The elephant thunders out his boast—``No one can bring me down!''—and the monkey's talking drum sends the challenge echoing across the plains. The leopard, the crocodile, even the rhinoceros are easily vanquished, but not the little bat: she bites the elephant's ear until he drops to the ground to rub it. Sierra's retelling of this folktale collected in Cameroon is suitably vigorous; in Pinkney's swirling scratchboard illustrations, the animals (except, of course, the bat) are huge, gnarled, and solid. Colorful and dramatic. (Folklore/Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-525-67366-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1992
A book of pictures and rhymes about life in a girls' camp, highly original in style, but sadly undistinguished in substance, from veteran collaborators (Dreamplace, 1993, etc.). Each two-page spread is filled with three overlapping watercolor pictures, with a big picture framing a smaller picture, and the smaller picture framing the smallest picture, so that only the edges of the two larger pictures are visible. Each of the three pictures is labeled in big block letters with a two-word rhyme: ``high sky/back pack/snail trail.'' The overlapping images are related to one another in a number of different ways with interesting visual effects. Two drawbacks: Catalanotto's paintings, as always, are skillful, but without a trace of excitement and often at cross-purposes with the playfully abstract layout of the book. Second, Lyon's rhymes evoke camp life and hiking trips, but are otherwise lifeless. What drives the book is the design alone; it may not be enough to keep and hold readers. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-531-09504-5
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Orchard
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1996
Unlike most Cinderella variants, this retelling of a Zuni story ends unhappily, and hinges on the main character's unfaithfulness. When the ragged turkey herder hears that a Dance of the Sacred Bird is to be held in nearby Hawikuh, she weeps—until her avian friends magic her clothes into splendid garments, hawk up silver and jewelry that they've collected in their crops for years, and send her off, charging her to return before sunset or prove herself ``mean of spirit.'' Enthralled by the music and the men, she delays too long, and loses turkeys, fine clothing, and any hope of respect from her peers. Pollock (Garlanda, 1980, etc.) tells the tale in formal, flowing style, with long sentences and polite dialogue; Young's large, impressionistic scenes only hint of place, dress, or culture, but fully capture the story's changing moods with floating, indistinct figures and strongly colored light. A graceful, dreamy episode. (Picture book/folklore. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-316-71314-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
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