If beanstalks are wondrous, Spirin proves it so, painting golden-lit panels with da Vinci-esque dark undertones. The watercolor and tempera paintings are paired with pages of text that tell the classic story of Jack and the Giant-Killer, based on an 1881 version in Horace Scudder’s The Children’s Book. Set in Tudor England, the variant tells of a fairy who appears, encouraging Jack to avenge the death of his father, killed by an evil giant. When Jack is cheated of his cow by a farmer, it is the fairy who transforms his lowly beans into a giant beanstalk. While no hairs are plucked from the giant’s beard, Jack gains, in each of his three adventures up the beanstalk, bags of gold, a hen that lays golden eggs, and a magic harp. He succeeds in chopping down the beanstalk, sending the giant crashing to his doom, although no mention is made of the fates of the giant’s wife and his child captives. Ornate borders with the appearance of fine brocades frame the text, while the giant is cast as a plump, toothy Cyrano, with mushroomy knees and toes as pudgy as bean pods, more roly-poly than frightening. Spirin may not surprise, but he certainly does delight. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-399-23118-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1999
Lunge-Larsen and Preus debut with this story of a flower that blooms for the first time to commemorate the uncommon courage of a girl who saves her people from illness. The girl, an Ojibwe of the northern woodlands, knows she must journey to the next village to get the healing herb, mash-ki- ki, for her people, who have all fallen ill. After lining her moccasins with rabbit fur, she braves a raging snowstorm and crosses a dark frozen lake to reach the village. Then, rather than wait for morning, she sets out for home while the villagers sleep. When she loses her moccasins in the deep snow, her bare feet are cut by icy shards, and bleed with every step until she reaches her home. The next spring beautiful lady slippers bloom from the place where her moccasins were lost, and from every spot her injured feet touched. Drawing on Ojibwe sources, the authors of this fluid retelling have peppered the tale with native words and have used traditional elements, e.g., giving voice to the forces of nature. The accompanying watercolors, with flowing lines, jewel tones, and decorative motifs, give stately credence to the story’s iconic aspects. (Picture book/folklore. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-395-90512-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1999
This vibrant, thoughtful book from Katz (Over the Moon, 1997) continues her tribute to her adopted daughter, Lena, born in Guatemala. Lena is “seven. I am the color of cinnamon. Mom says she could eat me up”; she learns during a painting lesson that to get the color brown, she will have to “mix red, yellow, black, and white paints.” They go for a walk to observe the many shades of brown: they see Sonia, who is the color of creamy peanut butter; Isabella, who is chocolate brown; Lucy, both peachy and tan; Jo-Jin, the color of honey; Kyle, “like leaves in fall”; Mr. Pellegrino, the color of pizza crust, golden brown. Lena realizes that every shade is beautiful, then mixes her paints accordingly for portraits of her friends—“The colors of us!” Bold illustrations celebrate diversity with a child’s open-hearted sensibility and a mother’s love. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8050-5864-8
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
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