Weaving together important themes in Native Alaskan culture, Hall (The Hard to Swallow Tale of Jonah and the Whale, not reviewed, etc.) creates a hauntingly original story. Seeing the earth for the first time, Raven who lives “in a land above the sky” creates humans and other creatures to inhabit this beautiful place and bestows upon them “a special song . . . to remind them to love and respect the life around them.” But as the people grow greedy and violent, Raven casts the world in darkness and ice by taking away the sun. As he flies away, Raven plucks a “farewell feather from his breast.” Eventually, that feather falls to earth and into an icy stream. It is swallowed by a woman who goes on to give birth to a child named “Little Darkness.” When he is older, the child travels to the place where Raven lives and, seeing sunlight for the first time, picks through an icy mountain to uncover its glow. Just as he is about to unveil the sun, a piece of ice breaks away and sends Little Darkness tumbling towards his death. At that moment, Raven swoops down to save him. With Little Darkness on his back, Raven seizes the sun and replaces it in the sky, revealing Little Darkness to his worried mother and casting light upon the long-darkened world. Luxurious in detail and rendered in a rich, naturalistic palette, Hall’s intricate illustration have a folkloric feel. This, coupled with her unique perspective on a common theme, make the dramatic read-aloud an easy addition to multicultural collections. (Picture book/folktale. 5-9)
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-8028-5225-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Eerdmans
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2002
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
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
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