Wouldn’t it be remarkable if someone caught—in his hat, no less—a baby who had fallen out of a second-story window and then he ended up marrying that same baby many years later? In this whimsical, supposedly true story set in early 19th-century England, the young baby-catcher gets half a crown for his trouble, rides a train to London, falls into the river, lands on an ocean-bound ship, fights off pirates, “Served Good King William’s Navy ’gainst the French,” becomes a captain, then returns home with “Treasure in his Trunk.” The historical setting is reflected in the antique-looking typeface and generous use of capitalization. Upon his heroic return to town, the captain glances up at a beautiful maiden who smiles down at him from the very same window she’d fallen from so many years ago, and they live happily ever after with a tumbling tot of their own. The clean, engaging design, Amstutz’s vivacious gouache illustrations and peanut-gallery cartoon bubbles (“Ahoy!” “Aye-aye, sir!”) perfectly complement this simple, satisfying story narrated in short spurts by the baby-catcher’s best friend. Hurrah! (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3958-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2008
IN THE NEWS
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
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