The familiar rhyme gets a braw shoogle, skooshing along in tandem with scenes of bonnie revelry.
The holiday ditty gets a reworking in thick Scots dialect, from “a reid robin in a rowan tree” on.
The fun comes in reading (or, for the daring, singing) the lyrics aloud: “On the 12th day o Yuletide, / My true luve gied tae me / 12 drummers dirlin, / 11 pipes a-skirlin, / 10 lads a-lowpin, / 9 lassies birlin….” In cleanly drawn illustrations, the shaggy livestock (the “5 gowden rings” are in the noses of golden brown Highland cattle) are as frisky as the lads, clad in short pants, and the tartan-skirted pipers and lassies. Except for the rowan and a stray sheep or “collie dug” (dog) off in the distance, Land keeps his increasingly wintry country scenes from turning overcrowded by moving all the previous gifts offstage until the festive “lowpin birl” that fills the final spread. Rennie closes with a glossary and a pronunciation guide for Scots cardinal and ordinal numbers.
The familiar rhyme gets a braw shoogle, skooshing along in tandem with scenes of bonnie revelry. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-7825-0208-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Floris
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
A lovely collection for those who wish to emphasize the Christian nature of the holiday, worth savoring slowly during the...
The eminent anthologist of children’s poetry has gathered together 15 poems from many sources, all centered around the theme of animals that might have been present on the night of the birth of Jesus.
An introductory poem by Hopkins sets the scene, with a striking illustration on the facing page depicting the animals looking up at a comet streaking through the night sky. Next is the rooster (also shown on the eye-catching cover illustration) who announces the birth to the world. Other animals include typical barnyard residents such as the sheep, horse, cow and goat, as well as less-expected creatures, like fish and a llama. Poets represented include X.J. Kennedy, Jane Yolen, Prince Redcloud and Alma Flor Ada. The final poem is a verse from the traditional carol “The Friendly Beasts,” describing “the donkey, / shaggy and brown” that carried Mary “safely / to Bethlehem town.” Intriguing collage illustrations using watercolor and mixed-media elements provide an elegant accompaniment to the short, quiet poems. Unusual perspectives show a cat from behind, a cow arching her neck and an owl in midflight seemingly ready to swoop off the page. All the animals gather around the manger in the final illustration, with the comet again shooting across the sky. The baby is in the manger but just barely showing, and Mary reaches out to pet the head of the shaggy, brown donkey to reward him for his faithful service.
A lovely collection for those who wish to emphasize the Christian nature of the holiday, worth savoring slowly during the Christmas season. (Poetry/religion. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5419-3
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Eerdmans
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
Kids probably wouldn’t want to drink juice produced by bare feet, but that prospect is more intriguing than this minor...
A dog makes an unexpected discovery just before Shabbat.
When Jodie, who wants to be an archaeologist like her father, takes her dog for a walk, the animal accidentally falls down a hole. Searching for her pet, Jodie also tumbles into the shallow pit; happily, child and canine are unhurt and climb out. Curious, Jodie asks her dad to take a look. He explains that in biblical times, it was a wine press, in which people stomped on grapes with bare feet to squeeze out the liquid. Having pondered what to give her father for his upcoming birthday, she now has an idea and discusses it with his archaeologist friend, who approves: Jodie and her friends will clean out the pit and re-create the ancients’ juice-producing method, thus devising an “old” present. The bright, loose watercolors work with the text, depicting modern-day scenes in full color and biblical re-creations in sepia tones. They are disappointingly static, and faces aren’t particularly well-defined. A point of logic may be missed by youngsters, but adults will find it hard to credit that a heretofore-undiscovered ancient site goes ignored and uninvestigated by scientists yet is allowed to be cleared of debris by children and then used for the playful squashing of grapes. Authenticity seems beside the point here—though the author’s note explains the story is based in fact—and Shabbat is irrelevant to the events.
Kids probably wouldn’t want to drink juice produced by bare feet, but that prospect is more intriguing than this minor effort. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4677-3465-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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