bookshelf

KEEPER FOR THE SEA

Name: KEEPER FOR THE SEA
Author: Kimberley Smith Brady
ISBN: 0-689-80472-5

by Kimberley Smith Brady & illustrated by Peter M. Fiore ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1996

bookshelf

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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

bookshelf

RAPUNZEL

adapted by Rachel Isadora & illustrated by Rachel Isadora ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2008

bookshelf

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your dreads! Isadora once again plies her hand using colorful, textured collages to depict her fourth fairy tale relocated to Africa. The narrative follows the basic story line: Taken by an evil sorceress at birth, Rapunzel is imprisoned in a tower; Rapunzel and the prince “get married” in the tower and she gets pregnant. The sorceress cuts off Rapunzel’s hair and tricks the prince, who throws himself from the tower and is blinded by thorns. The terse ending states: “The prince led Rapunzel and their twins to his kingdom, where they were received with great joy and lived happily every after.” Facial features, clothing, dreadlocks, vultures and the prince riding a zebra convey a generic African setting, but at times, the mixture of patterns and textures obfuscates the scenes. The textile and grain characteristic of the hewn art lacks the elegant romance of Zelinksy’s Caldecott version. Not a first purchase, but useful in comparing renditions to incorporate a multicultural aspect. (Picture book/fairy tale. 6-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2008

ISBN: 978-0-399-24772-9

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2008

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
DO I HAVE TO WEAR A COAT?
by Rachel Isadora ; illustrated by Rachel Isadora

- BOOK REVIEW
MY DOG LAUGHS
by Rachel Isadora ; illustrated by Rachel Isadora

- BOOK REVIEW
I JUST WANT TO SAY GOOD NIGHT
by Rachel Isadora ; illustrated by Rachel Isadora

bookshelf

STINK AND THE MIDNIGHT ZOMBIE WALK

From the Stink series

by Megan McDonald & illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 13, 2012

This story covers the few days preceding the much-anticipated Midnight Zombie Walk, when Stink and company will take to the...

bookshelf

An all-zombie-all-the-time zombiefest, featuring a bunch of grade-school kids, including protagonist Stink and his happy comrades.

This story covers the few days preceding the much-anticipated Midnight Zombie Walk, when Stink and company will take to the streets in the time-honored stiff-armed, stiff-legged fashion. McDonald signals her intent on page one: “Stink and Webster were playing Attack of the Knitting Needle Zombies when Fred Zombie’s eye fell off and rolled across the floor.” The farce is as broad as the Atlantic, with enough spookiness just below the surface to provide the all-important shivers. Accompanied by Reynolds’ drawings—dozens of scene-setting gems with good, creepy living dead—McDonald shapes chapters around zombie motifs: making zombie costumes, eating zombie fare at school, reading zombie books each other to reach the one-million-minutes-of-reading challenge. When the zombie walk happens, it delivers solid zombie awfulness. McDonald’s feel-good tone is deeply encouraging for readers to get up and do this for themselves because it looks like so much darned fun, while the sub-message—that reading grows “strong hearts and minds,” as well as teeth and bones—is enough of a vital interest to the story line to be taken at face value.