Brady's first children's book is a low-key story of a fishing adventure shared by a girl and her grandfather that effectively conveys the moods of their outing, from the excitement of the catch to their awe for the natural world. The pair slip out before daybreak, and the girl, who is perhaps seven, is a little fearful as they venture out into the dark. They await the arrival of a flock of terns that follow the ``fighting blues,'' fierce, sharp-toothed fish. Grandfather explains how the terns feed on herring that the blues stir up in the water, and he casts his line to hook a magnificent fish. After the catch at dawn, they decide it's a ``keeper for the sea'' and return it to the water. The child narrates in the first-person, but, disconcertingly, some of her words are phrased in the poetic constructions of an adult. ``Soon the sleepy night begins to stir, as softly swishing waves quicken to slams and the mumbled breeze shifts to a howl.'' Lush oil paintings with deep tones of blue and green glorify the magical and mysterious world of the night. An intimate scene as the two prepare the fishing rod is painted against a vast starry sky, while one particularly masterful spread—of the upturned faces of the fisher folk as they watch the sky—builds anticipation. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-689-80472-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1996
Sloat collaborates with Huffman, a Yu’pik storyteller, to infuse a traditional “origins” tale with the joy of creating. Hearing the old women of her village grumble that they have only tasteless crowberries for the fall feast’s akutaq—described as “Eskimo ice cream,” though the recipe at the end includes mixing in shredded fish and lard—young Anana carefully fashions three dolls, then sings and dances them to life. Away they bound, to cover the hills with cranberries, blueberries, and salmonberries. Sloat dresses her smiling figures in mixes of furs and brightly patterned garb, and sends them tumbling exuberantly through grassy tundra scenes as wildlife large and small gathers to look on. Despite obtrusively inserted pronunciations for Yu’pik words in the text, young readers will be captivated by the action, and by Anana’s infectious delight. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-88240-575-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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