This appealing stage version of a classic cautionary tale makes, at best, a richly illustrated but labored transition to...
The Canadian creators of Time for Flowers, Time for Snow (2013) turn another myth into a musical performance—this one with comical overtones.
Like its predecessor, the result works better in audio than in print despite Béha’s luminescent, broadly theatrical illustrations. As reward for hosting Dionysius’ lush of a schoolmaster, Silenus, King Midas (already sporting donkey ears from an earlier escapade) rashly opts to wish for a golden touch despite his wife’s shrill torrent of abuse: “Fiddlesticks yourself, you king of all milquetoasts— / You might wish for a physique like the god Apollo boasts.” But no, and when he discovers his error by transforming not only beloved daughter Zoe into gold, but also his own tighty whities (“He’s turned his favourite gonches / Into metal underwear!”), his lachrymose regret causes the god to relent. Huser adds lively dialogue and detail to a full-cast version of the old tale in a recasting that mixes prose (read, on the accompanying CD, by Terry Jones) with lengthy stretches of rhyme in various meters. The latter are sung, often by a huge children’s chorus, on the recording. Though Giannis Georgeantelis’ orchestral accompaniment is not always particularly sprightly, the songs sound better than they read, as internal transitions from one “speaker” to the next are not indicated, and the rhymes and rhythms are frequently forced.
This appealing stage version of a classic cautionary tale makes, at best, a richly illustrated but labored transition to print. (production notes) (Mythology. 6-11)Pub Date: Nov. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-896580-73-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Tradewind Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 20, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2015
A rallying cry for anyone looking for a strong example of perseverance.
Brazilian surfer Gabeira offers a fictionalized version of her childhood with this story of an adventurous young girl who overcomes sexism and self-doubt to become a great athlete.
The inhabitants of the fishing village of Nazaré, Portugal, are in awe of a massive wave known as the Beast. A young villager named Maya has asthma and brings medicine with her wherever she goes; though shy, Maya finds fulfillment when moving her body during dancing, gymnastics, and swimming. Having grown up hearing about the Beast, she goes to see it for herself and is in awe of the massive wave, though she also notices boys surfing on it. Maya decides to try surfing, which her father encourages. The boys at the beach tell her surfing is no sport for girls, and she nearly believes them until a voice in a seashell tells her not to give up. Both text and illustrations offer a stirring account of Maya’s journey to surfing mastery. The Beast begins as a spectacle from afar, filling the page with its sheer scope. Maya is often framed within or beneath its crest, including a wonderful scene of her would-be hecklers watching dumbfounded as she joyously surfs ahead of them. Maya and her family are brown-skinned; for the most part, other residents of Nazaré range in skin color from tan to brown. In an author’s note, Gabeira describes growing up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and, in 2007, setting a Guinness record for the largest wave ever surfed at Praia de Norte in Nazaré. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A rallying cry for anyone looking for a strong example of perseverance. (Picture book. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4197-6000-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
Deliberately inspirational and tinged with nostalgia, this will please fans but may strike others as overly idealistic.
Veteran picture-book creator Polacco tells another story from her childhood that celebrates the importance of staying true to one’s own interests and values.
After years of spending summers with her father and grandmother, narrator Trisha is excited to be spending the school year in Michigan with them. Unexpectedly abandoned by her summertime friends, Trisha quickly connects with fellow outsiders Thom and Ravanne, who may be familiar to readers from Polacco’s The Junkyard Wonders (2010). Throughout the school year, the three enjoy activities together and do their best to avoid school bully Billy. While a physical confrontation between Thom (aka “Sissy Boy”) and Billy does come, so does an opportunity for Thom to defy convention and share his talent with the community. Loosely sketched watercolor illustrations place the story in the middle of the last century, with somewhat old-fashioned clothing and an apparently all-White community. Trisha and her classmates appear to be what today would be called middle schoolers; a reference to something Trisha and her mom did when she was “only eight” suggests that several years have passed since that time. As usual, the lengthy first-person narrative is cozily conversational but includes some challenging vocabulary (textiles, lackeys, foretold). The author’s note provides a brief update about her friends’ careers and encourages readers to embrace their own differences. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Deliberately inspirational and tinged with nostalgia, this will please fans but may strike others as overly idealistic. (Picture book. 7-10)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-2622-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
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