Suggesting an alternative to the natural pleasures of instant gratification, this understated tale promotes the virtue of waiting to see what happens. One day, a favorite tree offers a flower to the narrator—who is depicted standing on two legs but otherwise resembles a small, generic woodland creature—and a suggestion: “But if you don’t pick it straight away, if you wait, the flower will change into a fruit.” So it does, in time, and in more time it ripens. Again the tree offers a choice: “You can pick it. But if you bury it, it’ll sprout and a new tree will grow.” Again the narrator opts for patience, and after more time, plus a bit of TLC, the world is enriched by a tiny new resident that bows gratefully to its nurturer. Simple watercolors, some as small as fingernails, accompany this import’s legible, hand-lettered text, so it’s best suited for individual reading or sharing one-on-one. Even less reflective children will absorb the indirect environmental message. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 2007
ISBN: 1-905341-07-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: WingedChariot
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2007
Retold from Tuscan sources, this brief, amiable version of a tale better known as ``Clever Manka'' is matched to appropriately informal illustrations, but neither text nor art does the story justice. Caterina's quick wit earns her a royal marriage, but her new husband soon becomes annoyed at having his decisions constantly questioned. Finally he sends her back to her father, telling her to take what she values most—and he wakes up the next morning in a farmhouse bed. Suffusing the spacious landscapes and interior scenes with an even, golden light, Giannini lavishes more care and attention on details of Renaissance dress, gardens, and furniture than on his generic-looking characters, and viewers may find themselves as often as not distracted from the foreground action. Peterson tells the story in a simple, unornamented way, but the idiom varies from ``If you will not reveal me, I will give you this advice,'' to ``This palace is not big enough for both of us.'' Some of Caterina's cleverness remains a mystery to readers; the king proposes after what is described only as ``a witty conversation in the throne room,'' and it's his idea rather than (as in other versions) hers to take such a parting gift. There are not many folktales that are both nonviolent and feature a capable female lead; use this to introduce younger readers to the story, then offer them more developed versions as soon as possible. (Picture book/folklore. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8037-1181-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1996
A book of pictures and rhymes about life in a girls' camp, highly original in style, but sadly undistinguished in substance, from veteran collaborators (Dreamplace, 1993, etc.). Each two-page spread is filled with three overlapping watercolor pictures, with a big picture framing a smaller picture, and the smaller picture framing the smallest picture, so that only the edges of the two larger pictures are visible. Each of the three pictures is labeled in big block letters with a two-word rhyme: ``high sky/back pack/snail trail.'' The overlapping images are related to one another in a number of different ways with interesting visual effects. Two drawbacks: Catalanotto's paintings, as always, are skillful, but without a trace of excitement and often at cross-purposes with the playfully abstract layout of the book. Second, Lyon's rhymes evoke camp life and hiking trips, but are otherwise lifeless. What drives the book is the design alone; it may not be enough to keep and hold readers. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-531-09504-5
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Orchard
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1996
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