by Antonio Ramírez & illustrated by Domi ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2010
As brilliant as backlit stained glass, Domi’s big, naïve watercolors create a lush country setting for this child’s account of her village’s relocation. Because the new dam will flood their old San Pedro Ixcatlán, a vanguard of Mazatecan families travels ahead to clear and plant rice fields for a “Nuevo Ixcatlán.” In buoyant tones, young Napí records the journey, sighting a jaguar, how burning off the underbrush for the new settlement left everything—including her little brother Niclé—ashy grey and finally a dream that combines these and other memories in the wake of a scary accident to her Namí (father). The Spanish and English texts are placed well apart on facing pages beneath the full-spread illustrations. As in Napí’s previous two appearances (Napí Goes to the Mountain, 2006, etc.), the author and illustrator, who are human-rights activists, build in a subtle political subtext, but children will respond most readily to Napí’s guileless optimism. A glossary translates Mazatec words into both Spanish and English. (Bilingual picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-88899-965-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2010
Share your opinion of this book
More by Antonio Ramírez
BOOK REVIEW
by Antonio Ramírez & illustrated by Domi
adapted by Rachel Isadora & illustrated by Rachel Isadora ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2008
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
Share your opinion of this book
More by Rachel Isadora
BOOK REVIEW
by Rachel Isadora ; illustrated by Rachel Isadora
BOOK REVIEW
by Rachel Isadora ; illustrated by Rachel Isadora
BOOK REVIEW
by Rachel Isadora ; illustrated by Rachel Isadora
by Helen Ketteman & illustrated by James Warhola ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1997
A Cinderella parody features the off-the-wall, whang-dang Texas hyperbole of Ketteman (The Year of No More Corn, 1993, etc.) and the insouciance of Warhola, who proves himself only too capable of creating a fairy godcow; that she's so appealingly whimsical makes it easy to accept the classic tale's inversions. The protagonist is Bubba, appropriately downtrodden and overworked by his wicked stepdaddy and loathsome brothers Dwayne and Milton, who spend their days bossing him around. The other half of the happy couple is Miz Lurleen, who owns ``the biggest spread west of the Brazos.'' She craves male companionship to help her work the place, ``and it wouldn't hurt if he was cute as a cow's ear, either.'' There are no surprises in this version except in the hilarious way the premise plays itself out and in Warhola's delightful visual surprises. When Lurleen tracks the bootless Bubba down, ``Dwayne and Milton and their wicked daddy threw chicken fits.'' Bubba and babe, hair as big as a Texas sun, ride off to a life of happy ranching, and readers will be proud to have been along for the courtship. (Picture book/folklore. 6-8)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-590-25506-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1997
Share your opinion of this book
More by Helen Ketteman
BOOK REVIEW
by Helen Ketteman ; illustrated by Bonnie Leick
BOOK REVIEW
by Helen Ketteman ; illustrated by Nate Wragg
BOOK REVIEW
by Helen Ketteman ; illustrated by Will Terry
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.