by Gillian McClure & illustrated by Gillian McClure ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 2008
Plainly told, these nine Korean folktales include some well-known tales found in the relatively small number of other picture books and anthologies available in English. “The Herdsman and the Weaver” is known in many versions from several Asian countries, including China and Japan, and tells the story of two lovers in the heavens, separated the whole year round until a bridge of magpies forms over the Milky Way to allow them to meet on the seventh day of the seventh month. The title story is the tale of a blind man’s loving daughter, who sacrifices herself to the depths of the sea, the Dragon King’s watery realm, to earn 300 bags of rice to restore her father’s sight. His vision is only returned at a later time when his daughter is allowed to return to the earth. The tiger, a recurring character in Korean stories, appears in two tales, fooled by the ever-popular trickster, Rabbit. McClure’s watercolor illustrations were inspired by sketches done on a trip to Korea; realistic earth tones vie with the fantastical brighter colors of the heavens and the undersea kingdom. A solid, if additional, purchase. (introduction, bibliography) (Folklore. 6-9)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-84507-805-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2008
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by Meredith Hooper & illustrated by Bee Willey ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2000
Trickling, bubbling, swirling, rushing, a river flows down from its mountain beginnings, past peaceful country and bustling city on its way to the sea. Hooper (The Drop in My Drink, 1998, etc.) artfully evokes the water’s changing character as it transforms from “milky-cold / rattling-bold” to a wide, slow “sliding past mudflats / looping through marshes” to the end of its journey. Willey, best known for illustrating Geraldine McCaughrean’s spectacular folk-tale collections, contributes finely detailed scenes crafted in shimmering, intricate blues and greens, capturing mountain’s chill, the bucolic serenity of passing pastures, and a sense of mystery in the water’s shadowy depths. Though Hooper refers to “the cans and cartons / and bits of old wood” being swept along, there’s no direct conservation agenda here (for that, see Debby Atwell’s River, 1999), just appreciation for the river’s beauty and being. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: June 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7636-0792-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2000
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by Melissa Thomson and illustrated by Frank Morrison ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2009
Keena Ford’s second-grade class is taking a field trip to the United States Capitol. This good-hearted girl works hard to behave, but her impulsive decisions have a way of backfiring, no matter how hard she tries to do the right thing. In this second book in a series, Keena cuts off one of her braids and later causes a congressman to fall down the stairs. The first-person journal format is a stretch—most second graders can barely write, let alone tell every detail of three days of her life. Children will wonder how Keena can cut one of her “two thick braids” all the way off by pretend-snipping in the air. They will be further confused because the cover art clearly shows Keena with a completely different hairdo on the field trip than the one described. Though a strong African-American heroine is most welcome in chapter books and Keena and her family are likable and realistic, this series needs more polish before Keena writes about her next month in school. (Fiction. 6-9)
Pub Date: July 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3264-3
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2009
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