A veteran author (The Private Notebook of Katie Roberts, Age 11, p. 710, etc.) and new artist form an uneasy alliance for this idealized tour of a Brooklyn neighborhood. Armed with notebooks and colored markers, Janie does ``spy work,'' recording conversations in Margie's Hair Palace, describing her own likes and dislikes, and observing every small detail on her street. In bright, folksy drawings, Sawaya portrays an idyllic world of small shops on neat, litter-free streets. A scattering of visual cluesmelons sold off a horse-drawn cart, a barbershop sign reading ``Haircuts 15õ''reveals that the setting might not be present-day, even though the clothing, bikes, and cars are contemporary, and miniskirts as well as blow-dryers appear in the beauty salon scene. Much of the narrative appears on a ruled background meant to be the pages of a notebook, but the typeface looks nothing like hand-lettering; these spiral-bound pages magically become loose leaf at the end, when the wind blows them into the hands of passersby``And that, for your information, is how to get famous in Brooklyn.'' Janie is an engaging character, but the flaws throughout mar this light tale. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-689-80293-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1995
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your dreads! Isadora once again plies her hand using colorful, textured collages to depict her fourth fairy tale relocated to Africa. The narrative follows the basic story line: Taken by an evil sorceress at birth, Rapunzel is imprisoned in a tower; Rapunzel and the prince “get married” in the tower and she gets pregnant. The sorceress cuts off Rapunzel’s hair and tricks the prince, who throws himself from the tower and is blinded by thorns. The terse ending states: “The prince led Rapunzel and their twins to his kingdom, where they were received with great joy and lived happily every after.” Facial features, clothing, dreadlocks, vultures and the prince riding a zebra convey a generic African setting, but at times, the mixture of patterns and textures obfuscates the scenes. The textile and grain characteristic of the hewn art lacks the elegant romance of Zelinksy’s Caldecott version. Not a first purchase, but useful in comparing renditions to incorporate a multicultural aspect. (Picture book/fairy tale. 6-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-399-24772-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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