Van Laan (La Boda, 1996, etc.) goes to the way back time, when Shingebiss, a resourceful merganser duck, presents a challenge to Kabibona'kan, Winter Maker, who does not want him to be able to withstand the harsh winter. Winter Maker does everything in his power to thwart Shingebiss's efforts to catch fish—he freezes the waters of Great Lake Superior ``as solid as stone.'' Knowing that the clever duck has only four logs to last the winter, Kabibona'kan is certain he can blow drifts deep enough to freeze the bird. But the theme of the small overcoming the mighty prevails, for the tiny hero can be neither frozen nor starved. According to Ojibwe legend, Shingebiss has ever since served as a reminder of perseverence and fortitude. Bowen's labor-intensive, painstaking process of carving and inking woodblocks in stages produces an effective primitive style that evokes contrasts of the northern wilderness clime: The warm umbers of Shingebiss's wigwam home are carefully collated with the chilling blues and icy whites of the scenes where the appropriately scary Winter Maker is at work. Hand-lettered text is framed in borders inspired by the shape of Ojibwe ricing baskets, adding a rustic lure to the lore. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-395-82745-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1997
Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your dreads! Isadora once again plies her hand using colorful, textured collages to depict her fourth fairy tale relocated to Africa. The narrative follows the basic story line: Taken by an evil sorceress at birth, Rapunzel is imprisoned in a tower; Rapunzel and the prince “get married” in the tower and she gets pregnant. The sorceress cuts off Rapunzel’s hair and tricks the prince, who throws himself from the tower and is blinded by thorns. The terse ending states: “The prince led Rapunzel and their twins to his kingdom, where they were received with great joy and lived happily every after.” Facial features, clothing, dreadlocks, vultures and the prince riding a zebra convey a generic African setting, but at times, the mixture of patterns and textures obfuscates the scenes. The textile and grain characteristic of the hewn art lacks the elegant romance of Zelinksy’s Caldecott version. Not a first purchase, but useful in comparing renditions to incorporate a multicultural aspect. (Picture book/fairy tale. 6-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-399-24772-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2008
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BOOK REVIEW
A visual feast and rhyming text provide read-aloud fun and encouragement for picky eaters.
A little girl and her dragon have different ideas about what’s good to eat in Weaver’s picture book.
Feeding a pet dragon can be quite a challenge, especially if the dragon is prone to fire-breathing—just ask the little girl (who has light-colored skin and blond hair) at the center of this whimsical picture book. Her hungry dragon once “lost complete control,” spat fire, and singed the seat of her pants. “So, now I must be careful and make sure he’s always fed,” she says, “or else I might end up with toasted underwear instead!” But what to fix for a dragon’s lunch? The unnamed girl is sure the dragon’s culinary tastes “are similar to mine,” so she rules out vegetables and casseroles in favor of pizza, a milkshake, and chocolate cake. As the clever, rhyming narrative continues, the proposed dragon menu becomes more outlandish, including frosted tacos, a candy bar sandwich, a chocolate lake, and “mountains made of pancakes.” With a light touch, Weaver wraps this quirky fantasy around a good message for picky eaters; the dragon’s preference for steak and veggies persuades the little girl to give more nutritious foods a try. Soylu’s vivid, idiosyncratic, full-page color illustrations are a delight, complemented by the text layout, which is varied with curves, angles, colors, and quirky lettering.
A visual feast and rhyming text provide read-aloud fun and encouragement for picky eaters.Pub Date: July 16, 2024
ISBN: 9781736267363
Page Count: 36
Publisher: A Little Offbeat Publishing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 26, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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