Ageless yarn-spinning, if not quite so laced with thrilling melodrama as John Yeoman and Quentin Blake’s rendition (1997).
Bright-eyed beneath a huge, floppy turban, an ever optimistic merchant sets out again and again on rocky roads to riches in this lighthearted version of the classic Arabian Nights adventures, from two Iranian expats.
Forgetting with comical regularity the disasters of each previous voyage, Sinbad repeatedly sets out from Basra with companies of fellow merchants on sea voyages. These invariably end in shipwreck and go on, through encounters with rocs, giant fish, cannibals, and such hazardous customs as the practice of burying living husbands with their dead wives, to conclude in miraculous restorations of luck and fortune. Though he relegates mention of Scheherazade to an introduction, Said links his first-person renditions with the secondary frame story common in traditional versions. Similarly, though the figures in her vignettes and wide-bordered full-page illustrations sport cartoonishly exaggerated garb and expressions, Rashin incorporates simplified but evocative Persian and other Middle Eastern stylistic motifs. Some pictures part company in major ways with the narrative, though, and less-than-proficient readers may find Said’s formal prose—“There is no protection and no power besides that of God the Almighty! But as often as God is merciful to me and frees me from one perilous situation, I plunge myself into another”—a bit of a slog.
Ageless yarn-spinning, if not quite so laced with thrilling melodrama as John Yeoman and Quentin Blake’s rendition (1997). (Folk tales. 10-13)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4240-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
A poorly conceived art box that’s more likely to stifle any creative impulse than nurture it.
A brief history of modern sculpture, packaged with sturdy cardboard sheets of die-cut pieces that can be assembled into abstract…assemblages.
Alas, with this well-meaning work, Carter and Diaz prove that they should stick to the paper engineering for which they are both justly renowned. They start with a patchwork survey of Old World and African sculpture from prehistory to the turn of the 20th century and then introduce 10 “modern” sculptors (all of whom have been dead 25 years or more) in biographical sketches. The text throughout is weighted down with name-check references to other dead artists and art movements of the past along with mentions of important works that are not among the ones illustrated. The punch-out pieces in the accompanying box can be assembled into six sophisticated original abstracts without scissors or glue, but they have no evident stylistic connections to the work of the 10 profiled artists. Though the models come with explicit instructions for preferred assembly, the authors do include a few unlabeled pieces that can be slotted in where desired. But a dismissive cover claim that the models are similar to the preliminary “maquettes” that practicing sculptors sometimes make isn’t likely to provide young experimenters with much in the way of motivation.
A poorly conceived art box that’s more likely to stifle any creative impulse than nurture it. (bibliography) (Informational novelty. 10-13)Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4197-1307-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
With wit and perception, Greenwald reminds readers that there is communication beyond their electronics.
A texting gaffe leads to tumult for middle schooler Katie.
The tale opens with a wry glimpse at Katie’s technology-driven existence, documenting the flurry of texting, posting and so on that consumes Katie’s time. Disaster occurs when Katie accidentally sends a text meant for BFF Charlie Joe containing careless remarks about her current boyfriend, Nareem, to Nareem instead. An aspiring songwriter, Katie transforms her remorse into the lyrics of a new song. When hometown rock star—and Katie’s favorite musician—Jane (of Plain Jane fame) learns of Katie’s predicament, she proposes a challenge. If Katie can convince 10 friends to join her in eschewing their phones for one week, the group will be invited to Jane’s concert, where she will play Katie’s song. Greenwald explores the complications inherent in relying upon technology as a substitute for genuine social engagement, comically highlighting both the pitfalls and the benefits of modern communication practices. Katie’s project ultimately brings together a disparate group of middle school students whose efforts to get by without their phones result in meaningful discoveries about one another and themselves. Coovert's illustrations convey Katie's spunky personality, capturing both her mishaps and triumphs. Fans of the Charlie Joe Jackson series will enjoy the evolving changes in Charlie Joe and Katie’s friendship.
With wit and perception, Greenwald reminds readers that there is communication beyond their electronics. (Fiction. 10-13)Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-59643-837-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2014
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