A generous act in a time of need is the highlight of this unforced Hanukkah/Christmas tale from Polacco (Babushka's Mother Goose, 1995, etc.). The narrator recalls the bustle of her family's Michigan farmhouse years ago as Hanukkah approached, with women and children clustering in the kitchen and Grampa, in his workshop, busily carving and painting small animals as gifts. Their non-Jewish neighbors celebrate a different December holiday with different customs but the same spirit—until one year when all are bedridden with scarlet fever. It seems only right to make a Christmas tree for each—but what can they use for decorations? Grampa's animals, of course. Polacco's familiar medley of bright striped and floral print clothing surrounding friendly pink faces creates a perfect visual counterpart to her well-told, sentimental story. Make sure readers have their hankies ready. (Picture book. 7-9)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-689-80862-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1996
Categories: CHILDREN'S RELIGIOUS FICTION
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Pinkney, at his grandest, matches a poetically phrased text—the Ark “rose over their heads. It rose over the treetops. The strong wooden beams embraced the clouds”—with sweeping spreads of dappled paintings that capture brilliantly the hugeness of the Ark a-building, the wonder of so many creatures gathering peaceably to crowd aboard, and the closing glory of a planet festooned with rainbows as signs of God’s promise to the Charlton Heston–like Noah.
Of the making of Noahs there seems to be no end, but while other recent versions of the tale put Noah’s family on center stage, or feature realistically depicted animals or humorous touches, this brings out the vast scale of the flood: “The water rose over cities and towns. Whales swam down ruined streets. Schools of fish darted through empty windows.” But turn the page and there inside “everyone was safe.” Filling his pages with lovely earth tones, Pinkney’s occasional use of color stands out all the more: a baboon’s multicolored nose, a bright blue robe, a bright red apple, or a bird’s brilliant plumage. And then there’s all that water.
A glorious choice for reading aloud. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2002
ISBN: 978-1-58717-201-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: SeaStar/North-South
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2002
Categories: CHILDREN'S RELIGIOUS FICTION
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Three Wise Women (32 pp.; $16.99; Oct.; 0-8037-2466-7) This uninspired retelling of the gifts of the magi adds little to the original version. Three women from very different cultures share a journey to the birthplace of Jesus. Arriving at the manger, each woman offers a gift from her heart that represents something unique to her and that will become meaningful in the life of the child as he grows to manhood. Deep blues, glowing reds, and rich purples spill over the spreads, lending visual depth to an otherwise disappointingly shallow story. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8037-2466-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1999
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