PLB 0-06-027487-5 In this goofy entry in the I Can Read series, Little Wolf and Big Wolf have googly eyes, big teeth, and loud clothing; in three chapters they discover friendship and identity. When they first meet, they find things that they almost have in common: Little Wolf likes to pick daisies and Big Wolf likes to eat them; Little Wolf likes to paint faces on stones and Big Wolf prefers skipping them over the pond. In simple but clear language, their negotiation of their differences is comprehensible even to a small child. In the second chapter, in a subversive take on the cleaning-up-for-company theme, Little Wolf hires Busy Bear Cleaning Service to go to work on his house; Big Wolf comes over just in time to turn the pristine place into its earlier messy but comfortable state. In the last section, Little Wolf sets out to invite his friends to a party, and Big Wolf sets out to gather food; when Little Wolf can’t find his friends, guess who happens to be inside Big Wolf’s bag of eats? The quibble may be that the only female on the scene is a fussy cleaning woman, but if readers can stomach the message not to eat their friends, they’ll enjoy this zany pair—they make Frog and Toad look sedated. (Fiction. 6-8)
Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2000
ISBN: 0-06-027486-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 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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