A tender rags-to-riches tale from Godden (Great Grandfather's House, 1993, etc.), with an Indian setting and universal themes. Premlata cannot believe there will be no deepas—small oil lamps—for Diwali, the festival of lights that honors the goddess Kali. Her widowed mother has sold them—and most of the family's other possessions—to feed Prem and her siblings. At the big house her mother serves, Prem outhaggles the wicked housekeeper, Paru Didi, and is given rupees from the master, Bijoy Rai, to buy new oil lamps. She goes to the market, but is so distracted by sweets, toys, and gifts for her family that all the rupees are gone before she finds the lamp merchant. How Prem gets home safely (with the help of the master's friendly elephant), sees the end of Paru Didi's reign, and helps restore the family's fortunes is but part of this sweetly reassuring holiday story. Illustrated with soft-focus, beautifully detailed black-and-white drawings, the book provides a whirlwind tour of one small corner of Bengal life, and is sure to find an audience ready for any story Godden tells. (Fiction. 7-10)
Pub Date: March 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-688-15136-1
Page Count: 58
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1997
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Further adventures of Merciless Marvin the Magnificent and his gang, three mice who live in Macy's toy department but here suddenly find themselves wrapped up with a care package of goodies and shipped to a camp in Vermont. These city mice manage to cope with the rigors of life in the wild—they outrun a hungry owl, outwit the camp dog, even learn to canoe and water-ski; at summer's end, they cleverly engineer a return to New York. Lighthearted b&w drawings capture the action's high spots. Fans of the trio's earlier adventures (The Great Christmas Kidnapping Caper, 1975, etc.) will find this amusing romp perfectly consistent in tone and style with its award- winning predecessors. (Fiction. 7-10)
Pub Date: May 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-8037-1106-9
Page Count: 183
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The fourth burglary in Canoville occurs just before Deputy Shep begins the night shift, forcing him to disrupt his laid-back style with an active investigation. His troubles multiply when wealthy Mrs. Colly's bay mare disappears and when Fire Chief Dal disturbs the peace by wildly racing the fire engine through town. Deftly dealing with pressures brought to bear by the town's leading citizens, Shep recovers the stolen objects with the help of young Bert Peke, the mayor's son, who has discovered a pack rat at work. Though some of the quirky tongue-in-cheek humor about a town populated by dogs may be beyond young readers, this will answer requests for ``a funny story'' or a mystery; it's also a good choice for hard-to-help transitional readers or for kids who enjoy a warm, fuzzy world like Canoville. Illustrations to be plentiful, but not seen. (Fiction. 7-10)*justify no*
Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1991
ISBN: 0-06-026039-4
Page Count: 96
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1991
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