A rare and distinctive perspective on the relationship between people and tigers, though with specialized appeal.
Tiger stories from the Gond people, one of the largest Indigenous groups in South Asia.
In this wordy Indian import, author/illustrator Uikey laments the loss of the interdependent relationship that tigers once enjoyed with the Gond tribe. They shared their forest home, he recounts, “and the tiger was like an elder, a worthy ancestor.” Along with his own childhood memories of tigers, he also shares six short stories about the tiger. These tales are set in rural India and are part of the folklore of the Gond. In a preface, Uikey mentions that he has penned these stories in the hope that they will be remembered by future generations. At the end, he brings the book back full circle by sharing how his small son, Chalit, experiences the tiger now and how city-dweller Chalit’s experiences are so different from Uikey’s as a child. It’s a heartfelt effort, but the writing style doesn’t seem geared toward children. Young readers will need a significant amount of explanation and context to completely understand Uikey’s perspective. The book also has much more text than is common in the United States for a picture book, gearing it toward older readers. Compensating for this, the book has strong visual appeal, with intricate die cuts on the front and back covers. The earthy-hued, ink-on-paper illustrations in Gond art are absolutely striking in their depictions of the tiger and Indian rural life.
A rare and distinctive perspective on the relationship between people and tigers, though with specialized appeal. (Picture book. 10-adult)Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2018
ISBN: 978-93-83145-99-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tara Publishing
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
Salva Dut is 11 years old when war raging in the Sudan separates him from his family. To avoid the conflict, he walks for years with other refugees, seeking sanctuary and scarce food and water. Park simply yet convincingly depicts the chaos of war and an unforgiving landscape as they expose Salva to cruelties both natural and man-made. The lessons Salva remembers from his family keep him from despair during harsh times in refugee camps and enable him, as a young man, to begin a new life in America. As Salva’s story unfolds, readers also learn about another Sudanese youth, Nya, and how these two stories connect contributes to the satisfying conclusion. This story is told as fiction, but it is based on real-life experiences of one of the “Lost Boys” of the Sudan. Salva and Nya’s compelling voices lift their narrative out of the “issue” of the Sudanese War, and only occasionally does the explanation of necessary context intrude in the storytelling. Salva’s heroism and the truth that water is a source of both conflict and reconciliation receive equal, crystal-clear emphasis in this heartfelt account. (Fiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: Nov. 15, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-547-25127-1
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2010
SEEN & HEARD
In this series debut, Maggie Sinclair tracks down a dognapper and solves a mystery about the noises in the walls of her Brooklyn brownstone apartment building. The 12-year-old heroine, who shares a middle name—Brooklyn—with her twin brother, Finn, is juggling two dogwalking jobs she’s keeping secret from her parents, and somehow she attracts the ire of the dogs’ former walker. Maggie tells her story in the first person—she’s self-possessed and likable, even when her clueless brother invites her ex–best friend, now something of an enemy, to their shared 12th birthday party. Maggie’s attention to details helps her to figure out why dogs seem to be disappearing and why there seem to be mice in the walls of her building, though astute readers will pick up on the solution to at least one mystery before Maggie solves it. There’s a brief nod to Nancy Drew, but the real tensions in this contemporary preteen story are more about friendship and boy crushes than skullduggery. Still, the setting is appealing, and Maggie is a smart and competent heroine whose personal life is just as interesting as—if not more than—her detective work. (Mystery. 10-13)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2010
ISBN: 967-1-59990-525-9
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2010
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