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Summary
Summary
Mama and Papa say it's time to leave the prairie, to start over somewhere new. But what about all that will be left behind? Things as familiar as a heartbeat -- an ocean of grass, an endless sky, a cottonwood tree. How do you remember those things that can't be packed up and taken away with you? Maybe it's true what Papa says. Maybe you'll remember because the place you know first stays with you forever, no matter where you may go.
1995 "Pick of the Lists" (ABA)Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3A child comes to terms with the fact that she and her family are leaving the prairie. She recalls the people and places she will missthe blacksmith, the ocean of grass, the drifting snow in winter. As she talks herself into acceptance, her Mama helps her let go, commenting that the baby will need someone to tell him where he came from. So the girl gathers mementosa bag of earth and a piece of cottonwood tree. There's no happy ending, no real anticipation of the new placejust a sense that the strength of family will carry them through. A novel hides in these few pages. As with Sarah, Plain and Tall (HarperCollins, 1985), the subtext vibrates. So much is told in each perfectly chosen phrase. The story is deep and specific, but the pain and denial of a child leaving a known and loved place is all too universal. Moser's finely wrought engravings, enhanced by moody tints, record the departure. The child is caught defiantly off center at first and later in the midst of the packing up. The people and places to be missed are given a solid reality. There is nothing sentimental in either text or illustration. These are strong people dealing with necessity. While this may not be the sort of light, charming book that has immediate group appeal, someone will find it. And for that someone, it will be just right.Sally Margolis, formerly at Deerfield Public Library, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Newbery Medalist MacLachlan's minimal, deeply resonant text centers on a girl whose parents have sold their farm on the prairie-clearly not by choice. As she anticipates all that she will miss and devises plots to avoid moving ("Or maybe/ I'll live in a tree./ The tall cottonwood that was small/ when Papa was small..."), the child pieces together the sights, sounds and tactile sensations of the only life she has ever known. Her parents' attempts to soften the blow don't appease the determined narrator: "Mama says there's an ocean/ In the new place./ And Papa says there are trees./ I don't need trees,/ Only the one./ I don't need an ocean/ I've got an ocean of grass." But there are words that do offer solace: "What you know first stays with you, my Papa says./ But just in case I forget/ I will take a twig of the cottonwood tree/ I will take a little bag of prairie dirt/ I cannot take the sky." Echoing the mournful tone of MacLachlan's poem are Moser's etchings, which place the story in the Depression. Finely detailed, each tinted subtly with a different color, the illustrations project austerity; they may be a bit severe for the average picture-book audience. The especially handsome book design weights every word with significance. Despite its somber tone, the first collaboration between this deservedly acclaimed duo touches the heart. All ages. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Illustrated by Diane Goode. An original story with echoes of an Irish shanachie's style in its phrasing draws on a familiar folkloric motif - that of wit triumphant. But other motifs are cleverly used as well in this captivating tale about luck. There are three pivotal characters: the feckless, over-eager Tooley; his sensible (and more intelligent) cat Gladsake; and a small rotund man named Hooks who is an unregenerate con artist. Convinced that this last is one of the Friendly Folk and a purveyor of good fortune, Tooley invites him to share hearth and home with hopes of having a change in his luck which the guest never really promises. The resulting events are a series of comic turns as the hapless Tooley becomes the slave of a demanding master. "'It's luck I wanted,' he moaned to the cat, 'and luck I got. All of it bad!'" But Gladsake comes up with a plan to evict their nemesis by convincing him that he will be attacked by the Gobbaleen, a most unfriendly spirit. The ruse works; Hooks is vanquished; and Tooley learns that he has to make his own luck. Diane Goode has captured the action in spirited illustrations with a sly touch of caricature to underscore the characterizations. Look for the changing expressions in Tooley's ancestral portraits for an added fillip. m.m.b Tedd Arnold, Author-Illustrator No More Water in the Tub! William loves to take deep baths, but his mother only allows the water to run for one more