A young boy gives his imagination some major exercise as he tries to convince a friend that his aunt’s birthday gift of a yellow shirt is just the cat’s pajamas. “That’s no fun,” squawks his friend, as the shirt is unveiled. But the boy suggests that the yellow shirt transforms him: into a duckling or a taxi, a lion or a daffodil. Some of Spinelli’s fantasies work better than others: the golden caterpillar will probably not strike a chord with readers, but being turned into a golden treasure and hidden in a dark attic works wonders; a “thumping” banana is downright perplexing, yet the firefly in the dramatic indigo nightscape is terrific. Making an effort for simplicity, Takahashi’s artwork comes across as curiously static—big glassy eyes and stiff limbs—which she tries to enliven by using odd perspectives and supplying lots of visual cues for the story. Spinelli tries valiantly, but it’s simply not the easiest thing in the world to get all hepped up about receiving clothes as a birthday present, and anyway, who needs a yellow shirt to pretend to be a trumpet or a tennis ball? (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: July 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-8050-6242-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2001
Through quick thinking and personal sacrifice, a wise old Japanese farmer saves the people of his village from a devastating tsunami in this simple yet striking story based on Lafcadio Hearn’s “A Living God.” Ojiisan lives in a cottage on a mountain overlooking the village and sea. One day, villagers gather to celebrate the rice harvest, but Ojiisan stays home thinking “something does not feel right.” When the earth quakes and the sea darkens and runs away from the land, Ojiisan realizes a tsunami approaches. Fearing the oblivious villagers will be swept away, Ojiisan torches his rice fields to attract attention, and they respond, barely escaping the monster wave. Rendered in gouache, pastel and collage, Young’s illustrations cleverly combine natural textures, bold colors and abstract shapes to convey compelling images of chaos and disaster as the rice fields burn and the wave rushes in. In one literally breathtaking double-page spread, an enormous wall of water engulfs the teeny seacoast village. A visually powerful and dramatic tribute to one man’s willingness to sacrifice everything for others. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25006-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
Momo longed to carry the blue umbrella and wear the bright red rubber boots she had been given on her third birthday. But day after day Indian summer continued. Momo tried to tell mother she needed to carry the umbrella to nursery school because the sunshine bothered her eyes. But Mother didn't let her use the umbrella then or when she said the wind bothered her. At last, though, rain fell on the city pavements and Momo carried her umbrella and wore her red boots to school. One feels the urgency of Momo's wish. The pictures are full of the city's moods and the child's joy in a rainy day.
Pub Date: March 1, 1958
ISBN: 978-0-14-050240-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Dec. 9, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1958
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