bookshelf

TAMBOURINE MOON

Name: TAMBOURINE MOON
Author: Joy Jones
ISBN: 0-689-80648-5

by Joy Jones ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1999

bookshelf

In a heartfelt story from Jones, a moonlit night and a tambourine link the past and present for a little girl and her grandfather. While walking home one night, Noni is fearful about the way the city looks in the dark. To comfort her, Grandaddy tells her the story of how he met his wife, Grandma Ismay, on an even darker night back in Alabama. He was on his way home and came across a church where the choir was practicing. One voice was so strong and clear that he just had to wait for the doors of the church to open after practice so he could see the singer. He walked Ismay home, then found himself on the dark path alone, still carrying her tambourine. As often happens in family stories, a little magic has worked itself into the telling over the years; the tambourine trembled in his hand, then leaped into the sky, lighting it up with a honeyed glow, and he was no longer afraid. Noni accepts that the full moon they face now is that tambourine from long ago, and the city skyline has become a more welcoming place. Widener’s illustrations capture the slate colors of the night sky, while his subdued tones in the city and country scenes turn the moon into a radiant lunar nightlight. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999

ISBN: 0-689-80648-5

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1999

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

bookshelf

ON MARDI GRAS DAY

by Fatima Shaik ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 1999

bookshelf

It is dawn on a day of street parties, and children are donning minimalist costumes (an underwater mask for a deep-sea diver, a cowboy hat to evoke a cowboy) so that “even those who love us must guess our identities.” Of course the children aren’t truly disguised: “I know you, Mardi Gras,” one friend calls from the sidewalk. By the fifth spread, readers understand that this is more than a children’s party; “Mardi Gras Indians live in our neighborhood,” and each emerges from “the door blinds of his small house like a spring flower opening.” Five of the double-page oil paintings are given over to actual parade scenes; the rest of the book features more domestic scenes of children in their homes and backyards during the long Mardi Gras day. The story is poetic, but puzzling to children new to the subject: Where is the story taking place? What are “Mardi Gras Indians,” and how to makes sense of the statement “A parade named Zulu will pass”? In read-aloud sessions, cover the author’s note in the back first, for a more succinct introduction to some of the customs of the New Orleans parade. Shaik’s narrative is deliberately child-centered, offering an insider’s view of the day but not quite succeeding in beckoning newcomers to it. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1999

ISBN: 0-8037-1442-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Dial Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1999

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

bookshelf

NO TIME FOR MOTHER'S DAY

by Laurie Halse Anderson ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1999

bookshelf

A refreshing story about Mother’s Day features a terrifically thoughtful girl who comes up with just the right present. Charity, who is probably in first grade, hears from her teacher that there are two days until Mother’s Day. She starts thinking about a gift, dismissing silly suggestions. The next day, she views her multi-tasking mother handling toast, dishwasher, phone, and microwave, maintaining a harried, frantic pace. Anxiety keeps Charity awake Saturday night till she thinks of the perfect gift. She unplugs the clocks and turns off “everything that beeps or bleeps or buzzes.” The clever and homey text is illustrated with comic scenes that exaggerate the mother’s busy life without—for most households—making it absurd. Charity’s care in coming up with a present is subtly conveyed, making the lesson far more powerful. (Picture book. 5-7)