In search of legendary “iggly plops,” Jumbeelia climbs down the “bimplestonk” and finds a lawn mower, a sheep and three children whom she pops into her collector’s bag and takes back to Groil, her giant’s world in the clouds. As the kidnapped “iggly plops,” Collette, Steven and baby Poppy, come to understand their predicament, from Jumbeelia’s harmless first welcoming kiss and delicious French fry, and the eventual signs of growing neglect, their old careless relationship changes and becomes caring. Collette’s deepening introspection and fear grows, as she recognizes in Jumbeelia and herself the symptom of a casual collector: boredom. The plot quickens when Zab, Jumbeelia’s brother, takes control. No longer animated dollhouse toys, in Zab’s grip, they are helpless play-action figures to be tortured, forcing the children to drastic action. An invented Giant language that may entice young readers to the back to decipher the English-sounding picturesque language—or may drive them away—makes coincidence and quick resolutions a little less irritating. This reverse Jack in the Beanstalk feels like—and will be—a children’s movie. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-8050-7805-3
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2005
Eduar (Jooka Saves the Day, 1997, etc.) composes here a classic dreamtime walkabout, a wonder quest, that starts when Anatole the bactrian camel begins to read from his “ancient book” and the boy Jules drifts off to sleep between the camel’s humps. Anatole is on the move, swimming the Southern Sea, surfing through crashing breakers, getting lost in the jungle outside Quito, scaling peaks, outrunning lightning. All the while, Jules snoozes peacefully away. Eduar catches the action in rhyme, one sentence to a page, with Anatole’s dashing feats on the left, and Jules’s torpor noted on the right: “Anatole rides bravely along a wire from the trees./Jules is kissed by an orchid-scented breeze.” The artwork is up to the energy and the exoticism of the tale, with great cymbal-crashes of vivid color conjuring a thunderstorm, a foaming sea, a busy street. Despite such charged images, the book works as a lullaby: Jules may bounce around the world, but still he slumbers on. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-531-30202-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orchard
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
When Grizzorka the witch “catnaps” Grandmother Katt’s cat, Tabithia, Grandmother decides to get her cat back, with the help of some creepy, but intrepid pals—Bat, Frog, and Spider, who have their own reasons for retaliation. The witch tries to defeat her enemies by throwing them down a deep hole, locking Tabithia in a cage, and tossing the key to the bottom of the lake. The spider’s spinning skills, the frog’s swimming abilities, and the bat’s radar all play crucial roles in helping Grandmother Katt through her ordeals. Grizzorka retreats in despair and the four friends rejoice with a Halloween bash. This fun tale mentions scary things but won’t frighten children, in part because its cheery, bold colors liven up the deep holes, dark caves, and other spooky scenes. (Picture book. 3-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1999
ISBN: 0-8234-1395-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
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