Patent (Children Save the Rain Forest, p. 903, etc.) selects stories from the Mayan and Aztec tradition regarding the quetzal—a striking, vividly plumed bird of the rain forest—for this title in the Sacred Animal series. In a thoughtful introduction on Mesoamerica, Patent describes how scientists rely on sparse evidence to understand early beliefs. She notes that scholars disagree, that new evidence continues to emerge, and that she has simplified the information. Following those caveats comes a brief history of major peoples of Mesoamerica, focusing on the Mayan and Aztecs. From classical Mayan culture come stories of the fabled feathered serpent, a brilliant green snake, found in writings, paintings, and carved stone columns. Patent tells of stone images that show the plumed serpent, called Quetzalcoatl, who was honored as a powerful creator. Finally comes discussion of the endangered bird, which appears in art and on the flag, stamps, and money of the region. Newcomers to the subject may have a little difficulty following this complex history. Carefully documented, handsomely presented, this book nevertheless truly links a sacred animal to the culture (or cultures) of which it is so much a part. Exquisite, realistic drawings in colored pencil illustrate the sacred bird depicted in ancient art, as well as the contemporary endangered bird and modern Mesoamericans. (maps, further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-688-12662-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1996
Imagine the states, Kansas, California, Ohio, and all the rest, as people with toothy grins, ping-pong balls for eyes, pipe cleaner limbs, and full-blown personalities. Imagine, then, that they get together at a party and decide to switch places on the map. In this amusing spoof, Kansas wakes up one morning saying, “I’m not feeling happy at all!” and starts the whole thing. Florida goes to Minnesota, California goes to Wisconsin, Nevada and Mississippi fall in love. Then the trouble starts: Alaska, who had missed company, feels claustrophobic among other states; Kansas finds his place in the middle of the ocean to be a bit too quiet; Minnesota, in Florida’s spot, forgets to pack suntan lotion; and so on. Soon the states are rushing back to their original spots with sighs of relief. Keller, in her first book pushes a silly idea, to great lengths, and will elicit laughs from all those who thought geography was boring. The states are colorful, boastful, belligerent, and charming, in collage illustrations that are full of spontaneous asides and intriguing labels. The states appear in a final gallery, with a few statistics to square off the whole funny enterprise. (Picture book. 8-10)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-8050-5802-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1998
Alert readers will find the implicit morals: know your audience, mostly, but also never underestimate the power of “rock”...
The theme of persistence (for better or worse) links four tales of magic, trickery, and near disasters.
Lachenmeyer freely borrows familiar folkloric elements, subjecting them to mildly comical twists. In the nearly wordless “Hip Hop Wish,” a frog inadvertently rubs a magic lamp and finds itself saddled with an importunate genie eager to shower it with inappropriate goods and riches. In the title tale, an increasingly annoyed music-hating witch transforms a persistent minstrel into a still-warbling cow, horse, sheep, goat, pig, duck, and rock in succession—then is horrified to catch herself humming a tune. Athesius the sorcerer outwits Warthius, a rival trying to steal his spells via a parrot, by casting silly ones in Ig-pay Atin-lay in the third episode, and in the finale, a painter’s repeated efforts to create a flattering portrait of an ogre king nearly get him thrown into a dungeon…until he suddenly understands what an ogre’s idea of “flattering” might be. The narratives, dialogue, and sound effects leave plenty of elbow room in Blocker’s big, brightly colored panels for the expressive animal and human(ish) figures—most of the latter being light skinned except for the golden genie, the blue ogre, and several people of color in the “Sorcerer’s New Pet.”
Alert readers will find the implicit morals: know your audience, mostly, but also never underestimate the power of “rock” music. (Graphic short stories. 8-10)Pub Date: June 18, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-59643-750-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
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