Anglophones and -philes who have wondered about the origins of the Peek Freans Company’s Bourbon and Garibaldi Biscuits will be entertained by Steadman’s fanciful version of history and enlightened by the (somewhat) straighter dope in his afterword. No sooner, it seems, does the great Garibaldi return to his Italian hometown after many adventures than his grandmother is snatched by hungry French soldiers (“Bourbons”) to cook for them. Rousing his red-shirted army—all of whom are armed with water balloons and use pizzas as belt buckles for quick battlefield snacks—Garibaldi charges to the rescue. Undaunted, his grandma takes pity on the vanquished invaders and whips up batches of chocolate and non-chocolate “biscuits” for both sides. The illustrations have a dashed-off, late-Steig–ish look, with awkwardly posed figures placed into scenes depicted with splashes of color and quick, jumbled pen strokes. Though the overall effect is quirky and comical, the snacks and historical references will mean more to young readers on the other side of the pond. Likely a miss on this side, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-7614-5578-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2009
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A book of the basic teachings of Buddha, presented through a collection of six classic, simple tales. When a monkey takes refuge from a monsoon in a cave, he happens upon a group of bickering animals—a monkey, lion, turtle, jackal, and dove. Before the fighting becomes too fierce, a small statue of Buddha begins to glow in the darkest corner. To pass the time—and to stop the fighting—wise Buddha spins enlightening stories of tolerance, endurance, sagacity, truthfulness, kindness, and clarity. Buddha recounts his past lives in many forms—from monkey to pigeon to willow tree—to his captive listeners. Such straightforward yet profound tales combine with the art and design for an example of bookmaking that is aesthetically pleasing in every way. Color-washed linoprints cleverly distinguish the stories from the black-and-white narrative frame, while an informative afterword offers brief background detail about Buddha and these six “birth stories” known as Jatakas. (Picture book/folklore. 4-7)
Pub Date: April 8, 1999
ISBN: 0-374-33548-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999
Working with a potent mix of history and speculation, Clayton takes on the mystery and intrigue that continues to surround the disappearance of Prince Edward and Prince Richard from the Tower of London in 1483. After the death of their father, King Edward IV, the two princes were taken to the Tower of London by their uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, supposedly for their own safety until Prince Edward’s coronation. According to this epistolary picture book, Jane, the guard’s daughter, enters into a lively correspondence with the young princes, who have seen her from their tower window. When she learns that they are in danger, she leads them to a rowboat docked nearby and they are able to escape. The hurriedly written exchanges and the shadowy settings of the illustrations offer suspense; an afterword explains that the princes’ actual fate is unknown. The landmarks of 15th-century London, maps, a timeline, and a family tree that illustrates the progression of the royal line help bring the story to life; the only weakness is in Clayton’s renderings of human figures, which are poorly drawn and inconsistent. The story is so delightful, and the premise so ripe that most readers will be willing to overlook the flaws of the art. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-517-70984-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1999
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