaginary playmate. The first wave makes the air cool; the second makes the flowers bloom; and the third creates “a great murmuring shadow” that speaks, asking for eyes, paws, body, tail, and stripes. The somnolent swishing of the feather in the dark forest coupled with the shadow’s seemingly innocent requests lull readers into the game; but soon the shadow reveals its true identity: a fierce, hungry tiger. Pocu is frightened until he remembers to use his feather. Each wave this time removes claws, paws, and tail, until Pocu finds himself alone again; now it is suppertime and he can go back to the village and join his family. Soft-focus illustrations in intense jades, blues, and browns evoke the deep forest setting; the peacock feather in a shimmery rainbow of colors stands out brightly. The tiger, first nothing but a dark swish, grows into a huge orange creature; the spread showing its ferocious face with its bared fangs is terrifying. Those who have scared themselves thinking about what might be lurking in the basement, in the attic, or out in the woods, will recognize the fun of make-believe fright as well as the welcome realization that the same force that created them can tame the beasts of the imagination. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-399-22633-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2002
Sweet fare for bed- or naptimes, with a light frosting of natural history.
A sonorous, soporific invitation to join woodland creatures in bedding down for the night.
As in her Moon Babies, illustrated by Amy Hevron (2019), Jameson displays a rare gift for harmonious language and rhyme. She leads off with a bear: “Come home, Big Paws. / Berry picker / Honey trickster / Shadows deepen in the glen. / Lumber back inside your den.” Continuing in the same pattern, she urges a moose (“Velvet Nose”), a deer (“Tiny Hooves”), and a succession of ever smaller creatures to find their nooks and nests as twilight deepens in Boutavant’s woodsy, autumnal scenes and snow begins to drift down. Through each of those scenes quietly walks an alert White child (accompanied by an unusually self-controlled pooch), peering through branches or over rocks at the animals in the foregrounds and sketching them in a notebook. The observer’s turn comes round at last, as a bearded parent beckons: “This way, Small Boots. / Brave trailblazer / Bright stargazer / Cabin’s toasty. Blanket’s soft. / Snuggle deep in sleeping loft.” The animals go unnamed, leaving it to younger listeners to identify each one from the pictures…if they can do so before the verses’ murmurous tempo closes their eyes.
Sweet fare for bed- or naptimes, with a light frosting of natural history. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Oct. 27, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4521-7063-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
A good choice to share with wriggly listeners, who will soon be joining in.
A Halloween book that rides on the rhythms of “Over in the Meadow.”
Although Halloween rhyming counting books abound, this stands out, with a text that begs to be read aloud and cartoony digital illustrations that add goofy appeal. A girl and two boys set off on Halloween night to go trick-or-treating. As the children leave the cozy, warm glow of their street, readers see a haunted house on a hill, with gravestones dotting the front yard. Climbing the twisty path to the dark estate takes time, so the story turns to the antics inside the house. “At the old haunted house in a room with no sun / lived a warty green witch and her wee witch one. ‘SPELL!’ cried the witch. ‘POOF!’ cried the one. / And they both practiced spells in the room with no sun.” The actions of the scary creatures within may seem odd, but the rhyme must go on: Cats scratch, goblins dust, monsters stir, and mummies mix. Eventually the three kids reach the front door and are invited in for stew, cake and brew. At first shocked by the gruesome fare, the children recover quickly and get caught up in partying with the slightly spooky but friendly menagerie.
A good choice to share with wriggly listeners, who will soon be joining in. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 12, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4778-4769-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2014
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