A grim cautionary tale reworked as a short adventure with a happy ending for primary grade readers and listeners.
Playing by the loch on a sunny afternoon, the blacksmith's five children find a beautiful white horse and attempt to ride it, only to be nearly drowned.
In this latest addition to a series of retellings of Scottish folk and fairy tales, the author uses elements of various traditional versions and acknowledges several collections of Scottish tales as source material. But Don makes her story far gentler than many. The youngest child, Flora, is the principal: the one who finds the beautiful white horse, figures out its true identity as a shape-shifting kelpie, and saves her siblings. No children die, and no fingers have to be cut off, only a piece of the creature’s mane. Sadly, though the story is told smoothly, with interesting language and plentiful dialogue, it never really comes to life. There are some Scottish words and usages: "Don't be daft," says Fergus when Flora refuses to get on the horse. But neither words nor images provide a strong sense of place. The illustrations, full of lines and swirls suggesting action, don't help to draw readers in. The characters are distant, even in close-up portrayals, looking down and away from readers. The colors are muted, just like the tale.
A grim cautionary tale reworked as a short adventure with a happy ending for primary grade readers and listeners. (Picture book/folk tale. 7-9)Pub Date: May 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-78250-253-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kelpies
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2016
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Steer Cthulhu-craving kiddies to Charles Gilman’s fearful and funny Lovecraft Middle School.
Dr. Fell, foul fiend or friend to children?
The last house on Hardscrabble Street, empty and old, has always been a playground for the local children, so when a “sold” sign appears in the yard, no one’s pleased. Jerry and Gail Bloom and Gail’s friend Nancy Pinkblossom meet their new neighbor, the wizened Dr. Fell, and bemoan the loss of their play space. A few days later, a fantastical playground of pirate ships and castle towers appears in Dr. Fell’s yard. Before long, children start getting hurt there, but every injury on Dr. Fell’s playground heals quickly under his care. Gail, Jerry, and Nancy grow suspicious, especially when their parents start acting strangely. Then Gail returns from a visit to Dr. Fell acting brainwashed. Her friend and brother cure her, but as Dr. Fell’s control of the town grows, the trio realizes something terribly sinister’s afoot. Can they head it off? Actor and storyteller Neilsen’s debut tries too hard from the start. Dr. Fell speaks in purple prose and then translates himself nearly every time he converses, a characterization tic that grows old quickly. Repetition of humorless gags and forced quirkiness in nomenclature cannot be saved by a shallow attempt at Lovecraft-ian horror far too late in the tale. Terry’s black-and-white illustrations add atmosphere and depict an evidently all-white cast.
Steer Cthulhu-craving kiddies to Charles Gilman’s fearful and funny Lovecraft Middle School. (Adventure. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 9, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-93578-1
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
Ethically iffy there at the end but overall a lighter-than-air escapade with just a light wash of satire.
A Bird Scout scavenger hunt sends avian buddies Speed Bump and Slingshot into that scariest of all places…a shopping mall.
Little Speed Bump is understandably frantic as he sets out late to gather “something that turns, / something that’s pink, / something that burns, / something that stinks” to earn his Scavenger Badge. Guided by an overcaffeinated nuthatch, the two Bird Scouts slip through the glass doors into a crowded mall. There they are so beguiled by the pleasures of the food court (pizza crumbs, french fries, and “Pieces of cookie WITH CHOCOLATE STILL IN THEM!”) that they doze past closing time. One spooky night later, Speed Bump stows away in a purse to get out—and is trapped in a car that speeds off, with his would-be rescuers flapping desperately in pursuit. Coverly casts the outing partly in short passages of narrative but mostly in big, loosely drawn pen-and-ink cartoons with dialogue balloons and no end of sight gags, from a “Moltzart” poster in Speed Bump’s bedroom to shops with names like “Starbeaks” and “Bird Bath & Beyond.” Human figures are mostly white when they’re not just scribbles in the background. Ultimately the Scouts earn their badges by ransacking that purse for a key, lipstick, red-hot candies, and a spritzer of “Parfum.”
Ethically iffy there at the end but overall a lighter-than-air escapade with just a light wash of satire. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 7-9)Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8050-8887-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
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BOOK REVIEW
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