minute. His helpful brother, Walter, turns the handle so far that he pulls the faucet out, causing a flood to develop. William sails out of the apartment in his tub on a roaring cascade of water, followed by Walter, his toy dog, and his parents. On the next floor down, he picks up Miss Mabel Hattie, who is giving a card party. "Out went Mabel on the table." On the next floor live dedicated house-plant lovers, the Mattys - "Sue and Vern clung to a fern." The parade continues with Uncle Nash in the trash and Patty Fuzzle steering her puzzle - a jigsaw of the Titanic. Then it's little Dottie sailing her potty. Finally, with supreme good luck, the flood puts out a kitchen fire in the apartment of some string quartet players, which results in Mr. Bellow rowing his cello. The firemen give William a medal. But then we find it's all a story Walter has been telling William, enacted with a toy bathtub and sailor, and they start again with another flood that takes William sailing out of the window, down the fire escape, and out into the street. Young readers will love the ridiculous incidents and cumulative rhymes, and the illustrations of the bemused William and the astonished participants are hilarious. a.a.f. Istvan Banyai, Illustrator Re-Zoom In this wordless companion to Zoom (Viking), nothing is what it seems to be. The point of view of each picture pulls back as the pages progress, and each illustration becomes a small detail on the subsequent page. A cave painting becomes the design on a watch; the watch is on the wrist of an archaeologist in an Egyptian pyramid; the pyramid is actually the top of an obelisk; and the obelisk is really part of a drawing on a poster in a movie set. The last three pages reveal that the entire sequence was in a book being read by a boy in a subway, whose lights fade away into the darkness. The illustrations are executed with a thin pen line and colored in with flat colors; the visual effect is similar to that of some of the higher-quality European comics. The illustrations appear on the left page of each spread, with the right page a solid black. The simple execution combined with the absorbing, thought-provoking concept calls to mind Mitsumaso Anno's journey books. lolly robinson Jan Brett, Author-Illustrator Armadillo Rodeo The current Western craze has brought us cowboy lore, the history of jeans, and now the adventures of young Bo Armadillo. When he becomes separated from his mother and siblings, Bo, who has poor eyesight like most armadillos, mistakes a bright red boot for another armadillo - and thus begins his riotous journey. His commendable perseverance notwithstanding, Bo falls into one mishap after another and never does meet that other armadillo. The plot may be a little hard to believe, but this romp will have young fans cheering as Bo survives each close call. When truth finally dawns, a disappointed Bo is comfortingly reunited with Mom. The rodeo scenes are intriguing, and the surrounding western motifs, executed with Brett's usual exuberance and humor in both the illustrations and accompanying borders, will have youngsters poring over them. Good fun, Texas style. e.s.w. Margaret Wise Brown Little Donkey Close Your Eyes Illustrated by Ashley Wolff. "Wild young birds / that sweetly sing / Curve your heads / beneath your wing / Dark night covers / all the skies / Wild young birds / now close your eyes." A reissue with new illustrations, this simple lullaby, with its soothing rhythms, has the lovely, childlike quality of Goodnight Moon (Harper) - a quality that Margaret Wise Brown instinctively understood and that Ashley Wolff complements with traditionally composed illustrations. Yet, while these illustrations echo an earlier era, they are very much of the present moment, vibrant rather than static, remarkable for strong outlines, rich colors, and evocation of textures. Given the combination of visual enchantment and hypnotic text, who could resist the final injunction interpreted in a stylized panoramic landscape: "Little child / all tucked in bed / Looking such a sleepy head / Stars are quiet / in the skies / Little child / now close your eyes." m.m.b. Judith Caseley, Author-Illustrator Priscilla Twice "'I'll ask your mother what brand of peanut butter you like,' said her father. 