Gracefully teaches a critical life lesson.
Chia, an orphaned boy, is used to going to bed unloved and hungry until the night he hears an unusual noise.
Alone and with no one to care for him, Chia seeks refuge in the house of a rich man of the village, as is the custom. This winter, however, life is rough for everyone: Hunters and fishermen work hard, but they return home at night empty-handed. Still, Chia, like all the villagers, has chores to be done: cutting firewood, hauling water, feeding the dogs. One night, a fierce wind blasts open the door, and the rich man shouts for him to latch it. Chia will, but first he has a hunch. Going into the storm, he discovers Fox Man chopping at a glacier with a duguli. Spontaneously, Chia seizes the axe, reasoning that without it, Fox Man cannot continue causing the wind and snow. Chia narrates his story in the first person, describing his distress when Fox Man confronts him back in the rich man’s house, demanding his duguli back; he needs it for his work. Chia understands he’s done wrong and returns the tool—and the villagers’ fortunes improve. The Atwaters retell this Alaskan Dena’ina teaching story, learned from their great uncle, folding Dena’ina words in where appropriate. (Phonetic pronunciations are provided on the page, and there is a glossary in the backmatter.) Dwyer’s muted but lively use of color and line brings the story to life.
Gracefully teaches a critical life lesson. (Picture book/folk tale. 4-8)Pub Date: March 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5132-6267-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Alaska Northwest Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
A well-meaning but lackluster tribute.
Readers bid farewell to a beloved canine character.
Momo is—or was—an adorable and very photogenic border collie owned by author Knapp. The many readers who loved him in the previous half-dozen books are in for a shock with this one. “Momo had died” is the stark reality—and there are no photographs of him here. Instead, Momo has been replaced by a flat cartoonish pastiche with strange, staring round white eyes, inserted into some of Knapp’s photography (which remains appealing, insofar as it can be discerned under the mixed media). Previous books contained few or no words. Unfortunately, virtuosity behind a lens does not guarantee mastery of verse. The art here is accompanied by words that sometimes rhyme but never find a workable or predictable rhythm (“We’d fetch and we’d catch, / we’d run and we’d jump. Every day we found new / games to play”). It’s a pity, because the subject—a pet’s death—is an important one to address with children. Of course, Momo isn’t gone; he can still be found “everywhere” in memories. But alas, he can be found here only in the crude depictions of the darling dog so well known from the earlier books.
A well-meaning but lackluster tribute. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781683693864
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Quirk Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
Another playful imagination-stretcher.
Markle invites children to picture themselves living in the homes of 11 wild animals.
As in previous entries in the series, McWilliam’s illustrations of a diverse cast of young people fancifully imitating wild creatures are paired with close-up photos of each animal in a like natural setting. The left side of one spread includes a photo of a black bear nestling in a cozy winter den, while the right side features an image of a human one cuddled up with a bear. On another spread, opposite a photo of honeybees tending to newly hatched offspring, a human “larva” lounges at ease in a honeycomb cell, game controller in hand, as insect attendants dish up goodies. A child with an eye patch reclines on an orb weaver spider’s web, while another wearing a head scarf constructs a castle in a subterranean chamber with help from mound-building termites. Markle adds simple remarks about each type of den, nest, or burrow and basic facts about its typical residents, then closes with a reassuring reminder to readers that they don’t have to live as animals do, because they will “always live where people live.” A select gallery of traditional homes, from igloo and yurt to mudhif, follows a final view of the young cast waving from a variety of differently styled windows.
Another playful imagination-stretcher. (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781339049052
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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