In this Cajun-inflected Tom Thumb tale, pint-sized Little Pierre saves his dimwitted brothers Big Pierre, Fat Pierre, Wise Pierre, and Foolish Pierre from a Swamp Ogre, and rescues Marie Louise, a rich man’s daughter, in the bargain. While doing all the chores, Little Pierre overhears his brothers scheming and tags along as they venture into the swamp. Good thing, too: when the ogre turns out to be much bigger than expected, he leads the general rout, cleverly eluding a 12-legged alligator and convincing a monstrous mud catfish to chow down on the ogre along the way. Animal and semi-human forms crouch within foliage and gnarled bark in Catrow’s busy swampscapes as the Pierres hurry past oblivious, each (except for Little Pierre) looking more hilariously clueless than the last. The enormously fat ogre seems like an elemental creature too, a grossly ugly part of the surroundings until it slips headfirst down that catfish’s maw. Leaving the chores to his brothers, Little Pierre goes off to a well-earned happy-ever-after with Marie Louise. A hoot, fuh shore, for true. (long source note, glossary) (Picture book/folktale. 7-9)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-15-202482-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Silver Whistle/Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2003
Trickling, bubbling, swirling, rushing, a river flows down from its mountain beginnings, past peaceful country and bustling city on its way to the sea. Hooper (The Drop in My Drink, 1998, etc.) artfully evokes the water’s changing character as it transforms from “milky-cold / rattling-bold” to a wide, slow “sliding past mudflats / looping through marshes” to the end of its journey. Willey, best known for illustrating Geraldine McCaughrean’s spectacular folk-tale collections, contributes finely detailed scenes crafted in shimmering, intricate blues and greens, capturing mountain’s chill, the bucolic serenity of passing pastures, and a sense of mystery in the water’s shadowy depths. Though Hooper refers to “the cans and cartons / and bits of old wood” being swept along, there’s no direct conservation agenda here (for that, see Debby Atwell’s River, 1999), just appreciation for the river’s beauty and being. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: June 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7636-0792-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2000
Every year since kindergarten, Harry’s Halloween costume has gotten scarier and scarier. What’s it going to be this year? He’s not telling. His classmates are all stunned when he shows up, not as some monster or a weird alien (well, not really)—but as neatly dressed Sgt. Joe Friday of Dragnet fame, wielding a notebook and out to get “just the facts, ma’am.” As she has in Harry’s 11 previous appearances (15, counting the ones his classmate Song Lee headlines), Kline (Marvin and the Mean Words, 1997, etc.) captures grammar-school atmosphere, personalities, and incidents perfectly, from snits to science projects gone hilariously wrong. She even hands Harry/Friday a chance to exercise his sleuthing abilities, with a supply of baby powder “fairy dust” gone mysteriously missing. As legions of fans have learned to expect, Harry comes through with flying colors, pinning down the remorseful culprit in 11 minutes flat. No surprises here, just reliable, child-friendly, middle-grade fare. Illustrations not seen. (Fiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-670-88864-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2000
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