Inhabiting this tender love story is a gentle giantess who lives in isolation at the edge of the woods so that she won't scare people with her towering height. When a friendly woodsman builds a house nearby, his affection for his reclusive neighbor grows, even after he learns of her true size. He doesn't tell her what he knows, but invites her to the town carnival, letting her know that she'll ``see everything there from elves and fairies to witches and giants.'' The giantess is overjoyed to be mingling with people, and, at the carnival, she is surprised by admirers of her ``costume,'' all of whom point out the benefits of being very tall, and all of whom accept her when she confesses her height. The giantess gains self-esteem, gets her man, and lives happily ever after. This sweet story, translated from the German, will capture the hearts of young romantics. Seelig's timeless art does not play down the heroine's size—she is large among the other carnival attendees, but she is also lovely; the illustrations are perfect in their soft, misty beauty. (Picture book/folklore. 4-7)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-916291-76-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kane Miller
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1997
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A shortened, reillustrated version of a classic picture book (originally illustrated by Howard Knotts, 1975): A child asks "Why does the day have to end?" His mother replies, "So night can begin." A chain of questions and answers follows, taking readers across the world and through the seasons. Zolotow makes no substantial changes; she removes a few phrases to tighten the text. Vitale contributes a set of lyrical, simply drawn scenes in subtly blended colors. These are so thinly applied that they are translucent; the grain of the plywood on which they are painted becomes part of the design. A fine, seamless new match of text and art. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: May 30, 1995
ISBN: 0-06-025425-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1995
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Miss Pace, elementary school teacher, cools her heels at a dude ranch over summer vacation. So happens that on said dude ranch resides her beau, Last Bob. So happens that also on said dude ranch are vacationing her students, the twins Phil and Bill. A charming romance follows therefrom, with the boys conspiring to get the sweethearts together as much as possible. Denslow keeps the twins goofily sweet (just where are their parents, anyhow?), Miss Pace patiently game, and Last Bob, well, he's cut in the classic cowboy mode: ghostly, strong, silent, mustachioed. When Miss Pace and Last Bob get a kiss in under the aurora borealis's shimmering curtain of light, it sure is a pretty sight. So simple a love song should not be treated lightly: It is an endangered species that deserves protection. Karas's western landscapes feature a happy mix of media—acrylic paintings and dried wildflowers, bandannas and twine, leather and pewter cowboy boots. The entire assembly gets an additional lift from its modestly altered-state, cartoon style: streams warble, peaks tower, The Big Empty beckons, the night sky croons. Happy trails. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: May 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-02-728688-6
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1995
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