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THE HUNTER AND HIS DOG

Name: THE HUNTER AND HIS DOG
Author: Sassafras De Bruyn
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5534-3

A FANTASTICAL JOURNEY THROUGH THE WORLD OF BRUEGEL

by Sassafras De Bruyn ; illustrated by Sassafras De Bruyn ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 25, 2020

It’s clever—but it won’t win Bruegel new fans or encourage repeat visits.

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A man and his canine emerge from a painting and race through some of their creator’s canvases before “returning home.”

In this wordless picture book imported from Belgium, children can follow the titular characters, two figures from Hunters in the Snow by Flemish Renaissance artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder. On each two-page spread, the illustrator playfully reinterprets Bruegel’s works by combining details from one or more paintings, creatively introducing youngsters to the artist’s oeuvre. Additionally, kids are challenged, Where’s Waldo?–style, to locate man and animal with every page turn. Pursuing a bird, the pair kick things off by escaping their picture through a large tear, reentering it after numerous adventures. There’s some fun to be had here, though kids are less likely to appreciate Bruegel than they are merely to seek hunter and dog and the ways they slip from one canvas into another. Missteps: Because illustrations include combined elements from various works, spreads aren’t labeled. Therefore, it’s difficult to name the paintings man and dog enter and exit. Specific artworks are identified via small details from the originals (alongside titles, dates, and owning museums) in the backmatter and are occasionally hard to discern. Those curious about which paintings man and animal visit must flip between spreads and “answers” in the back. The informative author’s note targets older readers.

It’s clever—but it won’t win Bruegel new fans or encourage repeat visits. (bibliography) (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-8028-5534-3

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Eerdmans

Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
CLEO
by Sassafras De Bruyn ; illustrated by Sassafras De Bruyn

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THE ADVENTURES OF HENRY WHISKERS

From the Adventures of Henry Whiskers series , Vol. 1

by Gigi Priebe ; illustrated by Daniel Duncan ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 3, 2017

Innocuous adventuring on the smallest of scales.

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The Mouse and the Motorcycle (1965) upgrades to The Mice and the Rolls-Royce.

In Windsor Castle there sits a “dollhouse like no other,” replete with working plumbing, electricity, and even a full library of real, tiny books. Called Queen Mary’s Dollhouse, it also plays host to the Whiskers family, a clan of mice that has maintained the house for generations. Henry Whiskers and his cousin Jeremy get up to the usual high jinks young mice get up to, but when Henry’s little sister Isabel goes missing at the same time that the humans decide to clean the house up, the usually bookish big brother goes on the adventure of his life. Now Henry is driving cars, avoiding cats, escaping rats, and all before the upcoming mouse Masquerade. Like an extended version of Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Two Bad Mice (1904), Priebe keeps this short chapter book constantly moving, with Duncan’s peppy art a cute capper. Oddly, the dollhouse itself plays only the smallest of roles in this story, and no factual information on the real Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House is included at the tale’s end (an opportunity lost).

Innocuous adventuring on the smallest of scales. (Fantasy. 6-8)

Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-4814-6575-5

Page Count: 144

Publisher: Aladdin

Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION

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MUMBET'S DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

by Gretchen Woelfle ; illustrated by Alix Delinois ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2014

A life devoted to freedom and dignity, worthy of praise and remembrance.

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With the words of Massachusetts colonial rebels ringing in her ears, a slave determines to win her freedom.

In 1780, Mumbet heard the words of the new Massachusetts constitution, including its declaration of freedom and equality. With the help of a young lawyer, she went to court and the following year, won her freedom, becoming Elizabeth Freeman. Slavery was declared illegal and subsequently outlawed in the state. Woelfle writes with fervor as she describes Mumbet’s life in the household of John Ashley, a rich landowner and businessman who hosted protest meetings against British taxation. His wife was abrasive and abusive, striking out with a coal shovel at a young girl, possibly Mumbet’s daughter. Mumbet deflected the blow and regarded the wound as “her badge of bravery.” Ironically, the lawyer who took her case, Theodore Sedgwick, had attended John Ashley’s meetings. Delinois’ full-bleed paintings are heroic in scale, richly textured and vibrant. Typography becomes part of the page design as the font increases when the text mentions freedom. Another slave in the Ashley household was named in the court case, but Woelfle, keeping her young audience in mind, keeps it simple, wisely focusing on Mumbet.

A life devoted to freedom and dignity, worthy of praise and remembrance. (author’s note, selected bibliography, further reading) (Picture book/biography. 5-8)