Another dazzler from Schenker though, like many of the Hausmärchen, a patchwork affair that plotwise doesn’t come close to...
The very first tale in the Brothers Grimm’s classic collection gets a lavish makeover.
Definitely not an exponent of inconspicuous book design, Schenker places finely rendered cut-paper figures with gold and silver highlights on sheets of clear acetate or plain expanses of creamy white and rich green paper for illustrations. The sheets are bound with exposed cords between plain black boards fronted by a die-cut title in an antique type, and the text—printed in several sizes, with gold initials and occasionally in green or gold ink—is a shortened and lightly burnished rendition of the 1857 and final version in an uncredited modern translation. Readers familiar with the sanitized versions and not so conscious of class expectations as formerly may well wonder what the prince, who is neither kissed nor allowed onto the royal bed but thrown against the wall, sees in the pouty, spoiled princess. It’s a question all right…but suddenly there he is, not only a hunk with “beautiful, friendly eyes,” but without further ado “her dear companion and husband.” Of the all-white cast only the prince’s servant Heinrich, the iron (gold, in the pictures) bands around his heart broken in joy, can likely look forward to a happy future.
Another dazzler from Schenker though, like many of the Hausmärchen, a patchwork affair that plotwise doesn’t come close to hanging together. (Picture book/fairy tale. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-988-8341-47-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: minedition
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A well-crafted, straightforward collection of the myths everyone needs to know.
The fabled world of ancient Greece comes alive through these 10 myths that feature some of the most powerful gods, fearless heroes and amazing animals in literature.
“The Creation” introduces Titans Kronos and Rhea, who spawned the twelve Olympians, led by Zeus, god of the sky, and the collection plunges along from there. Clayton’s deft storytelling transitions readers easily from story to story, grounding them in a setting of mountainous islands dominated by the hot sun and cool blue sea. Readers meet Pandora, created at Zeus’ behest as a tragically curious beauty bearing gifts for the giant Epimetheus. The competition for the city of Athens between Athena, goddess of wisdom, and Poseidon, god of the sea, is seen as a struggle decided by a democratic vote. The grotesqueness of Medusa is countered by the human bravery of Perseus; the remorse of King Midas redeems him from his greed. The enchanting flying horse, Pegasus, aids Bellerophon in his conquest of the three-headed, fire-breathing chimera. Arachne’s transformation following her challenge of Athena brings the collection to a close. Each adventure or quest is followed by a very brief fact about Greece. Detailed and luminous, often diminutive watercolors and collage art illuminate each story’s theme.
A well-crafted, straightforward collection of the myths everyone needs to know. (map, notes, index of gods and heroes, sources) (Mythology. 7-9)Pub Date: July 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-84780-227-9
Page Count: 78
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
A broad, if hardly more than skin-deep, introduction to the topic.
Four double-foldout spreads literally extend this first gander at our body’s insides and outsides—to jumbo, if not quite life, size.
Labels, basic facts, and one-sentence comments surround full-length cartoon images of the skeleton, musculature, and major sections of the body on the foldouts. Selected parts from the brain on down to blood cells are covered on the leaves in between. Lacey dishes out explanations of major body systems and processes in resolutely nontechnical language: “When you eat, food goes on a long twisty journey, zigzagging through tubes and turning into a soupy mush for your body to use.” It’s lightly spiced with observations that, for instance, the “gluteus maximus” is the largest muscle or the spine is made up of “vertebrae.” So light is the once-over, however, that the lymphatic, renal, and most of the endocrine systems escape notice (kidneys, where are you?). Moreover, though printed on durable card stock, the foldouts make for unwieldy handling, and on some pages, images are so scattered that successive stages of various processes require numbering. Still, Web links on the publisher’s page will presumably help to cover the gaps (unavailable for review). An overview of human development from fertilization to adulthood precedes a closing flurry of height extremes and other “Amazing body facts” that provide proper closure for this elementary survey.
A broad, if hardly more than skin-deep, introduction to the topic. (Nonfiction. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7945-3596-4
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Usborne
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2015
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