A new picture-book version of the classic fairy tale falls flat. While faithful to the elements of the plot, the narrative fails to provide any psychological depth, with the result that all of the characters are unsympathetic, from the boastful miller to the clueless daughter, the greedy king and the strange Rumpelstiltskin. As a result, readers won’t really care about any of them. The telling is straightforward and workmanlike, but lacks sparkle: “For the first time in days, the queen felt a ray of hope break through the clouds. She didn’t have time to bask in its light, though, because the little man had suddenly appeared in the garden.” Hargreaves’s illustrations are serviceable but bland. An appended note tells of the origins of the tale, and various traditions about names and naming. Uninspired and Unexceptional, especially next to such rich versions as Paul O. Zelinsky’s glorious Caldecott Honor retelling of 1986, still the gold (not straw) standard. (Picture book/fairy tale. 4-10)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-4027-3066-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2008
What if the market was closed when you wanted to bake a pie? You could embark for Europe, learn Italian en route, and pick up some semolina wheat in Italy, an egg in France, kurundu bark for cinnamon in Sri Lanka, and an entire cow in England (butter) before coming home via Jamaica (sugar) and Vermont (apples). The expertly designed illustrations in which a dark-haired lass journeys by various means to these interesting places to get her groceries are lovely and lively, and the narrative, too, travels at a spritely pace. The journey is neither quite logical enough to be truly informative nor quite bizarre enough to be satisfyingly silly, while the rich, sweet recipe that's appended will take some adult assistance. Still, fun. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: May 2, 1994
ISBN: 0-679-83705-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 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
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