A bilingual tale deftly illuminates the life of a famous figure in the history of the Americas.
A debut picture book depicts a well-known leader from the history of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
This work presents a bilingual biography of Anacaona, a cacique, or chief, on the island of Quisqueya (Hispaniola) at the time of European contact. The book, which presents the text in English and Spanish on facing pages, begins with Anacaona’s birth and childhood, continues through her successful leadership of the community and her death at the hands of the Spanish, and concludes with an assessment of her portrayal in Haitian and Dominican culture in the centuries since her rule. The narrative has the feeling of a legend that has been passed down through generations, with a clear sense of destiny from the moment Anacaona is born to parents who, though they had other children, felt something “was missing in their lives.” Her achievements follow naturally from that beginning, and the ending, while tragic, fits entirely into the tale’s framework. Torres has a firm grasp of Anacaona’s history and does an excellent job of highlighting key moments and making them accessible to young readers. (The text includes descriptions of cruelty and violence that are not excessive but may be too intense for some children.) The 10-year-old author’s writing in both English and Spanish is strong and elegant. And the brightly colored images by debut illustrator Ocampo complement the text and bring the story’s Caribbean setting to life.
A bilingual tale deftly illuminates the life of a famous figure in the history of the Americas.Pub Date: Oct. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-73313-921-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Cayena Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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