Ruzzier offers a bit of wishful thinking in this peace-mongering tale of an undersized giant and an oversized dwarf joining forces to defuse a war between their peoples. Ignored by his towering neighbors, lonely Angelino di Grandi leaves home. After a protracted but uneventful journey, he meets Osvaldo Curti, an ostracized dwarf who is an exact twin. When the two rush into the conflict, they’re mistaken for each other—a circumstance that prompts both sides to cease hostilities, since they can’t tell each other apart with certainty. Would that it were so simple. Dressed, like all the figures here, in loincloths but sporting single curls of hair on large, oblate heads, Angelino and Osvaldo make such a strange-looking twosome that young readers may be distracted from the story’s earnestly delivered point. Years later, the two forget who is the dwarf, and who the giant—and that casually tossed-in idea is more likely to stimulate thought and discussion than the main plot. (Picture book. 7-9)
Pub Date: March 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-06-052951-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2004
A group of friends enjoys a game of soccer in the street, fending off bullies and cleverly protecting their prized new regulation soccer ball. Kids who don’t read the author’s note won’t know that this game takes place in South Africa, but they’ll certainly see the poverty the kids face, as Ford’s oil paintings show dirt streets, patched shacks and clothing that is worn and torn. They’ll also recognize the thrill of having something brand new and root for the younger kids to outwit the bullies. They have more trouble following the action. It takes a keen eye to figure out who’s who, and the pictures have a static feel that contrasts with first-time author Javaherbin’s breathless play-by-play narration. The danger posed by the older boys is unclear but ominous, implied by the fact that one of the boys sits out the game as a guard. The paintings are realistic and evocatively capture the dusty alley and an incongruously lovely sunset, but ultimately neither words nor pictures come fully to life. (Picture book. 7-9)
Pub Date: April 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-7636-4571-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Dec. 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2010
In the new Read Me/A Panda and Gander Story series, Gander decides to write a letter, and Panda can’t help but notice the proceedings and inquire about them. Panda learns that Gander is writing to a “secret” friend, and even as the bear urges the bird to be more loving in the way the letter is signed’suggesting the inclusion of three kisses and a big red heart—he stews over his own suddenly shaky friendship. When Gander wildly adds stickers and border art to the missive, Panda is quite taken aback, wondering who the secret friend is. Gander sends the letter off (in a slit in a shoebox) and when the letter “arrives,” it is addressed, of course, to Panda. Dunbar (see review, above) is especially astute at picking up on the emotional nuances of how children interact. Younger listeners will understand better than he does Panda’s drooping self-esteem and fear that a new friend has replaced him in Gander’s eyes. Craig’s illustrations are expressive—a dash of eyebrow communicates Panda’s uncertainties—while backgrounds and a scattering of project paraphernalia (stickers, scissors, colored pencils) convey the child-size realm the two friends inhabit. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: March 15, 1999
ISBN: 0-7636-0720-7
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1999
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