The gifted author of Trail of Stones (1990), a series of searching psychological portraits in verse of familiar folkloric characters, portrays a painfully shy boy. Eric's only friend is the ``Night Shimmy,'' an imaginary alter ego who wears a black mask and witch's hat, also seen at times on Eric himself. One day Eric plays with Marcia, who doesn't mind his silence. After they enjoy flying Marcia's parrot kite, Eric has a night of unusually peaceful dreams, but awakes to find that the Night Shimmy has abandoned him. At first angry with Marcia, he relents when her kite gets caught in a tree; after he frees it, they begin to talk. From the black title spread with four takes of a door opening to a sky where dawn and then day supplant the stars, Browne brings his usual allusive power to the illustrations. The boy's solitary withdrawal and hesitant response to Marcia's proffered friendship are masterfully conveyed by skillful manipulation of relative sizes and distances and of the intensity and range of color, by surreal changes in details, by the use of dramatic shadows, and even by cropping—as well as by the black ground that squeezes the first illustration into a 4-inch square, then waxes and wanes and ultimately disappears when Eric begins to share his imaginative thoughts with his new friend. A subtle and perceptive treatment of a familiar theme, with an unusually harmonious melding of text and art. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-679-82384-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A book that will make young dog-owners smile in recognition and confirm dogless readers' worst suspicions about the mayhem caused by pets, even winsome ones. Sam, who bears passing resemblance to an affable golden retriever, is praised for fetching the family newspaper, and goes on to fetch every other newspaper on the block. In the next story, only the children love Sam's swimming; he is yelled at by lifeguards and fishermen alike when he splashes through every watering hole he can find. Finally, there is woe to the entire family when Sam is bored and lonely for one long night. Boland has an essential message, captured in both both story and illustrations of this Easy-to-Read: Kids and dogs belong together, especially when it's a fun-loving canine like Sam. An appealing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8037-1530-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996
Sloat collaborates with Huffman, a Yu’pik storyteller, to infuse a traditional “origins” tale with the joy of creating. Hearing the old women of her village grumble that they have only tasteless crowberries for the fall feast’s akutaq—described as “Eskimo ice cream,” though the recipe at the end includes mixing in shredded fish and lard—young Anana carefully fashions three dolls, then sings and dances them to life. Away they bound, to cover the hills with cranberries, blueberries, and salmonberries. Sloat dresses her smiling figures in mixes of furs and brightly patterned garb, and sends them tumbling exuberantly through grassy tundra scenes as wildlife large and small gathers to look on. Despite obtrusively inserted pronunciations for Yu’pik words in the text, young readers will be captivated by the action, and by Anana’s infectious delight. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-88240-575-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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