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THE WORRY STONE

Name: THE WORRY STONE
Author: Marianna Dengler
ISBN: 0-87358-642-5

by Marianna Dengler & illustrated by Sibyl Graber Gerig ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 10, 1996

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Three stories nest together but never mesh in this sentimental picture-book debut. An old woman—in a floppy hat with a red feather—sits in the park daily, and a small boy, ignored by his peers, sits with her in silence. She recalls the loneliness of her own childhood, assuaged by her grandfather, a storyteller. When she brought him an unusual stone she had found, Grandfather told her the Chumash legend of the worry stone: If it is rubbed gently, ``the worry goes away.'' The old woman gives her stone to the boy, with a story and a promise of more stories to come. Dengler notes she invented the Chumash legend at the center of the story; it's one in a series of contrivances that the gentle tone fails to disguise. Finely rendered watercolors have a pretty iridescence but don't draw readers into the many- layered, emotionally unsatisfying tale. (Picture book. 7-9)

Pub Date: Nov. 10, 1996

ISBN: 0-87358-642-5

Page Count: 42

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1996

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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NIGHT OF THE FULL MOON

by Gloria Whelan & illustrated by Cat Bowman Smith ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1993

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In 1840, Libby and her parents live in Michigan, near a Potawatomi settlement. A young Indian girl (Libby's father calls her ``Fawn'' because she resembles a deer) befriends Libby, who sneaks away to visit Fawn's village while her own mother is giving birth. When the Indians are seized by white militia intent on moving them west, Libby is captured with them. Fawn's father leads his family and Libby in an escape that's notably without drama, returning Libby to her parents; Fawn's family heads north. Whelan's narrative is simple and readable, including a few basic insights into Indian and pioneer life (e.g., the Native Americans occasionally eat dogs). But her plot is languid, while the girls aren't drawn vividly enough to give their friendship much intensity. Gentle b&w illustrations. (Fiction. 7-9)

Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1993

ISBN: 0-679-84464-3

Page Count: 64

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1993

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
SUMMER OF THE TREE ARMY
by Gloria Whelan ; illustrated by Kirbi Fagan

- BOOK REVIEW
QUEEN VICTORIA'S BATHING MACHINE
by Gloria Whelan ; illustrated by Nancy Carpenter

- BOOK REVIEW
ALL MY NOBLE DREAMS AND THEN WHAT HAPPENS
by Gloria Whelan

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EGGS OVER EASY

by Katharine Kenah & illustrated by Maxie Chambliss ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1993

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Sam and Rowen have befriended a nesting duck in the park. When Sam finds the nest abandoned, with a dog's tracks around it, he fears the worst. Carefully, he and Rowen carry the eight eggs to their apartment and put them on the basement boiler, where they hope they'll stay warm enough to hatch. The difficulty of turning the eggs several times a day without arousing the suspicions of cranky superintendent Mr. Hedges induces the boys to enlist every child in the building to help divert his attention. The kids also figure out ways to use enough hot water to keep the boiler—and the eggs—warm. Of course, when the ducklings hatch it turns out that Mr. Hedges has known about them all along. Eventually, the hatchlings are adopted by a mother duck in the park. Sam now recognizes the analogy between his own ability to love them from a distance and his father's constant love for him, even though he has divorced Sam's mother and moved away. Newly proficient readers will enjoy the light, pleasant story, its happy outcome, and Chambliss's nicely expressive b&w illustrations. (Fiction. 7-9)