After the death of their widowed mother, Vasalisa is tormented by her jealous older sister; a magic doll bequeathed by her mother offers her only comfort. Sent by her sister to secure fire from Baba Yaga, Vasalisa encounters the horsemen of night and day. Baba Yaga's hut runs on its legs into a river of fire; Vasalisa follows, emerging in the arms of the red horseman. Having passed this test, she enters the hut, serves the witch, gives her the doll, and returns with the required flame to the arms of a repentant sister. Grauer's colored pencil illustrations in luscious fruit tones outstrip her retelling (although she says Vasalisa cuts her hair but then fails to show it). According to a note, she was inspired by Jung, Bettelheim, et al. (her interpretations ``are designed to illuminate the story's deeper significance''). Unfortunately, the tale suffers in numerous ways from this well-intentioned meddling, most importantly because Vasalisa no longer moves into independent adult life. See also Mayer, below; but Winthrop's traditional version (1991) remains the best. (Folklore/Picture Book. 4-8)
Pub Date: May 4, 1994
ISBN: 0-399-21986-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1994
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
A book that will make young dog-owners smile in recognition and confirm dogless readers' worst suspicions about the mayhem caused by pets, even winsome ones. Sam, who bears passing resemblance to an affable golden retriever, is praised for fetching the family newspaper, and goes on to fetch every other newspaper on the block. In the next story, only the children love Sam's swimming; he is yelled at by lifeguards and fishermen alike when he splashes through every watering hole he can find. Finally, there is woe to the entire family when Sam is bored and lonely for one long night. Boland has an essential message, captured in both both story and illustrations of this Easy-to-Read: Kids and dogs belong together, especially when it's a fun-loving canine like Sam. An appealing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8037-1530-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996
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