A lighthearted book that blends magic with earthly themes and the loftier nature of all things.
Waterland presents an episodic children’s book about magical people, magical creatures, and grand life lessons.
While looking for amethyst crystals in Tree Forest, an accident causes magic-using fairy Auntie Hoolahoop to lose a wing and go falling through the clouds before landing under the nose of Mrs. Grupple, a sleeping yellow dog on Redbush Ranch. Luckily, her niece Quizzle, her friend Pinky Palm—an “everyanimal,” who is seen by others as a reflection of themselves —and Dragonfly and Hummingbird ensure everyone’s safe return home. The following summer, it’s time for Quizzle’s “flying up party” and she’s nervous about her command of her fairy wings. Pinky’s ordered a special present for Quizzle: a guardian angel named Titania with a magical whistle. A reassuring look from Pinky gives Quizzle the confidence she needs, and she flies into the party, then up and away through the ozone layer: “The Earth was as one body, populated with perfect little beings….Indeed, like waves in an ocean, they were each a different expression of the same thing—love.” On Halloween night, Wag the witch, angry that she wasn’t invited to Quizzle’s party, kidnaps Quizzle and Titania. The pair are terrified and lost in a dark tunnel until Quizzle remembers Titania’s whistle, which gives her some hope, and her fear decreases: “As their faith grew, the wicked witch began to shrink.” The creatures of this world are shown to learn things through experience, and a clear philosophy of love, empathy, and the mysteries of life connects each episode of the book. Pinky’s empathetic nature and his love for Quizzle lead him to find a new “me” identity without compromising his everyanimal abilities. Heyman’s black-and-white drawings with occasional colorful full-page illustrations ably decorate the narrative, which spans an entire year. Waterland’s prose features occasional cheeky rhymes, moments of humor, and detailed characterization—even of trees in the forest. No character is portrayed as completely evil; antagonists’ vulnerabilities are revealed, and foes often turn to friends.
A lighthearted book that blends magic with earthly themes and the loftier nature of all things.Pub Date: June 19, 2023
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 145
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: July 10, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
However the compelling fitness of theme and event and the apt but unexpected imagery (the opening sentences compare the...
At a time when death has become an acceptable, even voguish subject in children's fiction, Natalie Babbitt comes through with a stylistic gem about living forever.
Protected Winnie, the ten-year-old heroine, is not immortal, but when she comes upon young Jesse Tuck drinking from a secret spring in her parents' woods, she finds herself involved with a family who, having innocently drunk the same water some 87 years earlier, haven't aged a moment since. Though the mood is delicate, there is no lack of action, with the Tucks (previously suspected of witchcraft) now pursued for kidnapping Winnie; Mae Tuck, the middle aged mother, striking and killing a stranger who is onto their secret and would sell the water; and Winnie taking Mae's place in prison so that the Tucks can get away before she is hanged from the neck until....? Though Babbitt makes the family a sad one, most of their reasons for discontent are circumstantial and there isn't a great deal of wisdom to be gleaned from their fate or Winnie's decision not to share it.
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1975
ISBN: 0312369816
Page Count: 164
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1975
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after.
Drake has been selected by the king to serve as a Dragon Master, quite a change for an 8-year-old farmer boy.
The dragons are a secret, and the reason King Roland has them is a mystery, but what is clear is that the Dragon Stone has identified Drake as one of the rare few children who have a special connection with dragons and the ability to serve as a trainer. Drake’s dragon is a long brown creature with, at first, no particular talents that Drake can identify. He calls the dragon Worm. It isn’t long before Drake begins to realize he has a very strong connection with Worm and can share what seem to be his dragon’s thoughts. After one of the other Dragon Masters decides to illicitly take the dragons outside, disaster strikes. The cave they are passing through collapses, blocking the passageway, and then Worm’s special talent becomes evident. The first of a new series of early chapter books, this entry is sure to attract fans. Brief chapters, large print, lots of action, attractive illustrations in every spread, including a maplike panorama, an enviable protagonist—who wouldn’t want to be a Dragon Master?—all combine to make an entertaining read.
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after. (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-64624-6
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Branches/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
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