Sweet stories to share with children while storms rage outside.
A fierce storm visits a magical farm where fairies, gnomes and mice freely mingle with a few chosen humans.
The titular lagoon only appears when conditions are just right; the Running River must flood enough to fill a basin where tall trees now grow from ground that was formerly covered by river water. After a particularly rough storm, Tiptoes Lightly and her friends Greenleaf the Sailor, Pepper Pot, Pine Cone and Jeremy Mouse journey up the swollen waters in search of this legendary spot. They’re in luck. The Lost Lagoon is there, beautiful and serene, a perfect place to camp out. Meanwhile, the humans who live in the farmhouse—Tom Nutcracker and his sister June Berry and their father Farmer John—entertain themselves with stories from a book called The Adam Tales. After the storm has passed, Tom takes a midnight ride on his pony and meets up with Greenleaf for a boat ride all the way to the moon. Luckily, his father is understanding and doesn’t punish Tom too badly for sneaking out in the middle of the night. Mythical creatures and humans alike bask in the opportunity to explore and listen to each other’s stories about how the world came to be. Down, who also provides the simple but effective illustrations throughout the book, treats his characters with just the right playful touch, encouraging readers to suspend their disbelief and engage with impossible creatures. Evoking classic creation myths, Down weaves into his narrative fantastical explanations of the first man and woman. His book also nods to Thornton Burgess with its inclusion of fables to explain things such as why slugs have no shells. Adults may regret a lack of complexity and find some of the exchanges slightly saccharine, but children will inherently realize this collection offers an antidote to the viral spread of movie-based narratives and those containing more than a hint of violence. The stories are easy enough that accomplished early readers can enjoy them independently; they are also perfect for out-loud reading sessions at bedtime.
Sweet stories to share with children while storms rage outside.Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2010
ISBN: 978-1453801963
Page Count: 130
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
What if the market was closed when you wanted to bake a pie? You could embark for Europe, learn Italian en route, and pick up some semolina wheat in Italy, an egg in France, kurundu bark for cinnamon in Sri Lanka, and an entire cow in England (butter) before coming home via Jamaica (sugar) and Vermont (apples). The expertly designed illustrations in which a dark-haired lass journeys by various means to these interesting places to get her groceries are lovely and lively, and the narrative, too, travels at a spritely pace. The journey is neither quite logical enough to be truly informative nor quite bizarre enough to be satisfyingly silly, while the rich, sweet recipe that's appended will take some adult assistance. Still, fun. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: May 2, 1994
ISBN: 0-679-83705-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1994
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
