Published in 1993 in Australia as Stradbroke Dreamtime, these 27 stories by an honored Aboriginal writer are divided into ``Stories from Stradbroke,'' memoirs of the author's childhood in the 1920s and '30s on Stradbroke Island off the Queensland coast, and ``Stories from the Old and New Dreamtime,'' Aborigine myths and new stories told in traditional styles (it is not always possible to tell which are which). The ``Stories from Stradbroke'' are most memorable: the taboo shooting of a kookaburra, how a dog caught a shark, left-handed Oodgeroo's miseries in school, the immense pet carpet snake that preyed on Mother's chickens and was even found once in the baby's crib. Aborigine beliefs and values (respect for the earth and its creatures, collective responsibility for the individual) are apparent in the stories, as are discrimination against Aborigines and a strongly male-dominated social order. Half of the ``Dreamtime'' stories are pourquois tales, most of them relating to trees and other plants. There are also creation myths and a lyrical account of how Oodgeroo reclaimed her tribal heritage by writing its stories. Bancroft is an Aboriginal painter and textile designer who combines the conventions of traditional Aboriginal art (humans and animals shown as outlined silhouettes, backgrounds filled with patterns of lines, circles, or dots) with a lushly contemporary palette (aqua, lime, coral, lavender, and peach). Verbally and visually, a rich experience. (Autobiography/Folklore. 8+)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-688-13296-0
Page Count: 96
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1994
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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In this delightfully spare narrative in verse, Coretta Scott King Award–winning Grimes examines a marriage’s end from the perspective of a child.
Set mostly in the wake of her father’s departure, only-child Gabby reveals with moving clarity in these short first-person poems the hardship she faces relocating with her mother and negotiating the further loss of a good friend while trying to adjust to a new school. Gabby has always been something of a dreamer, but when she begins study in her new class, she finds her thoughts straying even more. She admits: “Some words / sit still on the page / holding a story steady. / … / But other words have wings / that wake my daydreams. / They … / tickle my imagination, / and carry my thoughts away.” To illustrate Gabby’s inner wanderings, Grimes’ narrative breaks from the present into episodic bursts of vivid poetic reminiscence. Luckily, Gabby’s new teacher recognizes this inability to focus to be a coping mechanism and devises a daily activity designed to harness daydreaming’s creativity with a remarkably positive result for both Gabby and the entire class. Throughout this finely wrought narrative, Grimes’ free verse is tight, with perfect breaks of line and effortless shifts from reality to dream states and back.
An inspirational exploration of caring among parent, teacher and child—one of Grimes’ best. (Poetry. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-59078-985-8
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Wordsong/Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2013
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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Nicholas is a bright boy who likes to make trouble at school, creatively.
When he decides to torment his fifth-grade English teacher, Mrs. Granger (who is just as smart as he is), by getting everyone in the class to replace the word "pen'' with "frindle,'' he unleashes a series of events that rapidly spins out of control. If there's any justice in the world, Clements (Temple Cat, 1995, etc.) may have something of a classic on his hands. By turns amusing and adroit, this first novel is also utterly satisfying. The chess-like sparring between the gifted Nicholas and his crafty teacher is enthralling, while Mrs. Granger is that rarest of the breed: a teacher the children fear and complain about for the school year, and love and respect forever after.
With comically realistic black-and-white illustrations by Selznick (The Robot King, 1995, etc.), this is a captivating tale—one to press upon children, and one they'll be passing among themselves. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-689-80669-8
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1996
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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