'The all-together-family brand,' said Priscilla." But Priscilla's family is not together - her parents are getting a divorce - and "it's just not the same." In a sweetly understated story, Priscilla comes to accept the fact that "there are different kinds of families" and that mothers and fathers can love you just as much when they no longer live together. The storytelling is very strong, with a well-paced text that portrays both Priscilla's unhappiness and her parents' determination that she not feel guilty or unloved because of their divorce. The illustrations are full of just the right amount of detail to reinforce important aspects of the text while contributing to the mood through facial expressions, postures, and subtle use of color. The author has a gift for treating problem situations with reassuringly gentle humor. e.s.w. Richard Egielski, Author-Illustrator Buz An amusing picture book with a twist tells of Buz, a bug, who accidentally gets eaten along with a little boy's cornflakes. "You caught a bug alright," says the doctor, looking in the boy's eye, and prescribes some pills. The capsules appear to be policemen with flashlights and helmets, and the reader follows a wild chase through the boy's eyes and ears, with a high-tech display of the eardrum and the semicircular canals of the ear. But Buz escapes the policemen and exits from the boy's ear, arriving home sick and exhausted. The bug doctor prescribes some pills for the frenzied-appearing germ in his eye. The text is minimal, although amusing, but the real treat is the bright, gaudy, almost plastic-looking illustrations. The wild confusion of teeth, cornflakes, and bug inside the boy's mouth; the surprised bug frantically peering through the pupil of his eye; and Buz's escape, apparently during a bath, will all get a good poring-over from young readers. a.a.f. Lois Ehlert, Author-Illustrator Snowballs A good snowfall means terrific snowballs and great snow play. Birds probably know when snow is on the way, but kids anticipate a big snow by saving all kinds of "good stuff" like seeds, nuts, corn kernels, and colorful yarn. When snow does come, so can a "perfect snowball day" when the collected good stuff is used to create wonderful snow characters: a snow dad with raisin eyes and a corn kernel mouth; a snow dog named Spot, dotted with colorful buttons. All the members of the snow family, placed on vertical page spreads, extend the full length of the book; the perspective emphasizes the snow characters' height, allows life-sized objects to be used to decorate them, and enhances the drama of their inevitable demise when the golden sun comes out. Large, crisply lined, well-designed illustrations effectively blend open space, colorful paper cut-outs, and real objects. The pleasure in and effectiveness of the book are diluted, however, by the inclusion of much extraneous information. "Snow Info" appears on one double-page spread and includes a definition of snow, the three states of water, and life-sized gloves and mittens. (The differences between a Wisconsin and an Italian mitten and a Korean and Afghani glove remain unclear.) Color photographs of real snow play and snow creatures, with an explanation of "What makes it snow?" and a double-page spread of labeled everyday objects also seem to be an unnecessary, intrusive inclusion in an otherwise handsome book. m.b.s. Robyn Eversole The Flute Player/La Flautista Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. In a lyrical tribute to the power of music to soothe the spirit, Eversole, who first wrote the story in Spanish, tells of a flute player whose melodies float out of her apartment window to the outside world. On the floors beneath live an elderly couple, a woman far from her home by the sea, a little boy afraid of the dark, and a little girl whose "windows stayed shut against birdsongs." One day when the flute player tries to play, no sound comes from her instrument. As she is taking it to be repaired, she meets the little girl, who asks to try the flute. The girl blows hard, and out come owls to keep guard over the frightened boy, two fish for the woman homesick for the sea, flying geese whose feathers warm the old couple, and a nightingale for the girl. With the flute unclogged, the flute player once again plays the songs of the forest, the sky, and the sea - music for everyone. The symbolic nature of this fable need not be spelled out for younger children, who will enjoy its imaginative elements and appreciate the beauty in the sounds of the words. Karas's evocative illustrations are a sophisticated blend of real and surreal images that range from small, framed compositions reflecting the loneliness of the apartment dwellers to full-color, soaring pictures that bleed off the pages when the music is wafting overhead. What could easily have seemed forced or trite is instead an unusual and attractive book with a message about the universal nature of music. Text in both English and Spanish. n.v. Sara Fanelli, Author-Illustrator My Map Book Twelve maps of spaces, concepts, and time reveal the interests, surroundings, and alliances of a child. The energetic art is childlike in design and rendering, with no text except the labels found on each map. Mixed-media collage using construction paper and a few pieces cut from magazines seems to be colored with paints and oil pastels and includes line drawings and lettering in pen and