Eugenia’s need for routine and her intolerance of change and uncertainty will resonate with readers who experience life...
Mercy Watson’s neighbors, the Lincoln Sisters of 52 Deckawoo Drive, return in their second adventure, and now it’s elder sister Eugenia’s turn in the spotlight.
Eugenia Lincoln is a sensible, no-nonsense, practical person. She does not have time for “poetry, geegaws, whoop-de-whoops, or frivolity,” and she definitely does not have time for oversize, unexpected packages. However, someone has sent Eugenia just that. It’s an accordion, and it has to go—she can’t think of anything more “frivolous, more geegaw-esque, more whoop-de-whoop-ish than an accordion.” The Blizzintrap Schmocker Company won’t take it back, so she makes a list of the choices before her: sell it, destroy it, or give it away. Can Eugenia be convinced to keep it—and that maybe there is music in her heart? Artwork shows what the text doesn’t: elderly Eugenia’s younger sister, “Baby,” is also an old white woman, and neighborhood kids Frank and Stella are black. The text is peppered with tough vocabulary for the more advanced independent readers in the intended age group, but the story also works well as a bedtime read-aloud for those not ready to tackle words and phrases such as “malevolent,” “obtuse,” or “diametrically opposed” on their own.
Eugenia’s need for routine and her intolerance of change and uncertainty will resonate with readers who experience life similarly. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7881-4
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
Still, real cool.
Drawing from letters, memoirs, photos, film and recordings, Celenza presents a spry account of the 1960 composition and recording of a decidedly swinging Nutcracker Suite.
Laced with invented dialogue and crisply delineating the close collaboration between Ellington and his brilliant, classically trained friend, Billy Strayhorn, the narrative traces the piece from radical idea to work in progress to exuberant recording session. Such a bold departure—classical ballet into jazz suite—required convincing: Both the recording exec and the band were initially dubious. Text and art sync around the premise that the musical traditions and global influences of the cities in which Duke and “Strays” worked—L.A., New York, New Orleans, Vegas—infused the evolving composition with distinct rhythms and cultural metaphors. The brilliant music cues Tate’s full-bleed mixed-media pictures. Bold ink strokes outline and define figures—Duke’s quizzical forehead and Strays’ distinctive cheekbones are expressive squiggles—and create movement across paint-spattered spreads studded with stars, snowflakes and musical notes. The palette marries rich violet-blues with hot, harmonious yellows, sepia and crimson. The delightful accompanying full-length CD is a must-listen, since text and art mesh with it in genuine symbiosis, song by song. Indeed, the absence of a track list—ideally, integrated within the relevant page spreads—is a missed opportunity for deepening context.
Still, real cool. (author’s note) (Picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-57091-700-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Sept. 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
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BOOK REVIEW
Growing up with two older brothers is never boring. The youngest of three looks back over his childhood, beginning with Mom bringing him home from the hospital (a story that he doesn't remember but has often been told). His brothers are so anxious to hold him that he's accidentally dropped...and smiles. This sets the tone for his whole life. Whether it's entertaining him with a pirate play when he's sick in bed with the measles, burying a dead pet together or camping out in the backyard, his big brothers are there for him. And now that he's older, the three don't live in the same house but still manage to get together occasionally—and to dream. It's a lovely story of brotherhood, told with heart and simplicity and plenty of specific details to give them weight. Melanson's digital illustrations are stylishly childlike, although they are sometimes too young and/or too literal for the substantial text. This flaw is a small one, however, given the unusual and touching nature of the whole. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-88899-977-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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