The Japanese calligrapher's ``four treasures'' are brush, paper, inkstick, and inkstone; the ``fifth'' is a beauty of heart informing the brushstrokes and bringing word-pictures to life. It is this that Mieko, at ten a talented student of the art, fears she has lost after her hand is injured in the atomic blast that destroyed Nagasaki. Bitterly ashamed of her disfigured hand (and soul), overwhelmed by homesickness (she's been sent to her grandparents in the country), Mieko is most despondent because she can no longer paint. In time, the encouragement of her elders—and especially of a gentle new friend—help draw her out of her pain and isolation and she begins to paint again. As in Coerr's well- loved biographical Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes (1977), the horrors of the bombing are not dwelt on here; again, the subtler underlying menace is a child's vulnerability to war. In contrast to Sadako's valiant, doomed struggle, Mieko's fictional experience is one of healing and renewed hope, expressed in the same quiet, economical prose. Since the stakes are not as high—Mieko is never in mortal danger—the story is less stirring. Still, this has its own message about the paradoxical fragility and resilience of the human spirit. Calligraphy by Cecil Yuehara not seen. (Fiction. 8- 11)
Pub Date: April 21, 1993
ISBN: 0-399-22434-3
Page Count: 78
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1993
BOOK REVIEW
From Van Leeuwen (Hannah of Fairfield, p. 73, etc.), a second heartwarming portrait of a colonial girl and her family struggling to meet the challenges of pioneer life during the Revolutionary War. Although Hannah misses her older brother, Ben, who is off fighting the British, there is no time to brood. First the lively ten-year-old joins in the spring-cleaning, then it’s time to pluck the geese, shear the sheep, spin the wool into yarn, make dye, and finally color skein after skein until “Hannah felt as if she were sitting in the middle of a rainbow.” While Hannah works, she marvels at what she sees as the seat of her mother’s competence, her hands. “They were so small, yet they could do so many things. . . . They spun and wove and sewed. They scrubbed and dug in the garden. . . . Strong hands. Gentle hands. . . . Helping hands.” In the course of this simply written but involving and evocative novel, Hannah learns that she also has helping hands, a way with animals, and a gift for healing. The story ends with a robust climax based on a true historic incident—the razing of Fairfield, Connecticut, by British soldiers. It’s a fiery, realistic finish, but it will be the day-to-day details and how-to of colonial life that will keep readers intrigued. (b&w illustrations, not seen, map) (Fiction. 7-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8037-2447-0
Page Count: 90
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PeeWee, the intrepid guinea pig, is back and now he has a mate. Timid Plush, the only other guinea pig that PeeWee knows in Central Park, is the object of his affection. A nameless man who figured out that PeeWee needed some companionship bought her and set her free in the park. At first, things don’t look good for the young couple; while PeeWee has learned to embrace the life and breadth of the park, Plush longs for the coziness and comfort of her cage in the pet store, where food was abundant and humans held and stroked her. Eventually, her thirst and hunger force her to leave the hole that PeeWee has prepared for her. Their sweet relationship mirrors human ones: a misunderstanding causes a rift that takes time to mend, they learn to appreciate the hobbies and passions of the other, and eventually they learn the joys and challenges that come from raising a family. The joys of a burgeoning friendship and love delightfully unfold through the world of these two fluffy critters and their squirrel friend, Lexi. Whether they are listening to Puccini (Plush has learned to appreciate all things operatic during her time in the pet shop), or PeeWee is reading aloud from Thomas Hood’s poetry (PeeWee learned a thing or two from his mother in the pet store too), or thinking of ways to protect their young family from approaching winter, PeeWee and Plush celebrate the many joys of life. The ample white space, sweet pencil drawings, and generous font make this a fine choice for the earliest reader. It’s one of friendship, love, and working together that will warm all but the most jaded of hearts. (Fiction. 8-11)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2002
ISBN: 1-58717-191-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: SeaStar/North-South
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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