A tale of exquisite sentimentality and storytelling gains new appeal in Barrett’s magical hands. Gallico’s tale of the snow goose was first published in 1940, just after the Battle of Dunkirk, when thousands of British and French troops were rescued from the Germans by hundreds of small British boats. Philip Rhayader, a man crippled in body and spirit, lives alone in a lighthouse on the Essex coast, painting pictures and caring for the marsh birds. A wild young girl named Frith brings him an injured snow goose, somehow lost from Canada. He heals the goose, and the girl and bird return to him, warily but faithfully, season after season. Eventually Frith is grown, and feels stirrings of something else for the artist. Then it’s the spring of 1940, and Philip goes out across the water, the goose with him, to rescue those trapped soldiers on Dunkirk beach, seven at a time. Fritha knows he’s lost then and realizes what she has found, only to lose. Barrett approaches the story with a softness that matches the tone. The drawings are in graphite and pencil, with an occasional piece in color that lightens the mood. A lovely reworking for a whole new audience. (Historical fiction. 11-14)
Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-375-84978-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2007
BOOK REVIEW
A slight story, awkwardly told, for those just learning to handle chapters by themselves. Ellen has gone with her grandmother, Bon, for an overnight visit with Bon’s friends Janet and L.J. on their farm. Ellen is disappointed that the farm no longer keeps animals, though Janet and L.J. grow flowers and vegetables. Bon reminds Ellen not to snoop around, but Ellen can’t help but open drawers (and send beads flying about the room) and poke into old address books. She finds a small dead bunny outside too, and, instead of leaving it alone, hides it under her bed wrapped in her sweater, resulting in a terrible smell. Ellen learns that Bon had a curious streak when she was small, and all ends gently. It’s all minor exhortation, nicely packaged, without much staying power. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Fiction. 7-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 20, 1999
ISBN: 0-395-85821-6
Page Count: 55
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
Two young people take on more than they can handle in this anguished, reflective story set on the homefront during the Vietnam War. The news that their father is missing in action horrifies Bobbie Lynn and her brother, Mason, but sends their dependent mother spiraling into a breakdown far worse than any of her previous spells; after a violent outburst, she takes to her bed, smoking, crying, and rarely eating. While the children struggle to maintain an appearance of normality, scramble for money, and care for their mother, Bobbie Lynn meets Wendy, a fiery, perceptive classmate and her brain-damaged twin sister, who are part of a lively, welcoming family. Despite Mason’s conviction that they’re on their own, Bobbie Lynn is driven to call for help, and support arrives speedily from several directions. Laced with tears and searching internal questions, Bobbie Lynn’s narrative takes on an intensity of feeling that will engage readers, though next to such stories of dysfunctional families as Jackie French Koller’s A Place To Call Home (1995), or Patricia Martin’s Travels With Rainie Marie (1997) the characters and story line is sketchy. Franklin (Eclipse, 1995, etc.) comes up with a pat resolution, including the revelation that Bobbie Lynn’s father is alive, and ties up loose ends in a way that is not fully credible. (Fiction. 10-13)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7636-0409-7
Page Count: 190
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
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