An absorbing poem to night speaks to the acuity of hearing that comes when a blanket of darkness falls across the landscape. All the sounds that closed eyes conjure are heard here—a whippoorwill in a tree, the “breep, breep” of garden crickets, a bat’s wings swishing past the window screen, even the “pip, pip” of an attic mouse on the prowl. A boy at bedtime does not miss a single utterance from his reverential night vigil at the window sill. Raccoons rattle the lids of garbage cans, a church bell tolls, and an owl whispers, “Who’s there?” “I am” answers the boy, in his effort to be a part of nature’s nocturnal symphony. Karas chooses a dark palette—which grows darker as night descends—for his tilted forms and shapes, while the boy’s connection to nature is depicted with subtle reminders of his presence—a cork boat with a toothpick mast and sugar-packet sail floats near “the lip of the pond,” where the bullfrogs sing; an empty jar and net form a statue in a blinking field of fireflies. Children worried by night noises may find a comforting antidote in the whispered lines of poetry, but the softly-lit images will also dispel the shadows of the imagination. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: May 31, 1998
ISBN: 0-06-022099-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1998
Through quick thinking and personal sacrifice, a wise old Japanese farmer saves the people of his village from a devastating tsunami in this simple yet striking story based on Lafcadio Hearn’s “A Living God.” Ojiisan lives in a cottage on a mountain overlooking the village and sea. One day, villagers gather to celebrate the rice harvest, but Ojiisan stays home thinking “something does not feel right.” When the earth quakes and the sea darkens and runs away from the land, Ojiisan realizes a tsunami approaches. Fearing the oblivious villagers will be swept away, Ojiisan torches his rice fields to attract attention, and they respond, barely escaping the monster wave. Rendered in gouache, pastel and collage, Young’s illustrations cleverly combine natural textures, bold colors and abstract shapes to convey compelling images of chaos and disaster as the rice fields burn and the wave rushes in. In one literally breathtaking double-page spread, an enormous wall of water engulfs the teeny seacoast village. A visually powerful and dramatic tribute to one man’s willingness to sacrifice everything for others. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25006-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
Momo longed to carry the blue umbrella and wear the bright red rubber boots she had been given on her third birthday. But day after day Indian summer continued. Momo tried to tell mother she needed to carry the umbrella to nursery school because the sunshine bothered her eyes. But Mother didn't let her use the umbrella then or when she said the wind bothered her. At last, though, rain fell on the city pavements and Momo carried her umbrella and wore her red boots to school. One feels the urgency of Momo's wish. The pictures are full of the city's moods and the child's joy in a rainy day.
Pub Date: March 1, 1958
ISBN: 978-0-14-050240-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Dec. 9, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1958
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