The author of Dorp Dead (1965) and other distinctive short novels in the ’60s and ’70s flies into radar range again with nine poems, all but the last sharing an “animals at the manger” theme. Their language is formal, their tone reverent and joyful: “Crows On A Certain Evening” break into “a choir of caws,” while a lowly rat, “a fill of skin so small among their legs,” is spurned by the other livestock but transformed at a touch from the newborn baby. A puzzled sheep goes along with the flock, hoping for answers; wild animals, Wise Men, and even the wind join in praise. In the matching art, Lobel (The Black Bull of Norroway, p. 410, etc.) is at her most radiant and spiritual, depicting gently smiling creatures, people, and an occasional angel clustering around the manger or frolicking in flower-strewn landscapes. In her final scene, paired to a mystical rhyme (“Be my flower, / Be my star. / Lend me a breath / Of what you are . . . ”), a comet and a great rose hover over a child dancing among flowers. Lyrical, deeply felt work from author and artist both. (Picture book/poetry. 8-10)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-688-17799-9
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
A young bear cub, Bertie, decides he wants to stay up for Christmas when his non-hibernating friends regale him with tales of snow, honey cakes, and a white-bearded man with gifts. After devising a plan in which he attempts to sleep as much as possible prior to the change of seasons (much to his unsuspecting mother’s bafflement) and with the aid of Mrs. Bear’s alarm clock, Bertie finds himself awakened in the midst of winter. After a sudden snow squall causes him to lose his way in the forest, Bertie is rescued and returned home by a kindly old man in a sled. Bertie reluctantly acknowledges that all bears must hibernate in winter, and Santa promises that he will stop by the bear household next year. Landa and Scharff-Kniemeyer depict a child’s sense of discovery through Bertie, who dances among the snowflakes and slowly realizes that he is riding with Santa himself. The colorful illustrations feature a winsome blend of tenderness, humor, and keen appreciation for a child’s boundless curiosity. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999
ISBN: 1-888444-60-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1999
paper 0-440-41499-7 When Mike learns that he will be spending Easter at his grandmother’s house on Staten Island, he worries that the Easter Bunny will be unable to locate him and deliver goodies. A well-planned story line weaves together several humorous episodes: an attempt to find E.B. Rabbit’s telephone number in the local directory, the creation of a detailed geographic map and colorful signs, plus a heartfelt letter that includes vital information like the color of his grandmother’s front door. Weston’s full-color illustrations capture Mike’s fears, doubts, determination, and final joy; Winters’s book comforts children and reminds them of the power of belief. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Feb. 9, 1999
ISBN: 0-385-32596-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1999
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