Allen heard this Finnish tale as a child; as acknowledged here, it also appears as ``The Forest Bride'' in Parker Fillmore's Mighty Mikko (1922). Though somewhat expanded in this attractive adaptation, the outline is the same: Jukka, obeying a wise woman's counsel to ``Follow the way the tree falls,'' finds a little house that contains not his expected ``own dear one'' but a little mouse. Still, the mouse undertakes to meet Jukka's father's requests, producing a loaf of bread and a length of cloth that are superior to those made by Jukka's two older brothers' new, similarly discovered fiancÇes. At last, the mouse is restored to her real form, a princess, and all ends happily. Allen, who has studied with Tasha Tudor, depicts the northern forest and the mouse's tidy household with its traditional furnishings in loving, realistic detail rendered in soft, smoothly applied color. A charming story with an appealingly self-reliant little heroine. (Folklore/Picture book. 4-10)
Pub Date: March 25, 1992
ISBN: 0-399-22136-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1992
At ``Step 2'' in the useful ``Step into Reading'' series: an admirably clear, well-balanced presentation that centers on wolves' habits and pack structure. Milton also addresses their endangered status, as well as their place in fantasy, folklore, and the popular imagination. Attractive realistic watercolors on almost every page. Top-notch: concise, but remarkably extensive in its coverage. A real bargain. (Nonfiction/Easy reader. 6-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-679-91052-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
Trickling, bubbling, swirling, rushing, a river flows down from its mountain beginnings, past peaceful country and bustling city on its way to the sea. Hooper (The Drop in My Drink, 1998, etc.) artfully evokes the water’s changing character as it transforms from “milky-cold / rattling-bold” to a wide, slow “sliding past mudflats / looping through marshes” to the end of its journey. Willey, best known for illustrating Geraldine McCaughrean’s spectacular folk-tale collections, contributes finely detailed scenes crafted in shimmering, intricate blues and greens, capturing mountain’s chill, the bucolic serenity of passing pastures, and a sense of mystery in the water’s shadowy depths. Though Hooper refers to “the cans and cartons / and bits of old wood” being swept along, there’s no direct conservation agenda here (for that, see Debby Atwell’s River, 1999), just appreciation for the river’s beauty and being. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: June 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7636-0792-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2000
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