A sprightly collection of perennially entertaining Grimm tales introduces Fischer’s brilliant illustrations to a new...
A selection of Grimm fairy tales showcases the late Fischer’s illustrations.
“The Musicians of Bremen” displays Fischer’s signature lively, minimalist black outlines brushed with bits of bold color to represent the clever animal musicians, judiciously arranged across pure white backgrounds. For night drama, the animals appear as black silhouettes against dark blue. In “Riff-Raff,” Fisher draws the self-indulgent rooster and hen with rougher, freer lines and uses what looks like colored pencil in muted hues instead of ink, orchestrating their hilarious antics against his preferred white backdrop. The wily, heroic cat in “Puss in Boots” is rendered in expressive, sketchy black-pencil outlines, capturing his facial expressions and postures. Vignettes of the cat alternate with full- and double-page dramatic scenes. “Rum-Pum-Pum” features characters from Grimm tales drawn in black pen and ink; they march across plain pages in joyous, wordless visual processions. The final section, entitled “Fairy Tale Pictures,” provides the full texts of “Red Riding Hood,” “Lucky Hans,” “The Hare and the Hedgehog,” “The Brave Little Tailor,” “Hansel and Gretel,” and “The Seven Ravens” with an impressive single-page, black-and-white drawing for each tale, visually incorporating its sequential events in surprising detail. Overall, the vigorous, energetic, humorous, visually delightful folk quality of Fisher’s art proves the perfect match for this Grimm assemblage. A brief biography of the artist concludes the collection.
A sprightly collection of perennially entertaining Grimm tales introduces Fischer’s brilliant illustrations to a new generation. (Fairy tales. 4-8)Pub Date: March 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4339-4
Page Count: 144
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: Nov. 20, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Rich illustrations, a familiar fairy-tale structure, and an upbeat message make this story a visually attractive,...
A Venetian glassmaker’s daughter resists attempts to cheer her up.
Daniela, the fair-skinned daughter of a prominent glassmaker in 16th-century Venice, is melancholy. Her concerned father offers the reward of a glass palace to the first person who can make Daniela smile. Many try, and here the narrative amiably bounces along: “Glove makers, tart bakers, trumpet players, dragon slayers” try their best, but Daniela remains glum. Enter Angelo, a fair-skinned young glassmaker who fashions a looking glass—something Daniela has never before encountered. He presents it to her, and as she looks into it, she sees a frowning face. She smiles, and the mirror smiles, then she laughs and the mirror laughs. Soon all of Venice is laughing along with Daniela’s laugh. Hofmeyr’s narrative conforms to the familiar, rescue-the-princess fairy-tale theme, but the addition of the looking glass lends it originality, and its ultimate message, that happiness lies within, is empowering if overt. An introductory note conveys information about historic Venetian glassmaking and the popularity of wearing decorative masks in Venice—facts that add considerable interest. Ray’s luxuriant-looking, well-designed illustrations in gouache, watercolor, and ink evoke a lush, multiracial Venice.
Rich illustrations, a familiar fairy-tale structure, and an upbeat message make this story a visually attractive, comfortable read. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-84780-676-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
Skip.
A compact survey of world myths and legends.
Explaining that “myths are stories people used to tell to explain things they didn’t understand about their history, nature, or the world around them” and that “legends may once have been based on truth” but “have become fabulous fantasies,” Lawrence presents a smattering of notable characters and tales. The Greeks get a fair amount of attention, with the stories of Heracles, Theseus, Jason, and Pandora each afforded a double-page spread. As the book is quite small (5 ¾ inches high by 7 ½ inches across), that’s just a few sentences each. Other characters are grouped thematically (Robin Hood, Sun Wukong, Finn McCool, and Kintaro are “heroes”; Baba Yaga, Baron Samedi, Medusa, and Set are “the bad guys”). Although it’s clear Lawrence has worked not to limit herself to European mythology, her efforts at inclusivity are ham-handed at best. Next to a picture that looks suspiciously like Disney’s Pocahontas is a brief blurb on the generic “Native American spirit Sky Woman” (printed in black ink on dark-purple paper, so many readers may skip this anyway). Stories from extant cosmologies are presented alongside dead ones with no explanation, so readers who don’t know better may come away thinking Hinduism is as passé as the Norse pantheon, for instance. Equally troubling, stories and figures from the Abrahamic traditions are entirely absent, setting up a false opposition among belief systems.
Skip. (Nonfiction. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-944530-11-2
Page Count: 72
Publisher: 360 Degrees
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 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.
bookshelf
