Handsome packaging wraps this long but readable account of the story and meaning of Christmas, as told by an old woman to a young boy during a snowstorm. She summarizes Old Testament events up to the Babylonian enslavement, explains that God waited to send a savior until the Romans built ``good roads and strong ships'' that would make spreading his message easier, then comes up with the characters of Aaron and Anna, two Bethlehemites who witness Jesus' birth as children and his crucifixion as adults. Readers will find the language easy and the progression of events coherent, though some of Graham's elaborations—such as the Aaron and Anna characters, or the story of Adam and Eve, in which the two eat fruit of the ``Testing Tree'' and become the ``world's first homeless people''—seem patronizing. Printed on smooth, creamy stock, the book has a sumptuous feel. Watson's paintings add plenty of drama; minutely detailed, exactly rendered flora and fauna explode from the margins inward, and extreme closeups—Moses confronting Pharaoh, or the face of one of Daniel's glaring lions- -bristle with tension. For some readers, Graham's first children's book will be a gratifying alternative to the plethora of Christmas books that either avoid mentioning Jesus entirely or explain his birth and death in heavily devotional terms. (Picture book. 8-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-8010-3848-0
Page Count: 72
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1995
The first in a series about the roles played by Native Americans, Spaniards, Mexicans, and Americans in the development and demise of 21 California missions set up by the Franciscans along the California coast in the 1700s. This installment, focusing on the San Gabriel Arc†ngel, San Fernando Rey de Espa§a, and San Buenaventura missions in the Los Angeles area, gives a balanced account of their histories. MacMillan does not portray the missionaries as kind, benevolent caretakers of the Indians and their land, but offers an in-depth examination of the motives of Franciscans and Spaniards to subjugate native populations, decimate their numbers, and destroy their culture in the name of developing California. The missionaries forced the Indians off their land and into virtual slavery, beating them if they tried to return to their villages. MacMillan bends over backward to be objective but occasionally comes off as irresolute about truly outrageous events. Readers will be able to draw their own conclusions from the statistics: The Indian population in California numbered 340,000 when the missionaries arrived, and, after 70 years of occupation, only 100,000 remained. Those facts render this look at a shameful era in California's history a leap above most on the subject. (full-color and b&w maps, engravings, photos, maps, charts, diagrams, timeline, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: July 8, 1996
ISBN: 0-8225-1927-5
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Lerner
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1996
Subtitled ``Stories of World Religions,'' this is a flashy but piecemeal collection of 35 short myths, legends, and folktales, all drawn from—or shoehorned into—seven living traditions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, generic Native American, and Sacred Earth, the ``Earth-centered movement that has developed in the late twentieth century [called variously] Paganism, Neo-Paganism, Wicca, Goddess Religion, Eco-Feminism, New Age Spirituality, the Old Tradition. . . . '' Every creed is introduced with an account of its history and values, plus a characteristic version of the Golden Rule, followed by retellings of incidents from the lives of its prophets and leaders, and well-known episodes from its literature or tradtions. The stories neither uniformly show the Golden Rule in action, nor in their brevity communicate any but the most superficial sense of their traditions. The dazzling, obtrusive design features photo collages for a dramatic but abstract effect; not all of the images are well-chosen (a figure from Japanese art illustrates a story from Tibet), and many are digitally manipulated almost beyond recognition. The writing is unforced and aptly formal, but McFarlane paraphrases biblical and other authoritative texts without explanation, and cites specific sources for very few of the selections. Stick with more focused collections, such as Virginia Hamilton's In The Beginning (1988). (glossary, pronunciation guide, further reading) (Anthology. 9-12)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-9638327-7-8
Page Count: 101
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1996
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