A quiet but winsome African tale, in which ordinary landscapes and animals become extraordinary.
In this debut middle-grade novella, a young New Yorker’s trip to South Africa takes a rousing turn once he accepts an elephant’s invitation to a wondrous pond.
Nine-year-old Krishna and his parents arrive in South Africa’s Kruger National Park. Their journey from New York encompassed nearly a full day, not to mention four hours driving from the airport to the park, all for a three-day stay. But Krishna’s looking forward to seeing all the wild animals on the forthcoming safari. He’s even excited to try an outdoor shower and is shocked when an elephant steals some of his water—a talking elephant. Broken Tusk introduces himself and offers to take Krishna on a ride into the forest to visit an enchanted pond. They agree to a midnight rendezvous, but after a day of spotting zebras and giraffes and enjoying a hearty meal, a weary Krishna sleeps past the departure time for his adventure with Broken Tusk. The next day, after a morning safari, Krishna spies animals at a watering hole, including his new friend, who suggests naming some of the other animals. Once Krishna does, he’s able to hear conversations between warthogs and buffaloes. He makes sure to set his alarm that evening and, atop Broken Tusk, goes to see the pond that’s magical only at night. While Sehgal’s story hints at magic, Africa itself remains the true wonderment. Krishna, for example, despite hoping he’ll be back from the safari in time to meet Broken Tusk, is in awe while traveling alongside the country’s four-legged inhabitants. The author touches on a few serious issues: animals will feed on another one who’s died, contrasted with wasteful humans. But she reserves the bulk of her narrative to celebrate Africa, and young readers will learn about its wildlife and vegetation (for example, the centuries-old baobab tree), as well as a greeting in the Tsonga language: “Hoy hoy.” Krishna eventually reaches the mystical pond, a place of beauty and harmony—and with enough ambiguity to leave readers guessing whether what Krishna witnessed is real. The accompanying uncredited illustrations are snapshots of the best moments, like Broken Tusk’s trunk sneaking into Krishna’s shower.
A quiet but winsome African tale, in which ordinary landscapes and animals become extraordinary.Pub Date: July 16, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5246-0910-8
Page Count: 78
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Review Posted Online: Oct. 23, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
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