A picture-book catalogue of creatures of Greek myth is rendered in such a way that Phidippides would never recognize them. Fanelli (Dear Diary, 2000, etc.) offers up a smorgasbord of monsters, from Argus to the Sphinx, along with bare snippets of information about each one (“Pegasus carried Bellerophon in his battle with the fire-breathing Chimaera”). The art is mixed-media collage in a muted palette; it makes no attempt to create lifelike representations of its subjects, presenting instead spike-nosed cut-paper ovals atop variously shaped bodies. The figures are unlovely to begin with, and become downright unsettling when one realizes that cut-out photographs of human eyes are used for the creatures’ eyes (this effect is particularly creepy on 100-eyed Argus). One might justifiably argue that creatures of myth have no basis in reality and therefore should not strive to achieve the realism of, say, ancient Greek statuary. The very distinctive depictions present a model of artistic engagement with story that rejects the conventional and embraces personal imagination. This offering is unlikely to spawn equally fantastical and creative imaginings on the part of its readers, however, as the monsters are presented to the child reader almost entirely without context—they occupy a sort of nightmare world devoid of the stories that would bring them to life. It is the rare member of the picture book audience that would have the necessary background in Greek mythology to allow her to understand and appreciate the artistic vision contained herein. One is left with just one word: Why? (Picture book/nonfiction. 3-7)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-7636-1907-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Vital messages of self-love for darker-skinned children.
On hot summer nights, Amani’s parents permit her to go outside and play in the apartment courtyard, where the breeze is cool and her friends are waiting.
The children jump rope to the sounds of music as it floats through a neighbor’s window, gaze at stars in the night sky, and play hide-and-seek in the moonlight. It is in the moonlight that Amani and her friends are themselves found by the moon, and it illumines the many shades of their skin, which vary from light tan to deep brown. In a world where darkness often evokes ideas of evil or fear, this book is a celebration of things that are dark and beautiful—like a child’s dark skin and the night in which she plays. The lines “Show everyone else how to embrace the night like you. Teach them how to be a night-owning girl like you” are as much an appeal for her to love and appreciate her dark skin as they are the exhortation for Amani to enjoy the night. There is a sense of security that flows throughout this book. The courtyard is safe and homelike. The moon, like an additional parent, seems to be watching the children from the sky. The charming full-bleed illustrations, done in washes of mostly deep blues and greens, make this a wonderful bedtime story.
Vital messages of self-love for darker-skinned children. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: July 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-525-55271-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
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