An anthology of original poems and flavorfully adapted folk tales and rhymes, carefully sourced and credited. There's a Babush in a boot with "too many children,/who cried with a hoot," and one who glared at the boy who kissed the girl who milked the cow on "The Train to Ivanovo." Babushka pulls Diadushka, who's pulling on a giant turnip; and Babushka is also the old lady with the millions of cats who "loved her ever more." Some of the weaker selections are those with a message, but Polacco (Pink and Say, 1994, etc.) conjures pure nonsense (Pum-a-doodle./Soup bag, pebble webble.'') that is pure magic. Mother Goose's high spirits reside in this Russian fare, accompanied by boldly painted scenes of people and animals dashing around and happily kicking up claws, paws, and heels. (Picture book/folklore. 3-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 12, 1995
ISBN: 0-399-22747-4
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1995
There are many parallel legends – the seal women, for example, with their strange sad longings – but none is more direct than this American Indian story of a girl who is carried away in a horses’ stampede…to ride thenceforth by the side of a beautiful stallion who leads the wild horses. The girl had always loved horses, and seemed to understand them “in a special way”; a year after her disappearance her people find her riding beside the stallion, calf in tow, and take her home despite his strong resistance. But she is unhappy and returns to the stallion; after that, a beautiful mare is seen riding always beside him. Goble tells the story soberly, allowing it to settle, to find its own level. The illustrations are in the familiar striking Goble style, but softened out here and there with masses of flowers and foliage – suitable perhaps for the switch in subject matter from war to love, but we miss the spanking clean design of Custer’s Last Battle and The Fetterman Fight. 6-7
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1978
ISBN: 0689845049
Page Count: -
Publisher: Bradbury
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1978
An evocative depiction of the rain cycle in the African savannah marks Stojic’s debut as writer and illustrator. Each page is filled with color, movement, and an impressionistic view of the African landscape. Brush strokes seem to leap off the page, and the representation of thunder, lightening, heat, and sunshine are visually exciting. Close-up drawings of the lion's large head, the porcupine's spiky bristles, and the zebra’s black and white face contrasted with its pink tongue, fill the pages along with giant lettering. The story begins as the dry season is ending. Each animal reacts to a sensory perception of the coming rainy season and tells another in cumulative style. Animals hear and see and taste and feel the rain. After it comes, they can’t feel and taste and hear it, but they can enjoy the benefits it brings. Then the cycle repeats. Stojic emphasizes action verbs, enlarged within the already oversized text. Water gushes and gurgles; mud is “cool, soft and squelchy.” The large-size text and colorful illustrations make this a good title for read-aloud and its predictive, repetitive text lends itself to group participation and discussion. A delightful title from a talented newcomer. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: May 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-517-80085-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2000
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