by Karen Wallis & Diane Domiteaux & illustrated by Lea Saling ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 15, 2004
This tale might be valuable as an instructional tool in the classroom but will do little for the listener who might be reading or hearing it read aloud in any other context. Honoring a historic culture from the lands that are now part of Nevada and California, this story of a Washoe girl and her family lacks tension and plot. Seeming to be more of a text for use as a vocabulary builder—highlighted words are given their Washoe translation in a box on the page—the accounting of ceremonies and daily activities of the Washoe lack the excitement that learning about a new culture might bring. The illustrations and book design contribute little to the experience, often the text is laid over deep color, making it hard to read—white space and a more readable font would have helped the reader focus on the reading. Valuable only for a very select audience. (glossary, pronunciation key, bibliography) (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: July 15, 2004
ISBN: 0-9749610-3-5
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Beagle Bay Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2004
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by Jeanne M. Lee ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 8, 1999
A book of the basic teachings of Buddha, presented through a collection of six classic, simple tales. When a monkey takes refuge from a monsoon in a cave, he happens upon a group of bickering animals—a monkey, lion, turtle, jackal, and dove. Before the fighting becomes too fierce, a small statue of Buddha begins to glow in the darkest corner. To pass the time—and to stop the fighting—wise Buddha spins enlightening stories of tolerance, endurance, sagacity, truthfulness, kindness, and clarity. Buddha recounts his past lives in many forms—from monkey to pigeon to willow tree—to his captive listeners. Such straightforward yet profound tales combine with the art and design for an example of bookmaking that is aesthetically pleasing in every way. Color-washed linoprints cleverly distinguish the stories from the black-and-white narrative frame, while an informative afterword offers brief background detail about Buddha and these six “birth stories” known as Jatakas. (Picture book/folklore. 4-7)
Pub Date: April 8, 1999
ISBN: 0-374-33548-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999
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by Elaine Clayton ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1999
Working with a potent mix of history and speculation, Clayton takes on the mystery and intrigue that continues to surround the disappearance of Prince Edward and Prince Richard from the Tower of London in 1483. After the death of their father, King Edward IV, the two princes were taken to the Tower of London by their uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, supposedly for their own safety until Prince Edward’s coronation. According to this epistolary picture book, Jane, the guard’s daughter, enters into a lively correspondence with the young princes, who have seen her from their tower window. When she learns that they are in danger, she leads them to a rowboat docked nearby and they are able to escape. The hurriedly written exchanges and the shadowy settings of the illustrations offer suspense; an afterword explains that the princes’ actual fate is unknown. The landmarks of 15th-century London, maps, a timeline, and a family tree that illustrates the progression of the royal line help bring the story to life; the only weakness is in Clayton’s renderings of human figures, which are poorly drawn and inconsistent. The story is so delightful, and the premise so ripe that most readers will be willing to overlook the flaws of the art. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-517-70984-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1999
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by Jane Smiley ; illustrated by Elaine Clayton
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