All’s well that ends well in this fractured tale of a boy who knows a thing or two about self-determination.
As the title indicates, this is not “Jack and the Beanstalk,” at least not quite as you know it.
A narrator attempts to tell the traditional tale, but Jack is very much in the leading role. In his dismay over his dismal situation, Jack can’t keep his comments to himself. He directly appeals to the storyteller, questioning and challenging every lousy turn of events. “But Bessie’s my best friend!” Jack protests when forced to sell his cow. In disbelief over the trade he’s supposed to make, he exclaims: “Five beans? That stinks!” And when the text relates that he throws them out the window, he objects: “But I’m SO hungry! Can’t I eat one?” Youngsters will readily respond to this playful if sophisticated perspective wherein Jack repeatedly breaks the wall to address the storyteller. The giggles increase as Jack’s remarks provoke responses from the narrator. Gradually, Jack starts talking to the other characters in the book until he effectively shuts out the narrator and grabs control of the action. The characters’ commentary appears in color-coded speech bubbles: Jack's in green, the giant's in ochre, Cindy's (Cinderella) in pink. In fact, children will find a host of fairy-land denizens. Cartoon-style art in garish colors and characters drawn with comically off-kilter features emphasize the absurdity of the story. The primary cast is all white.
All’s well that ends well in this fractured tale of a boy who knows a thing or two about self-determination. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5420-4565-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
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
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions.
Ellis, known for her illustrations for Colin Meloy’s Wildwood series, here riffs on the concept of “home.”
Shifting among homes mundane and speculative, contemporary and not, Ellis begins and ends with views of her own home and a peek into her studio. She highlights palaces and mansions, but she also takes readers to animal homes and a certain famously folkloric shoe (whose iconic Old Woman manages a passel of multiethnic kids absorbed in daring games). One spread showcases “some folks” who “live on the road”; a band unloads its tour bus in front of a theater marquee. Ellis’ compelling ink and gouache paintings, in a palette of blue-grays, sepia and brick red, depict scenes ranging from mythical, underwater Atlantis to a distant moonscape. Another spread, depicting a garden and large building under connected, transparent domes, invites readers to wonder: “Who in the world lives here? / And why?” (Earth is seen as a distant blue marble.) Some of Ellis’ chosen depictions, oddly juxtaposed and stripped of any historical or cultural context due to the stylized design and spare text, become stereotypical. “Some homes are boats. / Some homes are wigwams.” A sailing ship’s crew seems poised to land near a trio of men clad in breechcloths—otherwise unidentified and unremarked upon.
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6529-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
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