thick pencil. Besides showing standard aerial views, the maps include a family tree for "Map of My Family"; a simple flow chart for "Map of My Day," with different options for weekdays and weekends; fanciful cut-away views for "Map of My Tummy" (showing food eaten) and "Map of My Heart" (showing friends, Mommy and Daddy, chocolate, and sunny days); and diagrams for "Color Map," "Map of My Dog," and "Map of My Face." The book is absorbing on its own, but it may also inspire readers to map their own lives. Although not useful for libraries, the dust jacket unfolds to reveal a poster-sized map on one side and a blank space on the reverse labeled "My Own Map" for a child's own creation. lolly robinson Faye Gibbons Night in the Barn Illustrated by Erick Ingraham. Spooky shapes and night noises set the mood in this simple, realistic story of four boys who decide to sleep in the barn on a darker-than-dark, cold autumn night. The occasion is a visit from city cousins, and there's a challenge thrown by the older of the two farm brothers: "Bet you're afraid to spend the night in the barn." The details of the boys' spooky sleepover, including the final rolling-away of the flickering flashlight, are delectable, and if the climactic entrance of a snuffling intruder ends predictably, the comfort is well earned. Economical text and dark paintings capture the setting and the experience of the boys to perfection. The rectangular pages are fully used, sometimes in facing scenes and other times in double-page spreads in which dim light blends effectively into the dark, where suggestions of faces brood in the murky recesses. The beautifully taut demonstration of universal anxiety in facing the night will strike empathy and deliver satisfaction to readers of all ages. m.a.b. Anita Jeram, Author-Illustrator Contrary Mary Small children and their parents are sure to smile in recognition at the antics of Mary, an irrepressible young mouse who spends a whole day doing contrary things. "She rode her bicycle backward. She went for a walk on her hands." "When they went to the store it was raining. 'Come under the umbrella, Mary,' said Mom. But Contrary Mary didn't. She just danced around, getting wet." Mom, who never quite loses her patience, has her own "contrary" moment at the end of the day when she tucks Mary in at the bottom of her bed, kisses her toes, and bids her "good morning." Mary's laughter at her contrary mom is the perfect satisfying close to this fine view of a quintessential manifestation of early childhood. Her small figure, cavorting in vignettes scattered around the large-print text, is reminiscent of the humorous guinea pigs Anita Jeram provided for Dick King-Smith's I Love Guinea Pigs (Candlewick). Jeram's economical choice of detail, the expressive figures, the cheerful tones, and the congenial pen and watercolor drawings are a winning combination. m.a.b. Helen Ketteman Luck with Potatoes Illustrated by Brian Floca. An original tall tale is set in the hills of Tennessee, where the land is poor and hilly. Farmer Clemmon Hardigree has more than the usual hard luck; he suffers from flash floods and rock slides, and his mule dies. He invests in mountain cows with short front legs and long hind legs for walking uphill, and holes in their ears so that they can tuck their legs through the holes, "form a tight ball, and roll down the mountain." They roll so well that their pasture caves in, forming a hollow, and they disappear. So Clemmon stubbornly plants potatoes in the hollow, ignoring the faint moos that he knows are cow ghosts. Well, those potatoes really take off and grow so big that each one fills the bed of his truck. He sells one to the army, and the cooks find a mountain cow inside. So Clemmon recovers all his cows, sells his potatoes, and wins large cash awards for accidentally building a long-needed dam and a tunnel - with uncontrollable runaway potatoes. And although his potatoes are now somewhat smaller, he "has had a dang good streak of luck with potatoes." This cheerful story is embellished with scratchy, energetic illustrations that set off the hardscrabble hill country to perfection. a.a.f. H David Macaulay, Author-Illustrator Shortcut As he did in Black and White (Houghton), Macaulay once again employs the picture-book format for an analysis of cause and effect as well as the way in which seemingly disparate events are related. Because Shortcut is not linear in its progression but rather an exploration of simultaneity and concepts of time and space, it is a picture book for sophisticated readers who enjoy puzzles and unraveling clues. The pivotal characters are Albert and his loyal mare June, who go to market once a week to sell their luscious melons. To save time, they take a shortcut, clearly marked by a wooden sign. In this sequence of nine very short stories and a one-page