In Davies’ debut fantasy novel, the last of the sea dragons is about to end human life on Earth—but not if an orphan, her chums and a smattering of mythological creatures can help it.
A giant beast is causing some serious bad weather—an endlessly deepening winter—that threatens orphaned Maia, her twin Polly and their friends, the triplets, with certain death. Maia’s supernatural acquaintances—the swamp ogres, the forest ogres, the snow folk and the giant nightbirds—aren’t immune either. Davies has framed their quest to meet and do battle with the beast deftly, with gathering portent. The gradual introduction of evermore winsome and vile creatures and a steady series of tests—from demonic possession to gregarious ogres who must avoid sunlight or turn to stone—leads the protagonists forward in a web of solidarity, separations and unplanned reunions. The story can’t help but make readers ponder environmental issues—in this case global freezing, though the point is taken. Davies writes with a subdued but evocative power about the forces of nature: the bite of cold, how a driving snow can steal a sense of direction, the dazzle of a snow devil as it spirals into the air. Maia is earmarked as the faerie daughter who will save the day with plenty of help from her friends and no sense of the superhero about her; instead, “a tingle threaded its way through Maia’s dread.” It is thoroughly admirable the way all of the characters stand up to evil, which comes in a variety of shapes and styles from the Thunder Beast to ghosts that play havoc with human emotions to eels full of mischief and a taste for human babies. Davies creates a fantastic and timely tale that will delight young readers and their parents. A pleasing alchemy of wonderstruck magic and dark revenge.
Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2012
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Another Seuss-chimera joins the ranks of the unforgettable Herlar and with the advent of the Grinch— a sort of Yule Ghoul who lives in a cave just north of who-ville. While all the Who's made ready on Christmas Eve the Grinch donned a Santa-Claus disguise. In gurgling verse at a galloping gait, we learn how the Grinch stole the "presents, the ribbons, the wrappings, the tags, the tinsel and trappings," from all the Who's. But the Grinch's heart (two sizes too small) melted just in time when he realized that the Who's enjoyed Christmas without any externals. Youngsters will be in transports over the goofy gaiety of Dr. Seuss's first book about a villain — easily the best Christmas-cad since Scrooge. Inimitable Seuss illustrations of the Grinch's dog Max disguised as a reindeer are in black and white with touches of red. Irrepressible and irresistible.
Pub Date: Oct. 12, 1957
ISBN: 0394800796
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Oct. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1957
BOOK REVIEW
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BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.
Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.
This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-544-93809-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
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