An intriguing visit to a rocky island off the Maine coast; a tourist mecca in the summer, almost completely isolated the rest of the year. As Dean's eye-filling full-color photos amply demonstrate, the islanders have successfully preserved Monhegan's rustic charm and rugged natural beauty—even the natives (permanent residents generally number less than a hundred) are photogenic. Their sense of community is founded on ritual: each Christmas the handful of school children choose, cut, and decorate a school tree; everyone participates in Trap Day, the opening of the winter lobstering season; all gather atop Burnt Head cliff to watch Easter sunrise, then adjourn to the Boehmer's for Raquel's doughnuts and other baked goods. The author's choice of detail is consistently perceptive, bringing out both the common and uncommon aspects of island life (particularly notable is a picture of Peter Boehmer, working at his battery-operated computer by the light of a kerosene lamp), and her account is not sugary or idealized; though the residents live off tourism and seem to be fairly well-off, they are still subject to the physical hazards of isolation (no doctor, for instance) and differences of opinion over local issues. Dean's first book is a fine study of a tiny community that manages to remain stable despite unusual pressures. (Nonfiction. 9- 11)
Pub Date: April 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-395-66476-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1995
Though usually cast as the trickster, Coyote is more victim than victimizer, making this a nice complement to other Coyote...
Two republished tales by a Greco-Cherokee author feature both folkloric and modern elements as well as new illustrations.
One of the two has never been offered south of the (Canadian) border. In “Coyote Sings to the Moon,” the doo-wop hymn sung nightly by Old Woman and all the animals except tone-deaf Coyote isn’t enough to keep Moon from hiding out at the bottom of the lake—until she is finally driven forth by Coyote’s awful wailing. She has been trying to return to the lake ever since, but that piercing howl keeps her in the sky. In “Coyote’s New Suit” he is schooled in trickery by Raven, who convinces him to steal the pelts of all the other animals while they’re bathing, sends the bare animals to take clothes from the humans’ clothesline, and then sets the stage for a ruckus by suggesting that Coyote could make space in his overcrowded closet by having a yard sale. No violence ensues, but from then to now humans and animals have not spoken to one another. In Eggenschwiler’s monochrome scenes Coyote and the rest stand on hind legs and (when stripped bare) sport human limbs. Old Woman might be Native American; the only other completely human figure is a pale-skinned girl.
Though usually cast as the trickster, Coyote is more victim than victimizer, making this a nice complement to other Coyote tales. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-55498-833-4
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
The book is a cute, but rather standard offering from Avi (Tom, Babette, and Simon, p. 776, etc.).
An adolescent mouse named Poppy is off on a romantic tryst with her rebel boyfriend when they are attacked by Mr. Ocax, the owl who rules over the area.
He kills the boyfriend, but Poppy escapes and Mr. Ocax vows to catch her. Mr. Ocax has convinced all the mice that he is their protector when, in fact, he preys on them mercilessly. When the mice ask his permission to move to a new house, he refuses, blaming Poppy for his decision. Poppy suspects that there is another reason Mr. Ocax doesn't want them to move and investigates to clear her name. With the help of a prickly old porcupine and her quick wits, Poppy defeats her nemesis and her own fears, saving her family in the bargain.
The book is a cute, but rather standard offering from Avi (Tom, Babette, and Simon, p. 776, etc.). (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-531-09483-9
Page Count: 147
Publisher: Orchard
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1995
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