epilogue, it is a significant choice, for they then become the unwitting authors of all that follows: the rerouting of the Darlington express to an abandoned track and the consequent loss of Patty's pet pig, Pearl; the breaking of the rope that anchors birdwatching Professor Tweet's balloon, which eventually allows daydreaming Bob to fulfill his dream of commanding a fleet of boats. These are only a sampling of the consequences attendant on June and Albert's journey. Just how intricately the narrative is contrived is best discerned after at least one if not several rereadings to search for the carefully constructed clues. The idea that we coexist in a series of relationships rather than in totally independent spheres is not an easy concept. David Macaulay deserves applause for challenging his readers as well as entertaining them through boldly conceived illustrations with a cast of wonderfully caricatured characters. What is most remarkable is the panache with which he suggests movement through changing perspectives and artfully delineated backgrounds. He appeals to the mind, not merely to the senses, and ultimately what he does is very satisfying indeed. m.m.b. Richard McGuire, Author-Illustrator What Goes Around Comes Around A boy drops his sister's doll out the window of their tall apartment building, but only the reader is aware of the route the toy takes. "The doll bounced into the street and nearly hit a motorcycle, which nearly hit a truck, which slammed on its brakes. A box fell off and floated out to sea, where it was spotted by a sailor, who wondered what was in there." So begins an around-the-world journey for a small doll - by boat, bird, flying arrow, camel, and balloon. In the end, it drops from the wing of a plane onto the awning of the original apartment building and bounces up into the window, where it hits the boy on the head: "And POW! What goes around comes around!" McGuire's illustrations use a limited palette of strong, traditional colors to show large clean shapes and simple curving lines with plenty of white space. While the design has been carefully planned and executed, the illustrator excels at showing speed and motion with a few lines or skewed shapes. The short text is pared down to the essentials and mentions the doll directly only at the very beginning. It is up to the reader to find the small yellow doll on each page. The endpapers are a map of the world, showing the doll's route, placing icons and a few place names on the map to show the mode of transportation at each location. lolly robinson Patricia MacLachlan What You Know First Illustrated by Barry Moser. Judith Viorst Alexander, Who's Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. Although moving to a new home is never easy, these two books take a decidedly different slant on the topic. Judith Viorst's fans will recognize the format of this humorous slice of family life. Alexander first insists that under no circumstances will he be induced to move. He dwells on everything he must leave behind and recalls special events, both good and bad. His older brothers are unsympathetic: Nick suggests he go live in the zoo with the other animals, while Anthony pronounces him "immature." As the big day draws inexorably closer, however, Alexander's family rallies around him. Offers of a dog and a long-distance phone call to old friends resign him to the inevitable, though he firmly insists that he will never move again. "Never. Not ever. No way. Uh uh. N.O." The sense of a continuing family saga in this latest book about Alexander is intensified by the illustrations, which are rendered in the style of Ray Cruz. MacLachlan's approach, accented by Barry Moser's dark wood engravings, is melancholy and poetic. As the narrator, who is leaving her prairie home, describes the familiar surroundings, the sense of loss is palpable. The move is difficult for her parents, too. Mama "cried when we sold the farm - the baby, in her arms, reached up to touch her tears. And Papa took a long walk." When she muses about staying behind, living in the cottonwood tree or in the attic with her books and paints, her parents say she needs to come with them, to tell the baby about this place - for how will he understand all they have left behind if he doesn't learn it from her? She won't ever forget her first home, her father assures her, because "what you know first stays with you." Whether they choose to ease the pain with humor or memorialize it with poetry, both authors understand how difficult moving can be. Together, these books give sweeping voice to the loss of the familiar and the fear of the unknown. n.v. H Susan Meddaugh, Author-Illustrator Hog-Eye When her worried family meets her at the door, a young pig with an active imagination must explain why she missed school. "So I told them the true story." Well, true or not, the