Magid, who is eight, wants to join the other members of his family in honoring Allah by fasting for the month of Ramadan. His parents insist he's too young. So Magid goes behind their backs, feeding his lunch to the geese and pouring his lemonade in the river. It works for a few days, until Aisha, his older sister, catches him, and tells his parents. Although he has been dishonest, his parents and grandfather recognize his desire to participate and allow Magid to fast for half of each day. Set in contemporary Egypt and constructed, apparently, with the purpose of explaining Ramadan to non-Muslims, the book succeeds; a glossary extends the lesson. As a story, however, it is rather stiff, with explanations outweighing plot and character; the watercolors have the blandness of textbook fare. There's a shortage of books that explain Islam to children; this one has but limited usefulness. (Picture book. 6-10)
Pub Date: April 22, 1996
ISBN: 0-395-66589-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1996
Craft's first book is a retelling of the famous story of Psyche, who is so beautiful that Venus, the goddess of beauty, is jealous. She sends her son, Cupid, to punish the mortal, but he falls in love with her. When Psyche fails to trust that love, she must perform seemingly impossible tasks to win Cupid back. The text flows smoothly and retains a touch of formality, giving the story a suitably ancient resonance. The radiant oil- over-watercolor paintings are exquisitely detailed, filled with intricacies that reward long and careful scrutiny. The design of the book is meticulous, from an unusual, yet readable, typeface to the ornate borders, some of which resemble gold jewelry more than paintings. (Picture book/folklore. 6-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-688-13163-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1996
A club-shaped pumpkin gets dissed by a customer, all the other pumpkins, even twisted apple trees, before the sight of a motley crop of hubbards, acorns and banana squash brings on a personal epiphany: “O my gosh / I’m a squash.” Endowed with a face and stick limbs, the gnarled narrator sits down at a Thanksgiving table with its new soulmates, then is last seen strolling down the lane hand in hand with a lumpy new friend. Written in doggerel—“A skeleton came for pumpkins / one bright and crispy day. / I asked if I could get a ride . . . / He laughed and said: No Way”—and illustrated in brightly colored paint-and-paper collage, this weak riff on the “Ugly Duckling” may not earn high marks for botanical accuracy (all pumpkins are squash), but it does feature plenty of visual flash. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-399-24267-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2005
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