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JOHN BLAIR AND THE GREAT HINCKLEY FIRE

Name: JOHN BLAIR AND THE GREAT HINCKLEY FIRE
Author: Josephine Nobisso
ISBN: 0-618-01560-4

by Josephine Nobisso & illustrated by Ted Rose ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2000

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Move over Casey Jones—John Blair is a legitimate hero who helped save the lives of 300 passengers on a train caught in a terrifying firestorm in Minnesota in 1894. Nobisso (Hot-Cha-Cha!, 1998, etc.) tells the story with careful attention to the sequence of events along with vivid descriptions of the heat, fire, and fear. Through it all, John Blair emerges as a man of extraordinary bravery, compassion, and dedication to duty. Rose’s watercolor illustrations bring the fearsome scenes to life, conveying the thick black smoke and the orange glow of the menacing fire, as well as the terror. The major flaw in the book is the blur between anecdotal history and storytelling. Nobisso incorporates a great deal of conversation into the narrative. Herein lies the dilemma: are these conversations direct quotes from Blair’s report and witnesses’ testimony, or are they the author’s creations? An epilogue presents a great deal of additional information and gives some indication of the author’s research and depth of knowledge. But there is no actual documentation. As it currently stands, the book appears to be historical fiction. As such it is an exciting introduction to a little-known incident in American history and to a genuine African-American hero. (Picture book. 8-10)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2000

ISBN: 0-618-01560-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2000

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
PORTRAIT OF THE SON
by Josephine Nobisso ; illustrated by Ted Schluenderfritz

- BOOK REVIEW
FRANCIS WOKE UP EARLY
by Josephine Nobisso & illustrated by Maureen Hyde

- BOOK REVIEW
TAKE IT TO THE QUEEN
by Josephine Nobisso and illustrated by Katalin Szegedi

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THE LION AND THE UNICORN

by Shirley Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1999

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From Hughes (Enchantment in the Garden, 1997, etc.), a WWII story with big ambitions—many of them realized’set out in the pages of an unusually long picture book. Lenny Levi lives in London with his mother during the Blitz, cherishing the letters from his father at the front, and the medal of the lion and the unicorn his father gave him. When Lenny is evacuated to the country, he finds himself at a huge old manor with three little girls, the lady of the house, and a few servants. He is lonely, teased at school and at home for not eating bacon and for bedwetting, but makes a friend of the young man with one leg he meets in the secret garden on the estate. The garden, thick with roses, also holds a beautiful statue of a unicorn like the one on his medal. As Lenny’s loneliness and fear spiral out of control, a night vision of the unicorn brings him back; his mother comes to take them both to his aunt in Wales, where his father will join them. The storyline, while straightforward, hints at difficult subjects—religious differences, amputees, separation, family disruptions, the terror of bombing, and more—which are then given only cursory treatment. The pictures are splendid: luminous, full-bodied watercolors that capture the horror of London burning, the glory of the countryside, and mists of dreams. It may be difficult for this to find its audience, but children too young for Michelle Magorian’s Good Night, Mr. Tom (1986) might be captured. (Picture book. 8-10)

Pub Date: April 1, 1999

ISBN: 0-7894-2555-6

Page Count: 60

Publisher: DK Publishing

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
RUBY IN THE RUINS
by Shirley Hughes ; illustrated by Shirley Hughes

- BOOK REVIEW
WHISTLING IN THE DARK
by Shirley Hughes

- BOOK REVIEW
DIGBY O'DAY AND THE GREAT DIAMOND ROBBERY
by Shirley Hughes ; illustrated by Clara Vulliamy

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I WAS ONCE A MONKEY

STORIES BUDDHA TOLD

by Jeanne M. Lee ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 8, 1999

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A book of the basic teachings of Buddha, presented through a collection of six classic, simple tales. When a monkey takes refuge from a monsoon in a cave, he happens upon a group of bickering animals—a monkey, lion, turtle, jackal, and dove. Before the fighting becomes too fierce, a small statue of Buddha begins to glow in the darkest corner. To pass the time—and to stop the fighting—wise Buddha spins enlightening stories of tolerance, endurance, sagacity, truthfulness, kindness, and clarity. Buddha recounts his past lives in many forms—from monkey to pigeon to willow tree—to his captive listeners. Such straightforward yet profound tales combine with the art and design for an example of bookmaking that is aesthetically pleasing in every way. Color-washed linoprints cleverly distinguish the stories from the black-and-white narrative frame, while an informative afterword offers brief background detail about Buddha and these six “birth stories” known as Jatakas. (Picture book/folklore. 4-7)