little pig's tale is fast-paced, funny, and creatively told. It wasn't really her fault, of course. The rowdy, rude kids on school bus number thirty-seven, including the narrator's big brother, are the problem. The little pig dawdles on her way to the bus and accidentally winds up on the wrong one. By the time she discovers her mistake, she is a long way from Piggiboro. Once off the bus, the little pig decides to get home before dark by taking the forest path. As soon as she steps into the woods, she is grabbed by a wolf in the process of gathering ingredients for soup - pig soup. The young pig's ability to read combined with her creative imagination allows her to outfox the wolf by introducing him to a key soup ingredient, "Green Threeleaf" (better known as poison ivy), and placing an effective, itchy, "hog-eye" spell on him. The clever pig then makes her way back home to confound and regale her loving family with her adventure. The text and illustrations are successfully integrated to sustain pace and humor. Clear typeface and conversation balloons combine with brightly animated, expressive, cartoonlike illustrations on uncluttered pages that propel the reader to the satisfying conclusion of this fresh cautionary tale. m.b.s. Lensey Namioka The Loyal Cat Illustrated by Aki Sogabe. Using crisp, straightforward language, Namioka tells the story of how Hukuzo-ji, a small temple in the mountains of northern Japan, came to be known as the Cat Temple. Tetsuzan, a kind and humble priest, saves a treed kitten from cruel monkeys. The cat, Huku, remains at the temple as Tetsuzan's loyal friend and one day discovers that he has magical powers. Huku can elevate objects and keep them in the air, but, as cats will, Huku remains silent about his strange power until it is needed to help his impoverished friend. When the old lord of the castle dies, his son arranges for an elaborate funeral to prove his own greatness. To the amazement of the young lord and his elegant court, the old lord's coffin is suddenly raised fifteen feet in the air, and even the most famous priests, the strongest warriors, and undefeated wrestlers cannot get the coffin down. Only Tetsuzan's earnest prayer combined with the anonymous help of his feline friend succeeds. To Huku's chagrin, Tetsuzan accepts only a small reward, but one large enough to repair and refurbish the small, remote temple. On the final page Namioka writes, "Today, you can visit the Cat Temple in northern Japan," but no further documentation is given. Black cut paper placed over rice papers that have been colored by watercolor or airbrush produce illustrations with strong line and interesting texture. Each framed picture augments the mood of the tale and creates a strong sense of place in this handsomely designed book. m.b.s. Shulamith Levey Oppenheim The Hundredth Name Illustrated by Michael Hays. In a little village in Egypt long ago, a little boy named Salah looks at his father's rich fields green with crops and at the comfortable mud-brick house where he lives with his family; but though life is good, Salah is sad. He and his camel, Quadiim, both seven going on eight, are inseparable, and Salah confides to his father that he worries because his beloved camel always looks so unhappy, with his head drooping down. To comfort Salah, his father points out the good things about Quadiim's life and says that mortals are able to live their lives happily, even though they know only ninety-nine of the hundred names of Allah, because the hundredth and most holy name has never been revealed to them. That night, Salah borrows his father's prayer rug and goes out under the stars to say a special prayer for camels. The next morning, Salah and his father are surprised to find Quadiim standing proud and tall and looking very wise. Salah is delighted: he is convinced that his prayer has been answered and that camels now know the hundredth name of Allah. Warm, sand-colored illustrations done in acrylic on linen canvas capture the mood and setting of this simple story of love and faith. h.b.z. VivecaÿLärn Sundvall Santa's Winter Vacation Illustrated by Olof Landström. Translated by Kjersti Board. Reuben Stormfoot and his wife Hosannah take a winter vacation in Spain and on the airplane meet a Swedish family with three young boys. The reader suspects that Reuben is actually Santa Claus, but the older two Sandworm boys see him as just another person to tease and make fun of, as they do their little brother, Johannes. Throughout the vacation, their obnoxious behavior continues while Johannes becomes friends with Reuben and Hosannah. Reuben is delightful, collecting seashells for Johannes's sandcastles and tangoing with his wife. When the vacation is over, Reuben returns to their toy factory, only to meet the Sandworms again on Christmas Eve. Now in his traditional red