Once again the great story is told: Merlin prophesies; Arthur pulls one sword from a stone and receives another from the Lady of the Lake; the knights disperse to seek the Grail; Arthur falls to Mordred's spear and is borne to Avalon. Women's roles are particularly equivocal here: Guinevere is good but weak (``Arthur was a great king...but he was not a great lover as Lancelot was''); Morgan Le Fay is evil but steadfast in carrying out her vow to avenge her father's death; Tristram is killed not by King Mark but by his own wife's jealousy; Elaine's dying wish is that her corpse be used to inflame Lancelot with guilt. Perham's style is formal and distant, emphasizing chivalrous behavior and courtly graces. Grand knights have at one another in Heller's color illustrations, while misty pencil drawings add magic and, sometimes, feeling to other scenes. Browsers may enjoy the dramatic pictures, but the book is uncomfortably designed—heavy in the hand, with tiny type on coated paper. Not a significant improvement on Riordan's Tales of King Arthur (1982) or other standard renditions. (Folklore. 14+)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-670-84990-1
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1993
An entry in the ``Venture'' series that, in its comprehensive treatment of options, will be equally helpful to teens and to their parents. Approaching custody primarily from a legal standpoint, free-lancer Terkel outlines types of divorce (default, contested, uncontested, etc.) and gives a particularly informative overview of custody arrangements: sole, joint, joint legal but not physical, dove-nesting (the parents move about), split (taking turns at sole custody). Case studies give the information immediacy; emotional concerns are addressed in descriptions of support programs (e.g., Banana Splits) and of what court is like. Occasionally, disjointedness creates confusion: a section on court investigation doesn't say under what circumstances inquiry occurs, and sample questionnaires from such investigations are plopped at the end without comment, leaving kids to struggle with how to answer provocative questions and ignoring opportunities for self-evaluation and insight. Nonetheless, a balanced, valuable reference source, sympathetically presented. Bibliography; resources; index. (Nonfiction. 14+)
Pub Date: April 1, 1991
ISBN: 0-531-12521-1
Page Count: 128
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1991
Once again, a publisher that has found a niche with books for teens who have adult responsibilities meets a need by teaching teenage parents about positive discipline. The core here is an overview of development (including little experiments—e.g., to demonstrate an infant's memory at different stages) plus emphasis on discipline as a way to guide learning and educating through love and trust. Using comments and questions of young parents, the authors get to the essence of child-rearing concerns. Can you spoil an infant? What if your parents pressure you to hit the child, or to be too lenient? Guidelines (e.g., distract rather than punish) are geared specifically to teens: pithy, easy-to-read instructions; behavior that may be new—planning ahead, remembering the nature of infants, offering constant supervision, going slow to avoid future problems. Questions about issues like tantrums, meals, and living in a three-generation home are methodically answered, including introspection about ``too much going wrong'' and options—with one exception: The authors state that ``No one should ever discipline a child in anger,'' but too little is said about how to handle that anger. Bibliography; index. (Nonfiction. 14+)*justify no*
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1991
ISBN: 0-930934-55-5
Page Count: 192
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1991
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