An appealing-enough lesson about working together, despite some narrative shortcomings.
In this parable imported from China, three monks quarrel over everything, leading to worse results for everyone.
Old Monk, Young Monk, and Mini Monk, hairless figures with pale skin and textured collage bodies, do nothing but argue. One day, they decide to leave their temple in hopes that a change of scenery will help. It doesn’t. Out in the world, they still quarrel over everything, from who walks ahead to who gets to hold their one umbrella in the rain. Each argument is resolved in a way that is worse for everyone: All three fall into a river when they walk side by side over a narrow bridge, and everyone gets soaked when they close the umbrella to be fair. Time after time, rather than any one of them getting an advantage, they all suffer. Finally, Mini Monk has an idea: They can each buy some food and share. This works well until they encounter a roast duck restaurant—but they cannot eat meat. Upon their arrival home, they conclude that the world is nothing but trouble. They also agree to share the work and never fight again. While this conclusion is commendable and entirely expected for the genre, it is hard to follow the logic—why the sudden change of heart? What is the importance of the duck? Scrawly illustrations combining different media reinforce the rustic atmosphere with charm.
An appealing-enough lesson about working together, despite some narrative shortcomings. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 22, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4788-6804-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Reycraft Books
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child...
Imani endures the insults heaped upon her by the other village children, but she never gives up her dreams.
The Masai girl is tiny compared to the other children, but she is full of imagination and perseverance. Luckily, she has a mother who believes in her and tells her stories that will fuel that imagination. Mama tells her about the moon goddess, Olapa, who wins over the sun god. She tells Imani about Anansi, the trickster spider who vanquishes a larger snake. (Troublingly, the fact that Anansi is a West African figure, not of the Masai, goes unaddressed in both text and author’s note.) Inspired, the tiny girl tries to find new ways to achieve her dream: to touch the moon. One day, after crashing to the ground yet again when her leafy wings fail, she is ready to forget her hopes. That night, she witnesses the adumu, the special warriors’ jumping dance. Imani wakes the next morning, determined to jump to the moon. After jumping all day, she reaches the moon, meets Olapa and receives a special present from the goddess, a small moon rock. Now she becomes the storyteller when she relates her adventure to Mama. The watercolor-and-graphite illustrations have been enhanced digitally, and the night scenes of storytelling and fantasy with their glowing stars and moons have a more powerful impact than the daytime scenes, with their blander colors.
While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child to be admired. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-934133-57-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Mackinac Island Press
Review Posted Online: July 28, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2014
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
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