A chortle-worthy, if sketchy, continuation of Ganesha: The Wonder Years (2015).
The elephant-headed—and, here, -bodied—Hindu god throws his considerable weight around in this lunar pourquoi tale.
So annoyed is Ganesha after being tripped up by a snake that he condemns the guffawing Moon to darkness: “There, this from now / on shall be your curse, / to be hidden forever, / be glad it’s not worse!” “NOOOO,” wails the Moon, and “WHAT’S HAPPENING??” cry frightened villagers. Even the gods are frightened, and so at their appeal, Shiva gently guides his pachydermatous offspring into a compromise that allows the Moon to cycle monthly from dark to light “and everything in between.” This well-known traditional episode is available in more elaborated versions in Uma Krishnaswami’s collection The Broken Tusk, illustrated by Maniam Selven (1996), and widely online. Here it is related in lumbering verse and illustrated cartoon-style in large sequential panels. Clad in a loincloth that looks rather like a red-and-yellow diaper, portly Ganesha cuts a comical figure, though his innate good nature isn’t really in evidence. Still, both his mighty pratfall and the broad-faced Moon’s exaggerated expressions of glee, dismay, and finally relief set a light tone.
A chortle-worthy, if sketchy, continuation of Ganesha: The Wonder Years (2015). (sticker sheet) (Graphic folk tale. 5-8)Pub Date: Dec. 8, 2015
ISBN: 978-93-81182-16-1
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Campfire
Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A solo debut for Wenzel showcasing both technical chops and a philosophical bent.
Wouldn’t the same housecat look very different to a dog and a mouse, a bee and a flea, a fox, a goldfish, or a skunk?
The differences are certainly vast in Wenzel’s often melodramatic scenes. Benign and strokable beneath the hand of a light-skinned child (visible only from the waist down), the brindled cat is transformed to an ugly, skinny slinker in a suspicious dog’s view. In a fox’s eyes it looks like delectably chubby prey but looms, a terrifying monster, over a cowering mouse. It seems a field of colored dots to a bee; jagged vibrations to an earthworm; a hairy thicket to a flea. “Yes,” runs the terse commentary’s refrain, “they all saw the cat.” Words in italics and in capital letters in nearly every line give said commentary a deliberate cadence and pacing: “The cat walked through the world, / with its whiskers, ears, and paws… // and the fish saw A CAT.” Along with inviting more reflective viewers to ruminate about perception and subjectivity, the cat’s perambulations offer elemental visual delights in the art’s extreme and sudden shifts in color, texture, and mood from one page or page turn to the next.
A solo debut for Wenzel showcasing both technical chops and a philosophical bent. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4521-5013-0
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
Charm incarnate.
A little creature lives a little life, devoid of opulence but full of splendor.
Split into three brief stories, this Japanese import follows Little Shrew as he indulges in the neat and tidy order of his life. In the first tale, readers observe the minutiae of Little Shrew’s day, from what he eats for breakfast to his commute to work. In a world full of large humans, Little Shrew has carved out a neat existence, replete with breaks at work and evenings filled with food, radios, and cozy chairs. The second story sees Little Shrew acquiring an old television set at a garage sale, along with a poster of Hawaii found in an alley; he then dreams of sunny shores. In the final entry, old acquaintances come to visit, and by the end Little Shrew thinks to himself, “It was a good year,” and that is that. Miyakoshi elevates the quotidian, showing how a simple life can be deeply satisfying in its regularity. Her intricate pencil, charcoal, and acrylic gouache artwork tints each scene in a delicate light, rendering Little Shrew both novel and infinitely familiar all at once. With his small stature but adult ways, he’s both a stand-in for young readers and a role model whom they may wish to emulate someday.
Charm incarnate. (Fiction. 5-8)Pub Date: June 4, 2024
ISBN: 9781525313035
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
