Vibrant illustrations and a rare perspective bring life to this questing tale.
In this debut children’s picture book from siblings Keith (Madchild Running, 1999) and Chenoa Egawa, a young Native American girl sets out on a journey to discover the heart of the world.
Young Tani learns her tribe’s traditional stories while living with her grandmother in a Pacific Northwest Native American village. Her grandmother dies shortly after logging trucks arrive in their community, and Tani goes to live with other relatives. But she soon leaves to complete a mission her grandmother assigned to her: to walk to the coast and discover the heart of the world. Several talking animals help her along the way, and she’s guided by the mystical presence of the Stick Indian, a forest creature who often appeared in her grandmother’s stories. The authors enhance the narrative with eye-catching illustrations, some in black charcoal and some in full color, that give readers a clear idea of each character. Tani wears jeans and her cousin, Droopy Drawers, wears a disposable diaper, establishing the book’s present-day setting, but the text has a largely timeless feel, much like the grandmother’s legends. The book contains more text than the average picture book, but it’s likely to appeal to picture-book readers ready for a more challenging read. The biographical information identifies the authors as Native American, specifically of Lummi and S’Klallam ancestry; although Tani’s tribe is never specified, it’s clearly part of the same Pacific Northwest culture as the authors’, which adds authenticity and credibility to their portrayal. Although the lesson Tani learns about the heart of the world is a well-used theme in children’s literature, the authors’ unique voice makes the book a worthwhile addition to any child’s bookshelf.
Vibrant illustrations and a rare perspective bring life to this questing tale.Pub Date: May 27, 2013
ISBN: 978-0615769110
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Keith T.A. Egawa
Review Posted Online: July 11, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, offbeat Halloween tale that enchants in spite of some stylistic shortcomings.
Debut author Morning casts a cheery spell with this endearingly inventive children’s fantasy.
Preslean is thrilled to be one of the pumpkin fairies, a group of Halloween fairies led by her grandmother, Mother Pumpkin. Under Mother Pumpkin’s orders, the fairies plan to grant children’s Halloween wishes and exchange their candy for wholesome baskets of fruit. As Halloween approaches, though, Preslean’s mind is on more than healthy eating and smiling children—she yearns to outshine the other fairies and win Mother Pumpkin’s favor once and for all. But when a storm strikes on Halloween night, Preslean finds her assigned neighborhood filled with crying children and unlit jack-o’-lanterns. She thinks she knows how to make the evening brighter, but it just might mean breaking the rules in the pumpkin fairy handbook. Could it be worth it to give the crying children candy even if it might jeopardize her standing with Mother Pumpkin? Perfect for children who’ve found the rules at odd with their morality, this warmhearted fairy tale is a Halloween treat. Adults will welcome the surprisingly nuanced conclusion, and children will embrace the alluringly magical world in which Preslean’s predicament unfolds. The tooth fairy–meets-Halloween premise may be charming, but its execution can feel hasty. The prose is fairly short on dialogue and description, which tends to make the scenes feel narrated and explained rather than fully brought to life. The problem is complicated by the relative shortage of illustrations, yet the unusual plot and unexpected ending still manage to stand out amid the slew of ghosts and goblins that populate the bookshelves each October. Compassionate, competitive Preslean is a lovable heroine, but it’s the moral—following the rules and doing the right thing are not always synonymous—that makes this picture book worth reading.
A sweet, offbeat Halloween tale that enchants in spite of some stylistic shortcomings.Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-1481805537
Page Count: 28
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An imaginative backyard jaunt.
A debut picture book about a boy with a big imagination.
Graves wrote this book, an homage to playing in the backyard, for the children he works with at the Ithaca, NY–based Franziska Racker Centers for people with special needs. Each page features a verse about young Beaner (Brandon’s nickname at the Centers) and the wonders that he discovers in his own backyard. A few of the delights include: “I climb up to where / the view is the best. / When I get near the top, / I find a bird’s nest”; “When the weather gets hot, / I’ve got it made. / I kick back, relax / and nap in the shade”; and “As the weather gets cold / and the wind begins to blow, / I like hanging out in my fort / made of snow.” Each line gets its own page, with bright, full-page illustrations depicting the cartoonish Beaner in lush outdoor scenes. The images of Beaner tend to be exaggerated, highlighting his huge eyes and pointy hair, but the landscapes are lovely, featuring bright, deep colors that shine from the pages. The illustrations also capture natural details, such as branches and leaves, quite well. At the story’s end, Beaner wakes up, and readers see an urban skyline outside his window, revealing that he’s actually a city kid dreaming of a backyard—a theme that will certainly resonate with other city kids. The book’s afterword explains that Graves published the book shortly after being diagnosed with brain cancer. Now a cancer survivor, the author writes that he hopes to publish other inspiring children’s stories like this one. This pleasant book is also short and easy to read, making it a good choice for early readers.
An imaginative backyard jaunt.Pub Date: May 4, 2012
ISBN: 978-1468595499
Page Count: 24
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Review Posted Online: Nov. 5, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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