One of many stories about Kanchil, the mouse deer trickster figure of Indonesian folklore. In this tale, Monyet the monkey and the small deer decide to plant trees so they will no longer have to hunt for food. When their favorite fruits start to appear, Kanchil realizes that Monyet is the only one who can climb up and get the fruit. Monyet eats all the bananas, his personal favorite, but then climbs the mango tree and starts to eat all of Kanchil’s mangoes too. The mouse deer finds a way to stop this from happening: He insults the vain monkey by telling him that all his facial features resemble different vegetables. Finally the monkey starts throwing mangoes at him in response, and Kanchil has found a way to solve his problem. A traditional form of Indian textile art, Kalamkari, that traveled to Indonesia in centuries past, has been used for the illustrations and its intense vegetables dyes and stylized flora and fauna provide an unusual backdrop for this amusing folktale. The explanation at the back of Kalamkari (with photographs) is interesting for adults, but far too complex for the intended readers. (Picture book/folktale. 6-9)
Pub Date: April 1, 2006
ISBN: 81-86211-06-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tara Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2006
BOOK REVIEW
The wriggly narrator of Diary of a Worm (2003) puts in occasional appearances, but it’s his arachnid buddy who takes center stage here, with terse, tongue-in-cheek comments on his likes (his close friend Fly, Charlotte’s Web), his dislikes (vacuums, people with big feet), nervous encounters with a huge Daddy Longlegs, his extended family—which includes a Grandpa more than willing to share hard-won wisdom (The secret to a long, happy life: “Never fall asleep in a shoe.”)—and mishaps both at spider school and on the human playground. Bliss endows his garden-dwellers with faces and the odd hat or other accessory, and creates cozy webs or burrows colorfully decorated with corks, scraps, plastic toys and other human detritus. Spider closes with the notion that we could all get along, “just like me and Fly,” if we but got to know one another. Once again, brilliantly hilarious. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-06-000153-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Joanna Cotler/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2005
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look...
Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show.
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good—particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon.”—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz’s instruments, history and best-known musicians.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58536-688-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
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