An often engaging work that could be used as an introduction to Congo studies.
A spiritual prophecy comes true in Dellums’ (Grandma Leola Celebrates Purim, 2015, etc.) colorful story of a Congolese culture and religion.
This contemplative tale opens in Nkamba, Congo, as the young narrator describes a fanciful dream in which she laughs and dances naked with her mother. Later, inspired by the spirit of a bird that sings by her window, she describes village life, including how her Grandma Ramona and Papa Basille fell in love at the marketplace. This meandering, journal-like tale also attempts to show the strength and resilience of the Congolese people; for example, in her dream, the narrator laughs near the entrance of a horrible slave tunnel. The story’s main focus, however, is a 100-year-old prophecy by a real-life religious leader, Simon Kimbangu, who envisioned that slaves’ ancestors would someday return to Nkamba. When the narrator awakens, she and Grandma Ramona witness the fulfillment of the prophecy, as two American travelers enter Nkamba. The story later takes a poignant turn when beloved Grandma Ramona becomes sick with malaria. Interspersed with color photos of people, nature, and village scenes, Dellums’ poetic language can be lovely at times. However, the narrator’s voice often sounds more like an adult’s; for example, a description of Grandma Ramona is overly stilted: “She is sturdy because she is a capillary in the body of the collective; she is one with the consciousness of the eternal and the sublime harmony of all living breathing beings, and because she is anchored by the rock of her beloved, my Grandfather, Papa Basille.” Also, when describing her mother’s death, the little girl loftily proclaims: “There are no more radiant fevers stifling her breath or drenching her brow.” Despite this, there are enough cultural references in Dellums’ well-intentioned narrative—such as a story about the blue eyes of an “alabaster leopard king”—to make readers want to learn more about this beautiful part of the world.
An often engaging work that could be used as an introduction to Congo studies.Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2015
ISBN: 978-1508495055
Page Count: 60
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: April 16, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
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