A masterfully illustrated and true-to-character take on a classic.
Medieval literature’s Reynard, the roguish fox, makes a return to amuse young readers with his clever tricks in this fresh interpretation of a well-worn figure.
At the behest of the noble King Noble (a lion), all the animals gather at court to peacefully make their complaints and receive justice. One animal is absent: Reynard. Wolves and chickens alike lay their accusations against Reynard in his absence, and when summoned to the defense, he concocts new mischievous manipulations. Alternating between spreads of text that feature choice spot illustrations and lush, full-colored double-page spreads depicting Reynard’s crimes, the tales can be taken in bite-sized pieces but are ultimately woven into a satisfying overarching and cohesive book. Lauströer’s skill for visual storytelling shines through in masterful illustrations, which read as classical while remaining cleverly modern, with stroke economy in pen and gouache giving a sketchy—but not unfinished—feel. The illustrations match the pacing of the text, translated from Raecke’s German, which maintains a sense of the long history of Reynard’s escapades without seeming old-fashioned, so readers will enjoy a hint of the darkness found in old fairy tales in this character-driven fable. An afterword includes a history of the trickster fox in European literature, including the fascinating tidbit that the character’s name replaced the original French word for the animal. Endpapers feature charming studies of mice and birds, reinforcing the cleverly designed cover. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9.8-by-19.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 100% of actual size.)
A masterfully illustrated and true-to-character take on a classic. (Picture book/folktales. 8-10)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-66265-006-2
Page Count: 80
Publisher: minedition
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale.
After a tsunami devastates their habitat in the Salish Sea, a young orca and her brother embark on a remarkable adventure.
Vega’s matriarchal family expects her to become a hunter and wayfinder, with her younger brother, Deneb, protecting and supporting her. Invited to guide her family to their Gathering Place to hunt salmon, Vega’s underwater miscalculations endanger them all, and an embarrassed Vega questions whether she should be a wayfinder. When the baby sister she hoped would become her life companion is stillborn, a distraught Vega carries the baby away to a special resting place, shocking her grieving family. Dispatched to find his missing sister, Deneb locates Vega in the midst of a terrible tsunami. To escape the waters polluted by shattered boats, Vega leads Deneb into unfamiliar open sea. Alone and hungry, the young siblings encounter a spectacular giant whale and travel briefly with shark-hunting orcas. Trusting her instincts and gaining emotional strength from contemplating the vastness of the sky, Vega knows she must lead her brother home and help save her surviving family. In alternating first-person voices, Vega and Deneb tell their harrowing story, engaging young readers while educating them about the marine ecosystem. Realistic black-and-white illustrations enhance the maritime setting.
A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale. (maps, wildlife facts, tribes of the Salish Sea watershed, environmental and geographical information, how to help orcas, author’s note, artist’s note, resources) (Animal fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-299592-6
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
Another epic outing in a graphic hybrid series that continues not just to push the envelope, but tear it to shreds.
Pranksters George and Harold face the deadliest challenge of their checkered careers: a supersmart, superstrong gym teacher.
With the avowed aim of enticing an audience of “grouchy old people” to the Waistband Warrior’s latest exploit, Pilkey promises “references to health care, gardening, Bob Evans restaurants, hard candies, FOX News, and gentle-yet-effective laxatives.” He delivers, too. But lest fans of the Hanes-clad hero fret, he also stirs in plenty of fart jokes, brain-melting puns, and Flip-O-Rama throwdowns. After a meteorite transforms Mr. Meaner into a mad genius (evil, of course, because “as everyone knows, most gym teachers are inherently evil”) and he concocts a brown gas that turns children into blindly obedient homework machines, George and Harold travel into the future to enlist aid from their presumably immune adult selves. Temporarily leaving mates and children (of diverse sexes, both) behind, Old George and Old Harold come to the rescue. But Meaner has a robot suit (of course he has a robot suit), and he not only beats down the oldsters, but is only fazed for a moment when Capt. Underpants himself comes to deliver a kick to the crotch. Fortunately, gym teachers, “like toddlers,” will put anything in their mouths—so an ingestion of soda pop and Mentos at last spells doom, or more accurately: “CHeffGoal-D’BLOOOM!”
Another epic outing in a graphic hybrid series that continues not just to push the envelope, but tear it to shreds. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-10)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-545-50492-8
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
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