A sidelong fantasy from Whybrow with great charm, not the least of which are Reynolds’s poignant illustrations of a boy, the first snowfall, and the tiny snow king he creates. Harry has been waiting for the season’s first snow; when it comes, it’s quite modest, so Harry hunts and gathers enough snow (scraping leaves, gathering a stray drift) to make a foot-tall snow king, decked out with holly berries and a crown of autumn-crisp leaves. Harry’s older sister, Sam chides him, dismissing the small pile of snow that Harry is carrying around on a plate. After lunch, when Harry goes outside, the snow king has disappeared—kidnapped in Harry’s eyes, although readers will guess that the snow has melted. Harry suspects Sam of foul play, but she has been parked in front of the television. Mr. Oakley, driving by later on his tractor, suggests that the snow king might have gone to order more snow. The next day Harry awakens to plenty of snow and a whole community of big and small snowpeople; Mr. Oakley presents evidence (berries and the crown of leaves) that the snow king was party to the proceedings. Harry gets the first tractor tow of the winter on his sled; Sam is too busy with the television. A truly pleasing story, with Harry and Sam’s everyday contentiousness tempering the half-oblique magical elements. Reynolds’s illustrations recall the works of Charlotte Voake and Bob Graham, with the tilt of a head or dash of an eyebrow conveying weighty emotions indeed. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: May 1, 1999
ISBN: 1-899607-85-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
Lunge-Larsen and Preus debut with this story of a flower that blooms for the first time to commemorate the uncommon courage of a girl who saves her people from illness. The girl, an Ojibwe of the northern woodlands, knows she must journey to the next village to get the healing herb, mash-ki- ki, for her people, who have all fallen ill. After lining her moccasins with rabbit fur, she braves a raging snowstorm and crosses a dark frozen lake to reach the village. Then, rather than wait for morning, she sets out for home while the villagers sleep. When she loses her moccasins in the deep snow, her bare feet are cut by icy shards, and bleed with every step until she reaches her home. The next spring beautiful lady slippers bloom from the place where her moccasins were lost, and from every spot her injured feet touched. Drawing on Ojibwe sources, the authors of this fluid retelling have peppered the tale with native words and have used traditional elements, e.g., giving voice to the forces of nature. The accompanying watercolors, with flowing lines, jewel tones, and decorative motifs, give stately credence to the story’s iconic aspects. (Picture book/folklore. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-395-90512-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1999
This vibrant, thoughtful book from Katz (Over the Moon, 1997) continues her tribute to her adopted daughter, Lena, born in Guatemala. Lena is “seven. I am the color of cinnamon. Mom says she could eat me up”; she learns during a painting lesson that to get the color brown, she will have to “mix red, yellow, black, and white paints.” They go for a walk to observe the many shades of brown: they see Sonia, who is the color of creamy peanut butter; Isabella, who is chocolate brown; Lucy, both peachy and tan; Jo-Jin, the color of honey; Kyle, “like leaves in fall”; Mr. Pellegrino, the color of pizza crust, golden brown. Lena realizes that every shade is beautiful, then mixes her paints accordingly for portraits of her friends—“The colors of us!” Bold illustrations celebrate diversity with a child’s open-hearted sensibility and a mother’s love. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8050-5864-8
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
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