Six more exquisite fabrications in the author's familiar self-infatuated cadences. In "Moon Ribbon," the first, a Cinderella type is carried off on a river/ribbon woven from the gray hairs of her dead mother. . . with whom she then exchanges hearts in the form of rubies and crystal. Elsewhere an old couple who fashion a longed-for son of sticks and honey are taught a lesson by the Spirit of the Hive; another old woman who finds a tiny "rosechild" ("though she was neither widow nor wed") learns that what it needs to grow is her own love; just as platitudinously, a young man spends his life seeking "Somewhen"—to illustrate that it's the journey that matters; and the only spunky character—Viga, a sun-fearing prince's bride ("the two talked and kissed far into the night as befits a couple who are but newly wed")—loses him as a result of her iconoclasm. The last story, about a "Moon Child" born into a sun-worshipping society, is a smug and pointless fable of ignorance and persecution. Artificial as we found the elegance of The Girl Who Cried Flowers (1974), this is weaker and sillier.
Pub Date: July 14, 1976
ISBN: 0460068369
Page Count: 54
Publisher: T.Y. Crowell
Review Posted Online: May 12, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1976
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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