by Jan Pancheri & illustrated by Jan Pancheri ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2010
Pancheri has been the gardener at Westminster Abbey in London for five years, and she draws on her experience to create a visual and verbal treat. The endpapers lay out the monastery's buildings, cloisters, grounds and gardens. Brother William takes readers simply and clearly through the year 1383 from his perspective as the gardener. In January, there’s enough snow to make a “snowmonk” and a “snowdog” (Rufus, his canine companion). April is Easter, with blessings, painted eggs and the end of fasting. The many pictures, done in egg gouache (a medium suitable to the date), are utterly charming: Each month has an initial decorated with appropriate flora (June’s J entwined with roses, October’s O filled with acorns and oak leaves); the monks work hard, practice archery and play marbles; Brother William and Rufus dance on May Day. Recipes, the occasional gloss on a word in the text and such homely touches as information on the herbs used in healing add to the book's richness. Further notes are given briefly at the end in Brother William’s wry and sweet voice. (Picture book. 7-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-84507-953-6
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2010
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by Margi Preus ; illustrated by Cheryl Pilgrim ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 24, 2020
A rousing introduction to the life of a voyageur told from a unique perspective.
Stowing away with French Canadian fur traders in 1792, a loquacious red squirrel embarks on a life-changing adventure.
Each spring, Jean Pierre Petit Le Rouge, a squirrel with wanderlust, watches brave, strong voyageurs depart in canoes from Montreal and return the following autumn. Determined to be a voyageur, Le Rouge hides in a canoe paddled by eight stout voyageurs, part of a brigade of five. Soon his incessant chattering distracts the voyageurs, who become separated from the rest of the brigade, but, after ascending the highest tree, he points the crew back on course. More than once, pesky Le Rouge barely escapes becoming squirrel ragout. He’s just beginning to feel like a real voyageur when they reach the trading post on Lake Superior, where he discovers the voyageurs exchanging their cargo for animal skins to return to Montreal. Heartsick, Le Rouge decides he cannot be a voyageur if it involves trading animal skins, unless he can change things. Le Rouge relates his story with drama and flair, presenting a colorful prism through which to view the daily life of a voyageur. Peppered with historical facts and (italicized) French phrases and names, this exciting, well-documented tale (with a contemporary animal-rights subtext) proves educational and entertaining. Realistic pencil drawings highlight Le Rouge’s memorable journey.
A rousing introduction to the life of a voyageur told from a unique perspective. (map, pronunciation guide, historical and biological notes, recipe, further reading) (Historical fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: March 24, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4247-8
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
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by Timothy Decker & illustrated by Timothy Decker ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2009
“By March 5, 1770, it was dangerous to be a soldier in Boston.” In a few lines of terse prose illustrated with densely hatched black-and-white pictures, Decker lays out the causes of the tension between Bostonians and British troops, and then delivers a blow-by-blow account of events on that March night and the ensuing trials. Along with casting a grim tone over all, his dark, crowded illustrations capture the incident’s confusion and also add details to the narrative. Despite some questionable choices—he names most of the soldiers but none of the casualties, and except for a row of coffins in one picture, never mentions how many actually died—the author leaves readers with a general understanding of what happened, and with a final scene of John Adams (who defended the soldiers in court) pondering the necessity of protecting true Liberty from the “lawless mob,” some food for thought as well. (Informational picture book. 9-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-59078-608-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Calkins Creek/Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2009
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