A prophet sees a vision of palm trees in a dream, and the king offers a great reward to anyone who can make them appear. Anancy Spiderman sees his opportunity, and goes to ask Sun-Spirit to make the palm trees. Sun-Spirit is succinct: ``My work makes other works work. And other works make my work also work.'' He sends Anancy off to plead with Water-Spirit, Earth-Spirit, and Air-Spirit; each requires the others. Anancy isn't happy about sharing the reward, but figures he can get out of it later. The king rewards them all with a banquet. The rich illustrations in acrylic, pencil, and washes use kente-cloth patterns and areas bleached or misted over to great effect. The figure of Anancy himself is done with a wonderful conceit: His spidery aspects are hinted at by his long legs, arms, and flying robes, and multiple eyes are suggested by sunglasses, round glasses, and reading glasses worn all at once. Berry (Don't Leave an Elephant to Go and Chase a Bird, 1996, etc.) uses a lovely West Indian lilt that sometimes lapses—``Earth-Spirit looked like a beautifully rounded pile of black, brown, and white diamonds''—but otherwise fully enlists readers with its rhythm and repetition. A rollicking, original read-aloud. (Picture book/folklore. 5-9)
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-689-81060-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1997
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
Trickling, bubbling, swirling, rushing, a river flows down from its mountain beginnings, past peaceful country and bustling city on its way to the sea. Hooper (The Drop in My Drink, 1998, etc.) artfully evokes the water’s changing character as it transforms from “milky-cold / rattling-bold” to a wide, slow “sliding past mudflats / looping through marshes” to the end of its journey. Willey, best known for illustrating Geraldine McCaughrean’s spectacular folk-tale collections, contributes finely detailed scenes crafted in shimmering, intricate blues and greens, capturing mountain’s chill, the bucolic serenity of passing pastures, and a sense of mystery in the water’s shadowy depths. Though Hooper refers to “the cans and cartons / and bits of old wood” being swept along, there’s no direct conservation agenda here (for that, see Debby Atwell’s River, 1999), just appreciation for the river’s beauty and being. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: June 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7636-0792-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2000
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