A misguided effort in need of a more enlightening text and more polished illustrations.
A boy named Thomas wants to go to heaven.
Thomas is introduced obliquely as a child with special needs, as he appears to be about 8 but still plays with blocks and “loved to spin in wobbly circles for hours while reciting the alphabet.” When he appears at the dinner table with his packed suitcase, ready to go “to the Kingdom of Heaven,” he opens it to reveal food, clothing, and money for those in need as well as a variety of items (including a mustard seed and a trowel) that relate to several parables of Jesus from the Christian Bible. Unfortunately, the relevant parables are not explained in the text or referenced in a concluding note. Seeing the collection, Thomas’ father explains that he is “smack dab already in the Kingdom of Heaven” due to his “good and giving heart.” The family leaves their dinner at home and goes off to serve food and “tell the others,” perhaps at a church dinner or homeless mission, again not specified. The minimal text is insufficiently developed, demanding pre-existing understanding of the parables. Soft-focus illustrations in colored pencil and watercolor are inconsistent in portraying the ages of the characters, and the illustration of Thomas on the cover does not match those in the book. Thomas and his parents and older sister are white; his younger sister has Asian features. A final page for adults offers ways Christian families can assist others.
A misguided effort in need of a more enlightening text and more polished illustrations. (Picture book/religion. 5-9)Pub Date: April 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-61261-776-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Paraclete Press
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2017
An Oglala Lakota, Montileaux first created the ledger-style paintings (flat, two-dimensional) in this offering for exhibit at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre, S.D. The illustrations are characterized by clear vibrant colors and characters that are portrayed in dramatic poses and facial expressions. The exhibit committee selected the traditional text that accompanies the illustrations in this telling of how the Lakota People were tricked into leaving the Underworld through the Wind Cave to live on the surface of the earth. They became “the Ordinary,” or Lakota. Sensing that his people needed help to survive, the holy man, Tatanka, transformed himself into a buffalo and sacrificed his powers in order to provide food and warmth to the Lakota people. Both the English and the original Lakota words are used side-by-side on each page. A beautiful rendering of story and illustration that needs to be in every library interested in building the diversity of their collection. (Picture book/mythology. 5-7)
Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2006
ISBN: 0-9749195-8-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: SDSHS Press
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2006
BOOK REVIEW
Longwinded though affecting tribute to resilience and solidarity.
Even a Category 5 hurricane can’t stop a revered coach and his championship high-school football team.
Popular historian Thompson (Driving with the Devil, 2006, etc.) begins in the locker room of New Orleans’ John Curtis Christian School on August 26, 2005. It was the night of the “jamboree” scrimmage that opened the season, and members of the Patriots were hoping to win another state championship for their school. Nationally recognized coach J.T. Curtis, also the school’s headmaster and son of its founder, knew that his hardworking, enthusiastic squad couldn’t compare to last year’s lineup. Many key players had graduated to college ball, and he needed to mentally and physically condition a young, unproven team with efficient, college-level practices consisting of “equal parts Broadway musical and football drills.” The 2005-6 Patriots included an anxious new starting quarterback, a Harvard hopeful, a spiritual heavyweight and a star linebacker whose religion forbade him to play on Friday nights. John Curtis School favored community building and happiness over flashy exteriors, and Coach Curtis reflected those values in his broadminded teaching style and paternal approach to his players’ personal lives. Hurricane Katrina confronted him and his team with the ultimate challenge. Returning to the drowned city, J.T. found the school in miraculously good shape and set out to reunite his squad and get them on the field again. Some players were tempted to join teams in other school districts, and Hurricane Rita tested them once again, but the devoted coach kept on plugging. Thompson deftly profiles a generous selection of players and families torn apart by the disaster and considers the contagious obsession for football shared by participants and fans alike. In a somewhat meandering fashion, he delivers a fully realized interpretative portrait of a coach and a sports organization willing to sacrifice all in the name of football.
Longwinded though affecting tribute to resilience and solidarity.Pub Date: July 31, 2007
ISBN: 978-1-4165-4070-0
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Free Press
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2007
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