by Martha Hamilton & Mitch Weiss & illustrated by Kevin Pope ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2006
The latest collection from the duo better known as Beauty and the Beast Storytellers offers recast versions of one-to-three-minute ghost, jump and shaggy-dog tales, interspersed with performance notes addressed to fledgling performers. A mixture of chestnuts like “The Hairy Toe,” original stories and borrowings from Joseph Bruchac (“The Brave Woman and the Flying Head”) and others, all feature tellable language (“There was one extraordinary thing about this family—they lived right next door to the . . . graveyard. And every day John walked to and from work through the . . . graveyard”); are illustrated with cartoon fright scenes; by and large stay away from explicit gore and violence; and are just right for inducing “goosebumps, gasps and giggles” in susceptible audiences of any age. (source notes) (Folktales. 8-10, adult)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-87483-796-0
Page Count: 64
Publisher: August House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2006
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by Tedd Arnold , Martha Hamilton & Mitch Weiss ; illustrated by Tedd Arnold
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by Tedd Arnold & Martha Hamilton & Mitch Weiss ; illustrated by Tedd Arnold
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adapted by Eric A. Kimmel & illustrated by Pep Montserrat ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 5, 2008
In these 12 retellings, the Immortals come across as unusually benign. Dionysius at first suggests to King Midas that he give his excess wealth to the poor, for instance; the troubles that Pandora releases are originally imprisoned in the box by Prometheus’s brother Epimetheus out of compassion for humankind; and it’s Persephone herself who begs for a compromise that will allow her to stay with her beloved Hades for six months out of every year. Kimmel relates each tale in easy, natural-sounding language. And even though his Andromeda looks more Celtic than Ethiopian (as the oldest versions of the story have it), Montserrat’s figures combine appropriate monumentality with an appealing expressiveness. The stories are all familiar and available in more comprehensive collections, but the colorful illustrations and spacious page design make this a good choice for shared reading. (foreword) (Nonfiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-4169-1534-8
Page Count: 112
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2007
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More by Eric A. Kimmel
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by Eric A. Kimmel ; illustrated by Feronia Parker-Thomas
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by Eric A. Kimmel ; illustrated by Dov Smiley
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by Eric A. Kimmel ; illustrated by Alida Massari
by Vicki Cobb & illustrated by Barbara Lavallee ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 5, 1991
Nearly a third of this addition to the ``Imagine Living Here'' series describes life in the Australian outback, where ``a mid-sized station with eight thousand sheep is two hundred square miles.'' Cobb states that ``If you lived on the outback of Australia, the only people you would see every day would be your own family''; indeed, the illustration shows a man shearing by hand with just his wife and two children assisting. Is it possible for two adults to shear 8000 sheep without assistance? Balance is a problem throughout; e.g., only one page discusses aboriginal people, while Captain Cook rates three. And, though decorative, the landscapes are so stylized as to be useless for identification, while not only sheep but the platypus, emu, and spiny anteater are all sky blue. Visually striking, but this adds little to the understanding of flora, fauna, or people. (Nonfiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: June 5, 1991
ISBN: 0-8027-6959-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Walker
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1991
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More by Vicki Cobb
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by Vicki Cobb & illustrated by Barbara Lavallee
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by Vicki Cobb & illustrated by Julia Gorton
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