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THE CROW WHO STOOD ON HIS BEAK

Name: THE CROW WHO STOOD ON HIS BEAK
Author: Rafik Schami
ISBN: 1-55858-527-3

by Rafik Schami & translated by Anthea Bell & illustrated by Els Cools & Oliver Streitch ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1996

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A celebration of one who dares to be different, with some discordant notes along the way. A young crow lives with his mother among all the other crows. His mother, whose mate was killed by an eagle, must find food by herself and has to leave the little crow home alone. The other, presumably two-parent, crow families think he is a bad influence on their babies when he wanders through the branches on his own. Worse, he stands on his beak when he's bored. One day, a grandmother entertains the youngsters with a tale about a peacock. The young crow is so intrigued that he sets off to find the bird. He learns that the peacock's feathers are impressive, but so is his own ability to stand on his beak. When the peacock loses its tail feathers, the book ends with a moral about pride. Energetic illustrations feature an ebulliently resourceful hero, but the many messages are confusing: This is, all at once, a story about the struggles of a single parent, the sin of pride, and a reminder to be true to one's self. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: May 1, 1996

ISBN: 1-55858-527-3

Page Count: 30

Publisher: NorthSouth

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1996

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
THE STORYTELLER OF DAMASCUS
by Rafik Schami ; illustrated by Peter Knorr ; translated by Hiltrud Schulz & Michel Moushabeck

- BOOK REVIEW
A HAND FULL OF STARS
by Rafik Schami ; translated by Rika Lesser

- BOOK REVIEW
FATIMA AND THE DREAM THIEF
by Rafik Schami & translated by Anthea Bell & illustrated by Els Cools & Oliver Streitch

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I WISH YOU MORE

by Amy Krouse Rosenthal ; illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2015

Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
EASTER BUNNY HELPER
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal & Christy Webster ; illustrated by Brigette Barrager & Chiara Fiorentino

- BOOK REVIEW
MOO-MOO, I LOVE YOU!
by Tom Lichtenheld & Amy Krouse Rosenthal ; illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld

- BOOK REVIEW
CHOO-CHOO SCHOOL
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal ; illustrated by Mike Yamada

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RAPUNZEL

adapted by Rachel Isadora & illustrated by Rachel Isadora ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2008

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Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your dreads! Isadora once again plies her hand using colorful, textured collages to depict her fourth fairy tale relocated to Africa. The narrative follows the basic story line: Taken by an evil sorceress at birth, Rapunzel is imprisoned in a tower; Rapunzel and the prince “get married” in the tower and she gets pregnant. The sorceress cuts off Rapunzel’s hair and tricks the prince, who throws himself from the tower and is blinded by thorns. The terse ending states: “The prince led Rapunzel and their twins to his kingdom, where they were received with great joy and lived happily every after.” Facial features, clothing, dreadlocks, vultures and the prince riding a zebra convey a generic African setting, but at times, the mixture of patterns and textures obfuscates the scenes. The textile and grain characteristic of the hewn art lacks the elegant romance of Zelinksy’s Caldecott version. Not a first purchase, but useful in comparing renditions to incorporate a multicultural aspect. (Picture book/fairy tale. 6-8)