A charming look at a traditional and contemporary Thanksgiving celebration offers youngsters a chance to share their thanks for everything from play to family, kisses to piggyback rides. “Thank you for school—I love to feel smart!” Nothing seems to be missing—except perhaps a mention of grandma and grandpa, though they are at the table—in this thoughtful and lively recitation of all things for which one is thankful. Easy-to-read large black type will attract the very youngest of readers. Barrette’s watercolors are inspired—reflecting and embellishing—with children, not quite perfect, endearing animals, and fun-filled scenes full of details, from drawer handles to table decorations. Each double-paged spread seems worthy of being framed as a piece of whimsical art. A perfect offering for inspiring one’s own list of thankful thoughts. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-06-051096-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A welcome addition to autumnal storytelling—and to tales of traditional enemies overcoming their history.
Ferry and the Fans portray a popular seasonal character’s unlikely friendship.
Initially, the protagonist is shown in his solitary world: “Scarecrow stands alone and scares / the fox and deer, / the mice and crows. / It’s all he does. It’s all he knows.” His presence is effective; the animals stay outside the fenced-in fields, but the omniscient narrator laments the character’s lack of friends or places to go. Everything changes when a baby crow falls nearby. Breaking his pole so he can bend, the scarecrow picks it up, placing the creature in the bib of his overalls while singing a lullaby. Both abandon natural tendencies until the crow learns to fly—and thus departs. The aabb rhyme scheme flows reasonably well, propelling the narrative through fall, winter, and spring, when the mature crow returns with a mate to build a nest in the overalls bib that once was his home. The Fan brothers capture the emotional tenor of the seasons and the main character in their panoramic pencil, ballpoint, and digital compositions. Particularly poignant is the close-up of the scarecrow’s burlap face, his stitched mouth and leaf-rimmed head conveying such sadness after his companion goes. Some adults may wonder why the scarecrow seems to have only partial agency, but children will be tuned into the problem, gratified by the resolution.
A welcome addition to autumnal storytelling—and to tales of traditional enemies overcoming their history. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-247576-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This simplified version of the classic is a straightforward piece of work, sticking to the grand elements of the storyline: The miserly Scrooge gets his Christmas eve comeuppance from Marley and the three ghosts, sees the folly of his parsimonious ways, and becomes a changed man. Great hunks of the original have been left on the cutting room floor, naturally enough, but what is left feels too much like a pastiche: scenic views without the travel in between. Heyer's crisp acrylics are accomplished and often stunning, though there are odd moments when the artwork isn't in step with the text (why aren't Marley's glasses up on his ghostly forehead?) and other times when it simply fails to convey the story's spirit, such as the dance scene with the Ghost of Christmas Past. This retelling will be most successful if it spurs readers on to the original. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1995
ISBN: 1-57102-047-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1995
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