An uneven dozen of "Fantasy and Science Fiction Tales About Humans Who Can Change Their Shapes." As most of the stories depend on the shock of the switch, they tend in the aggregate to cancel each other's effectiveness. The stronger entries include an old-fashioned "Sailor Boy's Tale" by Isak Dinesen, a well-made werewolf story by Saki, and Donald Hall's more everyday fantasy about a boy who finds himself trapped within his "Wonderful Dog Suit." Like Manley and Lewis (above), Yolen prefaces each selection with notes of her own. These bits of lore blend easily with the more conventional stories, but her items on the cockroach, for example, are ludicrously irrelevant to Kafka's "Metamorphosis"—a story which, in any case, belongs in a different league entirely. Not the most fortuitous coming together, even though piece by piece Yolen's selections reflect a classier taste than do those in Nature's Revenge.
Pub Date: April 1, 1978
ISBN: 0816432120
Page Count: 182
Publisher: Seabury
Review Posted Online: May 12, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1978
To all who have followed the adventures in C.S. Lewis' marvelous land of Narnia, this is a treat as it goes back to "grandfather's day" and tells how first contacts with Narnia were made. In London there was Digory, a boy who lived with a wicked uncle, and Polly, the friend with whom he goes exploring. At first their adventures bring near disaster for mad Uncle Andrew uses magic powers inherited from his grandmother to send Polly off to the Woods Between the Worlds. There Digory follows her and the two children meet Jadis, a which who accompanies them back to reality. In turn Jadis brings with her a peck of trouble for everyone concerned—including Uncle Andrew—until a chance fall into a pit transfers them all to Narnia, the singing land of Aslan the Lion, whose intelligence and love vanquishes all evil. Couched in Lewis' silvered prose, this is rich reading.
Pub Date: Sept. 20, 1955
ISBN: 0064409430
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
A cozy, down-home tale of Christmas in New England.
A picture-book adaptation of Fullam’s popular song about the virtues of sharing and community togetherness.
An unnamed narrator says that long ago, when “roads were made of crushed rock and earth,” Christmas gifts were handmade and spiritually centered, and neighbors cared for one another. Although times have changed, there remains “a small corner of the earth where old values have not been lost,” the narrator explains—in Maine, where neighbors visit and bring gifts of food or offer to take kids for sleigh rides. Fullam shares traditions that focus on the power of giving in a picture book that’s half straightforward prose and half rhyming lyrics from the author’s song, included as sheet music at the end. Despite this shift from prose to poetry, the book flows well, and a feeling of Christmas spirit shines through in both formats. Baker’s painted illustrations showcase a diverse small-town community with residents of different ages, abilities, and skin tones. The realistic flora and fauna on many pages give the setting a tangible feel so that the warmth of a fireplace or cuddling cats seems to radiate from the pages. The idyllic nature of the images and poetry sheds a rosy glow on the holiday season, which many readers will appreciate.
A cozy, down-home tale of Christmas in New England.Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-954277-00-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: McSea Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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