Yolen introduces a grand collection of 14 tales with a letter to her sons and grandsons. Each features clever males as heroes who stick to their word and never resort to force. The young lad in “The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs” uses his respectful behavior to enlist the Devil’s own grandmother’s help with obtaining the hairs as well as the answer to three questions for which he’s richly rewarded. In a lesser-known Israeli tale, “And Who Cured the Princess?,” three brothers work together to use their cleverness to cure the princess and win, for one of them, her hand in marriage. Several tales have new twists, such as “Jack and His Companions,” reminiscent of the Bremen Town Musicians, but here the treasures are returned to their rightful owner. Yolen, an undisputable queen of storytelling, shines with these retellings. Colón’s black-and-white scratchboard drawings are scattered throughout, presenting a troll just menacing enough, a shepherd just confident enough, and a princess just—well, just demure. A stellar read-aloud volume as well as just right for independent readers. (Folktales. 8-12)
Pub Date: May 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-15-216391-3
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Silver Whistle/Harcourt
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2003
Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay.
Renowned Latin American writer Alvarez has created another story about cultural identity, but this time the primary character is 11-year-old Miguel Guzmán.
When Tía Lola arrives to help the family, Miguel and his hermana, Juanita, have just moved from New York City to Vermont with their recently divorced mother. The last thing Miguel wants, as he's trying to fit into a predominantly white community, is a flamboyant aunt who doesn't speak a word of English. Tía Lola, however, knows a language that defies words; she quickly charms and befriends all the neighbors. She can also cook exotic food, dance (anywhere, anytime), plan fun parties, and tell enchanting stories. Eventually, Tía Lola and the children swap English and Spanish ejercicios, but the true lesson is "mutual understanding." Peppered with Spanish words and phrases, Alvarez makes the reader as much a part of the "language" lessons as the characters. This story seamlessly weaves two culturaswhile letting each remain intact, just as Miguel is learning to do with his own life. Like all good stories, this one incorporates a lesson just subtle enough that readers will forget they're being taught, but in the end will understand themselves, and others, a little better, regardless of la lengua nativa—the mother tongue.
Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-375-80215-0
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
With comically realistic black-and-white illustrations by Selznick (The Robot King, 1995, etc.), this is a captivating...
Nicholas is a bright boy who likes to make trouble at school, creatively.
When he decides to torment his fifth-grade English teacher, Mrs. Granger (who is just as smart as he is), by getting everyone in the class to replace the word "pen'' with "frindle,'' he unleashes a series of events that rapidly spins out of control. If there's any justice in the world, Clements (Temple Cat, 1995, etc.) may have something of a classic on his hands. By turns amusing and adroit, this first novel is also utterly satisfying. The chess-like sparring between the gifted Nicholas and his crafty teacher is enthralling, while Mrs. Granger is that rarest of the breed: a teacher the children fear and complain about for the school year, and love and respect forever after.
With comically realistic black-and-white illustrations by Selznick (The Robot King, 1995, etc.), this is a captivating tale—one to press upon children, and one they'll be passing among themselves. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-689-80669-8
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1996
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