Based on the traditions of the Northwest Pacific native people, this engrossing tale warns of the consequences of man manipulating nature. When a young girl travels magically to the underworld of the frogs, she is warned by ``Grandmother'' that an impending volcano is the consequence of the girl's people stealing frogs from the lake. The girl returns, in the nick of time, to rescue her people from the lava and discovers the frogs that boys in her village have stolen. When she sets them free, Grandmother is appeased, and rain squelches the volcano's fire. The illustrations set the tone of this book: Deep greens, rich maroons, and dark grays, along with the looming faces of the totems, create a seriousness and a sense of foreboding. An afterword provides information about the folklore on which the story is based, and mythic motives within the tale. It's exquisite and resonant. (Picture book. 4-10)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1997
ISBN: 1-885223-57-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1997
The scenario is absolutely authentic: Jamaica is embarrassed by her hand-me-down boys' boots and jealous of Brianna's pretty pink ones; when Jamaica's wear out, she chooses cowboy boots so Brianna won't say she copied—only to have Brianna tell her that they ``aren't in''; hurt, she declares Brianna's ``ugly.'' All comes right when the two finally level: Brianna's boots are also hand-me-downs, and she can't wait to grow so she can replace them. Yes, the story's about boots—as important an arena for choice and identity for small children as for their elders—but it's also, in Havill's simple, beautifully honed text, about friendship. O'Brien's warm, realistic illustrations of this vibrant African-American and her lively Asian-American friend are just right. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-395-64489-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1993
A very pleasing first-chapter book from its funny and tender opening salvo to its heartwarming closer. Ray and his Grampa Halfmoon live in Chicago, but Grampa comes from Oklahoma. Six vignettes make up the short chapters. Among them: Ray finds a way to buy Grampa the pair of moccasins that remind him of home and Smith gets in a gentle jab at the commercialization of Native American artifacts. At a Christmas stuck far away from the Oklahoma relatives the pair finds comfort and joy even when the electricity goes out, and in a funny sequence of disasters, a haircut gone seriously awry enables a purple-and-orange dye job to be just the ticket for little-league spirit. The language is spare, clean, and rhythmic, with a little sentimentality to soften the edges. Ray and Grampa have a warm and loving intergenerational bond that’s an added treat. With a nod toward contemporary Native Americans, Grampa tells Cherokee and Seminole family stories, and when Ray gets to be in a wedding party, the groom is Polish-Menominee and his bride is Choctaw. An excellent choice for younger readers from the author of the bittersweet Rain Is Not My Indian Name (2001). (Fiction. 7-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-06-029531-7
Page Count: 80
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2002
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