The third entry in the Tales of King Arthur series concerns the boyish and very human ruler, Arthur, retold in an uncluttered, open manner and with far more immediacy than King Arthur and the Round Table (1995). A huge battle scene at the ocean's edge is the first of many colorful, spectacular tableaux. Having conquered the Saxons, King Arthur watches wistfully as all his knight-pals set off for adventures while he mopes around in the castle. He slips out of the castle to fight the evil King Pellinore, despite Merlin's warnings against it. After battling ``for hours,'' Arthur is rescued from death by Merlin and recovers dramatically to claim the sword Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake. She is very fairy-like, sort of a cross between Ophelia and the Good Witch of the North. The point-of-view momentarily shifts to Merlin, who observes ``the innocent lad from Wales had disappeared forever. In his place now sat an earnest young man, ready to serve his people with grace and dignity.'' ClichÇs riddle the paintings, and there are irregularities of proportion. But the use of light and dark as well as the sheer verve of the illustrating style makes the action exciting and the emotional quality of some of the scenes affecting. (Picture book. 6-11)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-688-13380-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1996
Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay.
Renowned Latin American writer Alvarez has created another story about cultural identity, but this time the primary character is 11-year-old Miguel Guzmán.
When Tía Lola arrives to help the family, Miguel and his hermana, Juanita, have just moved from New York City to Vermont with their recently divorced mother. The last thing Miguel wants, as he's trying to fit into a predominantly white community, is a flamboyant aunt who doesn't speak a word of English. Tía Lola, however, knows a language that defies words; she quickly charms and befriends all the neighbors. She can also cook exotic food, dance (anywhere, anytime), plan fun parties, and tell enchanting stories. Eventually, Tía Lola and the children swap English and Spanish ejercicios, but the true lesson is "mutual understanding." Peppered with Spanish words and phrases, Alvarez makes the reader as much a part of the "language" lessons as the characters. This story seamlessly weaves two culturaswhile letting each remain intact, just as Miguel is learning to do with his own life. Like all good stories, this one incorporates a lesson just subtle enough that readers will forget they're being taught, but in the end will understand themselves, and others, a little better, regardless of la lengua nativa—the mother tongue.
Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-375-80215-0
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Sloat collaborates with Huffman, a Yu’pik storyteller, to infuse a traditional “origins” tale with the joy of creating. Hearing the old women of her village grumble that they have only tasteless crowberries for the fall feast’s akutaq—described as “Eskimo ice cream,” though the recipe at the end includes mixing in shredded fish and lard—young Anana carefully fashions three dolls, then sings and dances them to life. Away they bound, to cover the hills with cranberries, blueberries, and salmonberries. Sloat dresses her smiling figures in mixes of furs and brightly patterned garb, and sends them tumbling exuberantly through grassy tundra scenes as wildlife large and small gathers to look on. Despite obtrusively inserted pronunciations for Yu’pik words in the text, young readers will be captivated by the action, and by Anana’s infectious delight. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-88240-575-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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