The African savanna is the setting for this lighthearted story about new experiences. Meto is a small boy who lives with his family and animals in a very small village. A tourist family comes to visit and Meto thinks they look funny wearing all those clothes and using their photographic machines. But he shows his goat to the little girl visitor, who, it seems, must love animals since she has one in her arms wearing a bright ribbon around its neck. After the visit, Meto discovers that the little girl has left her animal behind and he runs to catch up with the family. He asks the hippopotami, the elephants, and the giraffes if they have seen them and each asks to see what Meto is carrying. Meto rides on the giraffe’s back with all of the animals hurrying behind and finally, just before the family boards the plane, he returns the animal to the little girl who cries out, “ ‘My bear! My bear!’ ” In return, she gives Meto her red hair ribbon for his goat. “Bear! That must be the name of the little animal!” “ ‘The first bear in all of Africa,’ ” says the lion cub. “ ‘How extraordinary!’ they all marvel.” Soft, gentle watercolors exactly suit the story and highlight the charming denizens that Meto meets on his journey. The tourists and Meto’s family are depicted in a friendly atmosphere, with all of them posing for a photo before departing. A satisfying idea that will delight young children and a text that adults will not mind reading again, as they surely will be asked to do. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: April 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-399-23485-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2001
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
Through quick thinking and personal sacrifice, a wise old Japanese farmer saves the people of his village from a devastating tsunami in this simple yet striking story based on Lafcadio Hearn’s “A Living God.” Ojiisan lives in a cottage on a mountain overlooking the village and sea. One day, villagers gather to celebrate the rice harvest, but Ojiisan stays home thinking “something does not feel right.” When the earth quakes and the sea darkens and runs away from the land, Ojiisan realizes a tsunami approaches. Fearing the oblivious villagers will be swept away, Ojiisan torches his rice fields to attract attention, and they respond, barely escaping the monster wave. Rendered in gouache, pastel and collage, Young’s illustrations cleverly combine natural textures, bold colors and abstract shapes to convey compelling images of chaos and disaster as the rice fields burn and the wave rushes in. In one literally breathtaking double-page spread, an enormous wall of water engulfs the teeny seacoast village. A visually powerful and dramatic tribute to one man’s willingness to sacrifice everything for others. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25006-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
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