Morris continues his intelligent retellings of Arthurian legends with a tale of multiple quests, centered on a young man so innocent of the world that he makes Candide look like Casanova. Never having met another human besides his just-deceased mother, or ventured far from his isolated forest home, Beaufils sets out to find his unknown father and his real name. Regarding all he sees with a fresh eye, and nearly everyone he meets as a potential friend, Beaufils arrives at Camelot just in time to join the Grail Quest, and, traveling with several Knights of the Round Table—notably invincible, tiresomely sanctimonious Galahad—falls into all sorts of colorful encounters with dreamers, schemers, bandits, sectarian hermits and baroque enchantments. With Beaufils, who combines sharp common sense with a fundamental simplicity (not to mention a hunky appearance and plenty of natural martial prowess), Morris creates another immensely likable character whose adventures will leave readers ruminating on foolish promises, surface beauty, narrow-minded religious views, silly misconceptions about the nature of honor and ways of identifying truly worthy quests. (Fantasy. 12-15)
Pub Date: Oct. 30, 2006
ISBN: 0-618-63152-6
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2006
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
From levitating frogs to giant vegetables that take wing, Wiesner resuscitates his fondness for flying in another stretch of his imagination. In a wordless story told through picture panels and murals, a young boy is overtaken by fog on a class field trip to the top of the Empire State Building. He befriends a snowmanlike cloud who dons the boy’s red cap and scarf and wings him to an ominous factory in the sky. Dubbed Sector 7, this imposing, industrial hunk of machinery is a Grand Central Station for clouds, from which they’re all dispatched. The boy learns that clouds can freely take on various shapes, and soon has them twisting and stretching themselves into fish, to the dismay of the grim, uniformed workers. In a showy display, the clouds invade Manhattan, surprising cats at windows and children below. Wiesner’s fans will rediscover all his favorite motifs—dreams overlapping reality, metamorphosing creatures, and more—rendered in precise watercolors with tilted perspectives. Others will find themselves scratching their heads as to his purpose, other than indulging in elliptical displays and in pointlessly defying convention. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-395-74656-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
A rollicking cross country sprint with their energetic grandmother leads siblings Ruthie and Joe and their friend to a wondrous discovery. Spying Granny Annie racing past, the children abandon their pursuits to join the chase; intrigued by her cryptic refrain—“Can’t be late. Catching something. Something great”—the children speculate as to her goal. Heightening their interest is the fact that each time Granny Annie is about to explain where she is headed, she is interrupted and consequently distracted by a giant sneeze. Alda (Arlene Alda’s 1 2 3, 1998, etc.) gives the tale an upbeat tempo, right to the surprising destination—at land’s end overlooking an ocean sunset—that provides a foil to the chase. The loveliness of the setting sun overcomes the children’s initial disappointment, providing them and readers with a reminder of the joy found in simple things. Aldridge’s watercolors, done in shimmering golden hues, illuminate the beauty of an autumn sunset; she also includes whimsical elements for astute observers. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999
ISBN: 1-883672-72-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tricycle
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
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