Another original fairy tale from the apparently bottomless imagination of Yolen (Here There Be Unicorns, p. 1546, etc.). This is the slightly convoluted story of an enchanted castle—wherein lives a terrifying beast—and the nearby woodsman's cottage. The woodsman lives with his frail wife of mysterious origins and their little daughter, Aurea. A sorceress comes and poses as a cook offering her services in exchange for room and board, but she is really looking for a charm she believes to be in the woodsman's possession. Unable to find it, she disposes of the man and his wife and tries to do away with Aurea as well, but she's foiled by the animals whom the girl has befriended. The charm is the comb that Aurea's mother gave to her on her deathbed. When the beast comes to the forest, the girl combs his mane with it and braids some of her own golden hair into his—and he becomes a man, the long-lost king and Aurea's grandfather. The sorceress is changed into a bird and chained by the wickedness in her own heart. Yolen's language is lovely as usual, but there are too many fairy-tale conventions mashed into this one story. Dyer's illustrations, however, are enchanting. (Fiction/Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-316-96894-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1994
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
A book that will make young dog-owners smile in recognition and confirm dogless readers' worst suspicions about the mayhem caused by pets, even winsome ones. Sam, who bears passing resemblance to an affable golden retriever, is praised for fetching the family newspaper, and goes on to fetch every other newspaper on the block. In the next story, only the children love Sam's swimming; he is yelled at by lifeguards and fishermen alike when he splashes through every watering hole he can find. Finally, there is woe to the entire family when Sam is bored and lonely for one long night. Boland has an essential message, captured in both both story and illustrations of this Easy-to-Read: Kids and dogs belong together, especially when it's a fun-loving canine like Sam. An appealing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8037-1530-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996
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