The myth of Pandora is told in compelling free verse with striking, colored-pencil and watercolor illustrations. Burleigh sticks fairly close to his sources, choosing the jar, rather than the box, as the thing-that-must-not-be-opened. It’s made clear that Zeus seeks to punish humankind for receiving fire from Prometheus; it is Prometheus’ brother who receives Pandora (her name means all-gifted) as his wife. She’s beautiful and has many skills, but is obsessed by the jar that she must not open. Why, she reasons, would the goddess Athena give her “the power to think and wonder—And order her not to use it?” She opens the jar, and all manner of evil escapes. Only hope is left behind. Colón uses his colors lightly to show the texture of the paper, creating wonderful, almost iridescent effects: rich purples, golds, blues, and greens. Very different in tone and effect from the lyrical Dora’s Box (1998), this is darker but still accessible, though it may have trouble finding its audience because of its mature treatment. (cast of characters) (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-15-202178-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Silver Whistle/Harcourt
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2002
Thanks to parrot-toting Braidbeard and his gloriously disreputable crew, a lad discovers the ups and downs of a pirate’s life in this rousing mini-epic. His mom and dad busy on another part of the beach, young Jeremy happily joins a band of hook-handed, eye-patched, snaggle-toothed pirates aboard their ship, learning pirate table manners (none), enjoying a game of nautical soccer until a shark eats the ball, then happily retiring without having to brush teeth, or even don pajamas. But then Jeremy learns that pirates don’t get tucked in, or get bedtime stories, and as for good night kisses—Avast! Worse yet, no one offers comfort when a storm hits. So, giving over the pirate’s life, Jeremy shows the crew where to bury its treasure (his backyard), and bids them goodbye. Shannon outfits Braidbeard’s leering, pop-eyed lot in ragged but colorful pirate dress, and gives his young ruffian-in-training a belt and bandanna to match. This isn’t likely to turn pirate wannabees into landlubbers, but it will inspire a chorus of yo-ho-hos. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-15-201848-4
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2003
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A trite, knock-off sequel to Jumanji (1981). The “Jumanji” box distracts Walter Budwing away from beating up on his little brother Danny, but it’s Danny who discovers the Zathura board inside—and in no time, Earth is far behind, a meteor has smashed through the roof, and a reptilian Zyborg pirate is crawling through the hole. Each throw of the dice brings an ominous new development, portrayed in grainy, penciled freeze frames featuring sculptured-looking figures in constricted, almost claustrophobic settings. The angles of view are, as always, wonderfully dramatic, but not only is much of the finer detail that contributed to Jumanji’s astonishing realism missing, the spectacular damage being done to the Budwings’ house as the game progresses is, by and large, only glimpsed around the picture edges. Naturally, having had his bacon repeatedly saved by his younger sibling’s quick thinking, once Walter falls through a black hole to a time preceding the game’s start, his attitude toward Danny undergoes a sudden, radical transformation. Van Allsburg’s imagination usually soars right along with his accomplished art—but here, both are just running in place. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 2002
ISBN: 0-618-25396-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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