The gifted author of Trail of Stones (1990), a series of searching psychological portraits in verse of familiar folkloric characters, portrays a painfully shy boy. Eric's only friend is the ``Night Shimmy,'' an imaginary alter ego who wears a black mask and witch's hat, also seen at times on Eric himself. One day Eric plays with Marcia, who doesn't mind his silence. After they enjoy flying Marcia's parrot kite, Eric has a night of unusually peaceful dreams, but awakes to find that the Night Shimmy has abandoned him. At first angry with Marcia, he relents when her kite gets caught in a tree; after he frees it, they begin to talk. From the black title spread with four takes of a door opening to a sky where dawn and then day supplant the stars, Browne brings his usual allusive power to the illustrations. The boy's solitary withdrawal and hesitant response to Marcia's proffered friendship are masterfully conveyed by skillful manipulation of relative sizes and distances and of the intensity and range of color, by surreal changes in details, by the use of dramatic shadows, and even by cropping—as well as by the black ground that squeezes the first illustration into a 4-inch square, then waxes and wanes and ultimately disappears when Eric begins to share his imaginative thoughts with his new friend. A subtle and perceptive treatment of a familiar theme, with an unusually harmonious melding of text and art. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-679-82384-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
A book that will make young dog-owners smile in recognition and confirm dogless readers' worst suspicions about the mayhem caused by pets, even winsome ones. Sam, who bears passing resemblance to an affable golden retriever, is praised for fetching the family newspaper, and goes on to fetch every other newspaper on the block. In the next story, only the children love Sam's swimming; he is yelled at by lifeguards and fishermen alike when he splashes through every watering hole he can find. Finally, there is woe to the entire family when Sam is bored and lonely for one long night. Boland has an essential message, captured in both both story and illustrations of this Easy-to-Read: Kids and dogs belong together, especially when it's a fun-loving canine like Sam. An appealing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8037-1530-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996
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