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BLACK-AND-WHITE BLANCHE

Name: BLACK-AND-WHITE BLANCHE
Author: Marj Toews
ISBN: 1-55005-132-6

by Marj Toews & illustrated by Dianna Bonder ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2006

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Young U.S. readers will get the general drift of this import, though more subtle aspects of the Victorian setting and class-conscious subtexts will probably elude them. Because the Queen wears only black and white, Mr. Weatherspoon has decreed that everyone in his household shall do the same. Chafing at this limitation and mad for something pink, little Blanche brings home roses and a colorful dress. After those are instantly discarded, she runs away to help a friendly flower seller. Tending toward several small, crowded scenes per page, the illustrations show the Weatherspoons and their several servants outfitted in stiff, elaborately tucked and ruffled period dress. Everyone’s slightly exaggerated hairdo and expressions lend the episode a faintly farcical air. In the end, Blanche is found and, thanks to the relieved Mr. Weatherspoon, not only is the flower seller happily ensconced in a new shop, but all of the Weatherspoons are soon sporting dainty, nearly invisible dashes of sartorial color. Next to the likes of Emily Jenkins’s Daffodil, illustrated by Tomek Bogacki (2004), this comes off as precious, but there’s a readership for that, too. (Picture book. 6-8)

Pub Date: July 1, 2006

ISBN: 1-55005-132-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Fitzhenry & Whiteside

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2006

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION

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HOW I BECAME A PIRATE

by Melinda Long & illustrated by David Shannon ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2003

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Thanks to parrot-toting Braidbeard and his gloriously disreputable crew, a lad discovers the ups and downs of a pirate’s life in this rousing mini-epic. His mom and dad busy on another part of the beach, young Jeremy happily joins a band of hook-handed, eye-patched, snaggle-toothed pirates aboard their ship, learning pirate table manners (none), enjoying a game of nautical soccer until a shark eats the ball, then happily retiring without having to brush teeth, or even don pajamas. But then Jeremy learns that pirates don’t get tucked in, or get bedtime stories, and as for good night kisses—Avast! Worse yet, no one offers comfort when a storm hits. So, giving over the pirate’s life, Jeremy shows the crew where to bury its treasure (his backyard), and bids them goodbye. Shannon outfits Braidbeard’s leering, pop-eyed lot in ragged but colorful pirate dress, and gives his young ruffian-in-training a belt and bandanna to match. This isn’t likely to turn pirate wannabees into landlubbers, but it will inspire a chorus of yo-ho-hos. (Picture book. 6-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2003

ISBN: 0-15-201848-4

Page Count: 44

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2003

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE CASE OF THE SLIDING SPACESHIP
by Melinda Long ; illustrated by Monica Wyrick

- BOOK REVIEW
HOW I BECAME A PIRATE
by Melinda Long & illustrated by David Shannon & developed by Oceanhouse Media

- BOOK REVIEW
PIRATES DON’T CHANGE DIAPERS
by Melinda Long & illustrated by David Shannon

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ZATHURA

by Chris Van Allsburg & illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 2002

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A trite, knock-off sequel to Jumanji (1981). The “Jumanji” box distracts Walter Budwing away from beating up on his little brother Danny, but it’s Danny who discovers the Zathura board inside—and in no time, Earth is far behind, a meteor has smashed through the roof, and a reptilian Zyborg pirate is crawling through the hole. Each throw of the dice brings an ominous new development, portrayed in grainy, penciled freeze frames featuring sculptured-looking figures in constricted, almost claustrophobic settings. The angles of view are, as always, wonderfully dramatic, but not only is much of the finer detail that contributed to Jumanji’s astonishing realism missing, the spectacular damage being done to the Budwings’ house as the game progresses is, by and large, only glimpsed around the picture edges. Naturally, having had his bacon repeatedly saved by his younger sibling’s quick thinking, once Walter falls through a black hole to a time preceding the game’s start, his attitude toward Danny undergoes a sudden, radical transformation. Van Allsburg’s imagination usually soars right along with his accomplished art—but here, both are just running in place. (Picture book. 6-8)