Like the title item, Lewis’s latest is overstuffed and mildly mysterious. Orange Peel’s nickname, although it’s explained, seems unwieldy and unlikely. The overlong text is also awkward at times (“Their first stop was to Mr. Fan the tailor”). The reason Orange Peel wants information is no mystery. Embarrassed that she doesn’t know anything about where she was born when asked by classmates, she plans to discuss China at Show and Tell. The mystery comes in as Orange Peel and her adoptive Euro-American mom visit friendly local vendors who, like Orange Peel, are Chinese. Each shares a bit of information and then secretly slips something into her pocket. Why secretly? Why not just give her the small gifts openly? The gifts, of course, turn out to be the perfect props for her presentation. Zong’s acrylic paintings feature pleasantly rounded images and offer a touch of whimsy as Orange Peel imagines the landscapes described by her Chinese compatriots. Ultimately, though, this purposive picture book fails to create compelling characters or tell an intriguing tale. Earnest but disappointing. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-8109-8394-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Jan. 24, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Sloat collaborates with Huffman, a Yu’pik storyteller, to infuse a traditional “origins” tale with the joy of creating. Hearing the old women of her village grumble that they have only tasteless crowberries for the fall feast’s akutaq—described as “Eskimo ice cream,” though the recipe at the end includes mixing in shredded fish and lard—young Anana carefully fashions three dolls, then sings and dances them to life. Away they bound, to cover the hills with cranberries, blueberries, and salmonberries. Sloat dresses her smiling figures in mixes of furs and brightly patterned garb, and sends them tumbling exuberantly through grassy tundra scenes as wildlife large and small gathers to look on. Despite obtrusively inserted pronunciations for Yu’pik words in the text, young readers will be captivated by the action, and by Anana’s infectious delight. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-88240-575-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your dreads! Isadora once again plies her hand using colorful, textured collages to depict her fourth fairy tale relocated to Africa. The narrative follows the basic story line: Taken by an evil sorceress at birth, Rapunzel is imprisoned in a tower; Rapunzel and the prince “get married” in the tower and she gets pregnant. The sorceress cuts off Rapunzel’s hair and tricks the prince, who throws himself from the tower and is blinded by thorns. The terse ending states: “The prince led Rapunzel and their twins to his kingdom, where they were received with great joy and lived happily every after.” Facial features, clothing, dreadlocks, vultures and the prince riding a zebra convey a generic African setting, but at times, the mixture of patterns and textures obfuscates the scenes. The textile and grain characteristic of the hewn art lacks the elegant romance of Zelinksy’s Caldecott version. Not a first purchase, but useful in comparing renditions to incorporate a multicultural aspect. (Picture book/fairy tale. 6-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-399-24772-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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