Santa clothing, Reuben teases the two older Sandworm boys by pretending to give three gifts to Johannes and none to them, reminding the boys and the reader that their bad behavior has been noticed. Reuben then returns home to his wife for a celebration tango. The story contains many childlike details: on the flight to Spain "no one spilled anything, everybody was happy, and . . . everyone got little packets of salt and pepper." Landström's illustrations are equally detailed and lighthearted, full of good humor and wit. Santa is portrayed as a very thin, gawky older man with a long gray beard and rather large feet, and Mr. Sandworm is never without his video camera. Landström, the illustrator of Will's New Cap (Farrar), uses a cartoony style in which the children are drawn with perfectly round heads and deceptively simple yet expressive features. A welcome relief from the traditional sentimental Christmas story, Sundvall's picture book is a unique and refreshing look at the holiday and at Santa Claus. m.v.k. ShelleyÿMoore Thomas Putting the World to Sleep Illustrated by Bonnie Christensen. A lyrical cumulative text lulls the listener as it enumerates familiar bedtime activities. "A mommy is humming a lullaby, as a big dog lounges on a tattered red rug . . . as the moon climbs over the mountain each night, putting the world to sleep." The rhythm is perfectly controlled as the rhyme progresses to the final "Good night, world." "Good night." The pictures effectively combine scratchboard technique with delicate watercolors set off by a fine black line; they blend beautifully with the text, extending it and adding a comfortable reality. e.s.w. Arthur Yorinks The Miami Giant Illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Apparently, this tale was meant to be funny. Unfortunately, it reads as a poorly conceived vaudeville routine based on the exploits of one Giuseppe Giaweeni, an opportunistic Italian explorer who sets sail for China and lands in Miami, where he discovers a lost tribe of dancing giants, the Mishbookers. With an eye for profit, Giuseppe persuades Joe Mishbooker to return with him to Europe where he will become a featured attraction in Paris. But the first performance is a failure. Joe is returned to Miami, and Giuseppe, continuing his journey, discovers Boca. The dialogue is a dated series of one-liners ranging from pseudo-Italian - "Tutto amazing" - to second-rate characterization of the Ugly American, as when Joe's only comment on a palazzo is "Where's the bathroom?" The book lacks logic, as is evidenced by the curious mixture of historical periods: Giuseppe is attired in a Renaissance costume; the Mishbookers wear garb suited to retirement in Florida; and the Parisian audience is dressed for the late nineteenth century. Usually a book written and/or illustrated by Maurice Sendak is a cause for celebration. Unfortunately, this offering produced with Arthur Yorinks seems all the more amateurish when compared to Sendak's more successful collaborations, such as Charlotte Zolotow's Mister Rabbit and the Lovely Present or Ruth Krauss's A Hole Is to Dig, or to Sendak's solo invention Where the Wild Things Are (all Harper), which set a new course for twentieth-century literature for children. A juxtaposition of The Miami Giant with any of these suggests flawed inspiration or cavalier self-indulgence. The effect of the book is that of a mean-spirited adolescent snigger, lacking finesse or charm. For Sendak collectors only. m.m.b. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A superb writer presents the themes of leave-taking and memory that recur frequently in her novels, beautifully distilled into a picture book. From Skylark (1994), MacLachlan expands one phrase (``. . .she can't help remembering what she knew first'') into a story about a family's wrenching departure from their prairie farm and a young girl's determination to remember every detail. The spare text and Moser's haunting engravings are poignantly nostalgic; adults reading this out loud will find the combination affecting, but it may be less meaningful to children, with their limited experience of change and more concrete ways of thinking. The circumstances compelling the family's move are never explained; drought isn't the reason, and the narrator's question, ``Why are we leaving if everyone's so sad?'' is likely to echo readers' thoughts. Black- and-white with the barest hint of tint and as still and posed as old photographs, the atmospheric illustrations may puzzle the young: A man is disappearing from the frame in the frontispiece; the heads of the adults are cut off by the cropping of a family grouping. With very little book-talking, younger readers will take away from this as much as older ones; no one will fail to appreciate the gentle flow of words and understated sentiments. (Picture book. 7+)