Jack is a cut-paper frog, applied to the page, whom Walsh (Samantha, 1996, etc.) uses to explain the broadest elements of a fairy tale: the challenge, the mettle tested, the happily ever after. The story opens with a writer contemplating a fairy-tale project. There will be royalty involved, and trolls—and Jack. He balks: ``Leave me out. Fairy tales aren't safe—I saw those trolls.'' At the writer's coaxing, Jack reluctantly agrees to participate. Thus the tale unfolds. The princess is abducted by trolls, the king calls on Jack to save the fair maiden, the trolls fall to bickering and pose no problem, there's a rescue, and a return. Walsh cleverly unravels the mechanics of the tale as she merrily erects its structure, but that unraveling also defeats any possibility of tension or drama—the very stuff of fairy tales. The expressionless, unblinking, upright hero, his damsel, and their foes further drain the story of interest, past the intriguing opening. Pair this with real fairy tales at story hours, for children will love the idea of the protagonist being persuaded to take on his task, and will want to apply Jack's formula, not only to see when it ``works,'' but when it varies, as well. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-15-200323-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1997
A book that will make young dog-owners smile in recognition and confirm dogless readers' worst suspicions about the mayhem caused by pets, even winsome ones. Sam, who bears passing resemblance to an affable golden retriever, is praised for fetching the family newspaper, and goes on to fetch every other newspaper on the block. In the next story, only the children love Sam's swimming; he is yelled at by lifeguards and fishermen alike when he splashes through every watering hole he can find. Finally, there is woe to the entire family when Sam is bored and lonely for one long night. Boland has an essential message, captured in both both story and illustrations of this Easy-to-Read: Kids and dogs belong together, especially when it's a fun-loving canine like Sam. An appealing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8037-1530-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions.
Ellis, known for her illustrations for Colin Meloy’s Wildwood series, here riffs on the concept of “home.”
Shifting among homes mundane and speculative, contemporary and not, Ellis begins and ends with views of her own home and a peek into her studio. She highlights palaces and mansions, but she also takes readers to animal homes and a certain famously folkloric shoe (whose iconic Old Woman manages a passel of multiethnic kids absorbed in daring games). One spread showcases “some folks” who “live on the road”; a band unloads its tour bus in front of a theater marquee. Ellis’ compelling ink and gouache paintings, in a palette of blue-grays, sepia and brick red, depict scenes ranging from mythical, underwater Atlantis to a distant moonscape. Another spread, depicting a garden and large building under connected, transparent domes, invites readers to wonder: “Who in the world lives here? / And why?” (Earth is seen as a distant blue marble.) Some of Ellis’ chosen depictions, oddly juxtaposed and stripped of any historical or cultural context due to the stylized design and spare text, become stereotypical. “Some homes are boats. / Some homes are wigwams.” A sailing ship’s crew seems poised to land near a trio of men clad in breechcloths—otherwise unidentified and unremarked upon.
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6529-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
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