Sal desperately wants to make a quilt, but her big hands just don't seem to have the knack of doing such small, fussy work. What she is good at is raising sunflowers, hundreds and thousands of giant yellow blooms by the back door of the farmhouse, behind the garden, on either side of the lane, and all along the dusty roads. A late-summer climb to the top of Bare Hill reveals that the neat squares of fields and pasture below have been ``stitched together with sunflowers''—Sal has made her quilt. It's a lovely story from Anderson (Going Through the Gate, p. 1106) about finding one's true gifts, with sun-washed oil paintings in a palette of (what else?) gold, brown, and green. Put this next to Barbara Cooney's Miss Rumphius (1982) and the Johnny Appleseed tales, about other characters whose horticultural labors of love transformed landscapes. (Picture book. 6-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-8075-7662-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1997
Sloat collaborates with Huffman, a Yu’pik storyteller, to infuse a traditional “origins” tale with the joy of creating. Hearing the old women of her village grumble that they have only tasteless crowberries for the fall feast’s akutaq—described as “Eskimo ice cream,” though the recipe at the end includes mixing in shredded fish and lard—young Anana carefully fashions three dolls, then sings and dances them to life. Away they bound, to cover the hills with cranberries, blueberries, and salmonberries. Sloat dresses her smiling figures in mixes of furs and brightly patterned garb, and sends them tumbling exuberantly through grassy tundra scenes as wildlife large and small gathers to look on. Despite obtrusively inserted pronunciations for Yu’pik words in the text, young readers will be captivated by the action, and by Anana’s infectious delight. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-88240-575-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
At ``Step 2'' in the useful ``Step into Reading'' series: an admirably clear, well-balanced presentation that centers on wolves' habits and pack structure. Milton also addresses their endangered status, as well as their place in fantasy, folklore, and the popular imagination. Attractive realistic watercolors on almost every page. Top-notch: concise, but remarkably extensive in its coverage. A real bargain. (Nonfiction/Easy reader. 6-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-679-91052-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
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