Based on a true incident, the story of a Japanese ivory carver who, after devoting a lifetime to his art, gave it up when he found a bullet in the magnificent block of ivory he had hoped to make into his masterpiece. Realizing that his medium depended on the suffering of endangered animals, he became a stone carver. Havill (Jamaica's Find, 1986) embellishes her narrative with an unnecessary dream sequence that may confuse the youngest readers, but it does add drama to the quiet story. As in Dragon Kite of the Autumn Moon (1991), the Tsengs' double-page paintings are full of the homely details of an Asian culture—clothing, furnishings, tools; while the African dream sequence allows them to extend their palette and create a phantasmagorical elephant herd. The connection between Africa and Japan is of particular interest. (Picture book. 5-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-688-11155-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1993
Every year since kindergarten, Harry’s Halloween costume has gotten scarier and scarier. What’s it going to be this year? He’s not telling. His classmates are all stunned when he shows up, not as some monster or a weird alien (well, not really)—but as neatly dressed Sgt. Joe Friday of Dragnet fame, wielding a notebook and out to get “just the facts, ma’am.” As she has in Harry’s 11 previous appearances (15, counting the ones his classmate Song Lee headlines), Kline (Marvin and the Mean Words, 1997, etc.) captures grammar-school atmosphere, personalities, and incidents perfectly, from snits to science projects gone hilariously wrong. She even hands Harry/Friday a chance to exercise his sleuthing abilities, with a supply of baby powder “fairy dust” gone mysteriously missing. As legions of fans have learned to expect, Harry comes through with flying colors, pinning down the remorseful culprit in 11 minutes flat. No surprises here, just reliable, child-friendly, middle-grade fare. Illustrations not seen. (Fiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-670-88864-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Young readers will enjoy this glimpse of Jewish immigrant life.
A little fish gets a big break!
Shirley’s immigrant family comes to the United States and opens a new store. However, there is a problem: They cannot sell the gefilte fish, a family specialty, to the customers in their store’s neighborhood. Pretty soon the stuffed fish dish piles up, and Shirley’s parents lament that they might be eating it forever if they cannot sell some soon. Shirley takes it upon herself to try her best to move gefilte-units. Even though Mama says she is too little to help, one day, when the other adults are busy, Shirley gets the opportunity to step in—and, with a very creative solution, she saves the day. After all, it’s Shirley’s store, too. The story, which appears to take place around the turn of the 19th century, is a whole family undertaking, with Jewish food and culture at the center. Illustrations, created with pencil sketches that were overdrawn and digitally colored, use plenty of white space, and a sense of warmth pervades the narrative. Yiddish words—like farmisht and keppele—dot the pages and are listed in a helpful glossary that explains that Yiddish was spoken by many Eastern European Jews. Shirley and her family are light-skinned; theirs is a diverse community. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Young readers will enjoy this glimpse of Jewish immigrant life. (recipe for gefilte fish) (Picture book. 5-10)Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-64614-126-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Levine Querido
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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