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JEWELS

African-American heritage and history is personally lauded in a summer of stories told to Lea Mae by her great-grandmother Lea Mae, or 'Ma dear, for whom she is named. From her rocking chair on the front porch, 'Ma dear spins generational tales stretching back to slavery, when her ancestor was helped along the Underground Railroad by Harriet Tubman. Additional anecdotes hopscotch in time, to include the birth of Lea Mae's grandmother in a room without electricity, the adventures of her great-great-great-grandfather in the Civil War, and her own 'Ma dear's early days in New York City, surrounded by such musical luminaries as Count Basie and Duke Ellington. Pop Henry approaches a tone of preaching when he imparts the secret of life to Lea Mae, which is not to be bitter in the face of racism. This rosy memory piece paints a fond picture of intergenerational affection, cozily augmented with dappled watercolors; it's a sustaining, family-centered milieu, lovingly reflected in the misty-eyed, dreamy expressions on Lea Mae's and her relatives' faces. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1998

ISBN: 0-525-67502-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Dutton

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1997

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I WISH YOU MORE

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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BERRY MAGIC

Sloat collaborates with Huffman, a Yu’pik storyteller, to infuse a traditional “origins” tale with the joy of creating. Hearing the old women of her village grumble that they have only tasteless crowberries for the fall feast’s akutaq—described as “Eskimo ice cream,” though the recipe at the end includes mixing in shredded fish and lard—young Anana carefully fashions three dolls, then sings and dances them to life. Away they bound, to cover the hills with cranberries, blueberries, and salmonberries. Sloat dresses her smiling figures in mixes of furs and brightly patterned garb, and sends them tumbling exuberantly through grassy tundra scenes as wildlife large and small gathers to look on. Despite obtrusively inserted pronunciations for Yu’pik words in the text, young readers will be captivated by the action, and by Anana’s infectious delight. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)

Pub Date: June 1, 2004

ISBN: 0-88240-575-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004

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