Avast there! As everyone knows—and greedy Captain Purplebeard and his scurvy crew find out, to their cost—no treasure comes without its little hazards. Or big, fatal ones, as the climactic gatefold in this extravagantly illustrated cautionary tale reveals. Lured (literally, as it turns out) by an appropriately loose-jointed fiddler, Purplebeard and his hearties—every gold ring, elaborate tattoo and snaggly brown tooth limned in lapidary detail in Duddle’s digital paintings—eagerly set sail to a doom that, to sharp-eyed observers, is telegraphed from the first page on. As a versifier the author makes a talented visual artist (“THERE IS ONE SMALL THING I FORGOT YESTERDAY— / THERE’S ALSO A MONSTER, OR SO THEY SAY”), but the visual treasure begins on the endpapers, and young lubbers of every stripe will happily climb aboard his lavish, high-style, picture-book debut. (Picture book. 7-9)
Pub Date: April 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-7636-4876-3
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Templar/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Showcasing their talents and styles, ten young European artists send characters on brief, quirky journeys, in play or dreams: Houdart, in the first story, shows how Louise and Pierre add wheels and wings to the sofa and take off; Florence Pinel’s Ludo and Remi use different means of transportation to arrive at the same place; GÇraldine Goudard’s Pipolito goes—from his bed—to the North Pole, then the Wild West, then mixes the two (“I built an igloo saloon”); and more. With the exception of Jacques Duquennoy’s “Zoe’s Ark,” the paintings and collages are busy affairs, with tiny or hazy figures in postmodern compositions. As in the work of Peter S°s or Maira Kalman, the story lines will be easier for children to appreciate than the art, while older readers whose interest is piqued by these experiments will yearn for biographical or bibliographical notes. (Picture book. 7-9)
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-8109-3895-2
Page Count: 79
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1998
A rollicking cross country sprint with their energetic grandmother leads siblings Ruthie and Joe and their friend to a wondrous discovery. Spying Granny Annie racing past, the children abandon their pursuits to join the chase; intrigued by her cryptic refrain—“Can’t be late. Catching something. Something great”—the children speculate as to her goal. Heightening their interest is the fact that each time Granny Annie is about to explain where she is headed, she is interrupted and consequently distracted by a giant sneeze. Alda (Arlene Alda’s 1 2 3, 1998, etc.) gives the tale an upbeat tempo, right to the surprising destination—at land’s end overlooking an ocean sunset—that provides a foil to the chase. The loveliness of the setting sun overcomes the children’s initial disappointment, providing them and readers with a reminder of the joy found in simple things. Aldridge’s watercolors, done in shimmering golden hues, illuminate the beauty of an autumn sunset; she also includes whimsical elements for astute observers. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999
ISBN: 1-883672-72-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tricycle
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
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