A familiar theme told from a distinct cultural and oral tradition by a Romani storyteller from England.
Eager to play like other Traveler musicians, a Romani girl constructs her own musical instrument from a willow branch and recycled objects and is surprised by the results.
When Ossiri begins to play the new instrument she calls a Tattin Django, the ugly noises it makes disturb the community. Soon she is warned that her playing will wake the Bala Mengro, a huge, hairy ogre. Ossiri moves beyond the campsite to play alone and is immediately surprised by the emergence of the large monster from his cave. Frightened, she begs to be allowed to leave, but the ogre insists on her playing more and begins to sing and dance to the ugly sounds. He then pays her with a silver necklace, so she plays for him daily, earning another piece of gold each time. When a stranger tricks her and steals her instrument, his playing for the ogre does not produce the expected generous results. Ossiri finds only her Tattin Django and the stranger’s boots outside the ogre’s cave and realizes that her inner desire to play rather than wanting riches truly impressed the Bala Mengro. Scenes set within their rural encampment show a family of light-brown–skinned “rag-and-bone” people in long skirts, bandanna scarves, and hooped earrings making a living from recycled items, as explained in the author’s note. The inclusion of trucks, vans, and camper caravans along with horse-drawn vehicles makes clear to readers that the story is set in the present day.
A familiar theme told from a distinct cultural and oral tradition by a Romani storyteller from England. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-8464-3925-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Child's Play
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
A rousing Toy Story–style odyssey.
A fugitive game board piece undertakes the scary trek back to the storage box—all the way across the house.
After being left on the floor at the end of Friday Game Night, Red decides the safest option is just to wait patiently. The next morning, a roaring vacuum monster attacks. One narrow escape later, fueled by a new determination to get back home, Red sets out on an arduous journey, though the way is long, and hazards ranging from terrifying canine beast Lady Flufferton to wads of sticky chewing gum await. Still, the stick-limbed plastic mite displays outsize measures of courage and resourcefulness—not even being snatched up and chucked into the feared junk drawer signals a “game over” for our hero. By the time the next Friday Game Night rolls around, Red is back home in the storage box, not only regaling the other game pieces with tales of “dicey” adventures, but ready for more of the same. Dramatic narration brings to life Red’s near misses and brushes with danger. Willan provides a floor map with thrillingly labeled features like the “Smelly Hillsides” (a shoe rack) and the “Rectangular Sea” (an aquarium) so that fellow travelers can retrace the route; he depicts a diversely hued family of human gamers having a blast around a simple board.
A rousing Toy Story–style odyssey. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: May 20, 2025
ISBN: 9781662620935
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Astra Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
Zip to get this Zapped Jack book.
A rad addition to Barnett and Pizzoli’s early readers about Jack the rabbit, the Lady, and Rex the dog.
One rainy day, the Lady (who presents White) and Rex settle in for a nice day of reading. Jack doesn’t join them in this cozy activity, as he’s too busy enjoying his video game, “Rad Kid.” Then in a fantastic twist, lightning strikes, and, as the title foreshadows, Jack gets zapped into the game. An unlikely hero emerges as the Lady picks up the game controls and plays the game to save Zapped Jack, who, after some in-game fun, is defeated by the Boss. Pizzoli cleverly alters his illustrations for the scenes of the game within the book to make them appear pixelated, and Barnett’s funny, controlled text makes the story accessible to emergent readers. The text describing the Lady’s acquisition of gaming skills is particularly chuckleworthy: “You got this! Now go! Hop over that pit! Press A and RIGHT! / Oh. You fell in. // That’s OK! You get three lives. So you have two lives left! Just stomp on this bad guy and— / You died again.” Gaming isn’t vilified in this story, nor is reading elevated as the better activity, which makes it all the more likely that readers who prefer gaming over reading will actually enjoy this title. The backmatter gives directions for drawing Zapped Jack, and readers may well wish there were an accompanying game, too. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-13-inch double-page spreads viewed at 22.2% of actual size.)
Zip to get this Zapped Jack book. (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-11401-8
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
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