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
Young ballet lovers will be smitten with the story.
A poor Russian girl enchants the world with her romantic ballet performances.
Pavlova was born in Czarist Russia, the daughter of a laundry woman. When her mother took her to a ballet performance, she was spellbound. After waiting two years to be accepted, she rose through the ranks of the Imperial Ballet School despite having what was considered an imperfect body. She excelled in the great 19th-century romantic roles and made “The Dying Swan,” with music from The Carnival of the Animals, by Camille Saint-Saëns, her signature piece. Pavlova traveled around the world sharing her gift and teaching, passing up 20th-century ballets choreographed to modern music and always enchanting audiences with her incomparable style. Snyder writes in the present tense in a delicate and poetic voice that mirrors Pavlova’s onstage persona. Morstad’s art, a combination of ink, gouache, graphite, pencil, and crayon, evokes beautiful Russian cityscapes, while scenes set in a dance studio effectively make use of a white background to showcase a solitary dancing beauty. Falling snow and images of flowers and feathers reappear through the pages as motifs of Pavlova’s childhood, her passion for dance, and her too-young death.
Young ballet lovers will be smitten with the story. (author’s note, bibliography, quotation sources) (Picture book/biography. 6-9)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-1890-1
Page Count: 52
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Readers will appreciate watching Sylvie determinedly working toward her goals.
An opportunity to participate in an ice hockey league soon leads to drama for fourth-grader Sylvie.
In this second lively adventure (The Best Friend Battle, 2015), Sylvie returns with another dilemma. This time, a sports rivalry carries over onto the ice when Sylvie discovers that Jamie, a formidable pitcher from the winning championship baseball team, is on Sylvie’s new hockey team. With pluck and determination, Sylvie sets her sights on becoming the team captain. While Sylvie’s attempts to impress her coach with her captainlike behavior result in some comical moments, Eyre reveals how Sylvie’s bid for leadership is intertwined with her yearning to spend more time with her dad. She poignantly conveys Sylvie’s efforts to claim some of her father’s time amid the bustle of their expanding family. Eyre also captures Sylvie’s boisterous, confident personality as she resolutely refuses to be daunted by Jamie and her perseverance as she strives to improve her hockey skills. Throughout the text, Hanson’s illustrations depict Sylvie’s escapades and occasional mishaps. Readers will sympathize with Sylvie as she becomes the victim of a series of pranks during practice, and they will understand her desire to retaliate. Though some will probably also understand that not all is as it seems, readers as well as Sylvie will benefit from the message that it’s all too easy to make unwarranted assumptions.
Readers will appreciate watching Sylvie determinedly working toward her goals. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-545-62029-1
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Levine/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
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