Staying with ``distant relative'' Mr. Mudd, Lucy is shown many wonderful things (music-boxes, old books) and even given a real ruby ring, but she's deprived of any pleasure by his constant warnings: everything is too precious to be touched. Rebelliously, Lucy takes the ring—and then loses it. Cowed by Mr. Mudd's anger, she is reluctant to tell him when she also loses her first tooth, but then bursts forth with all her true feelings. Fortunately, Mr. Mudd is human, too: Realizing his error, he slips the ring (which he's found) under her pillow in place of the tooth, then graciously reforms. The message is obvious, but it's told with enough grace to give it some power. Hidy's computer-generated illustrations (full details in an extensive colophon) are a mixed success: simple lines delineate emotions with the surprising sensitivity of recent film animation, and some of the compositions—especially where colored forms are silhouetted against a white ground—are elegantly spare. The sophisticated color sometimes seems garish, or merely stolid; more often, however, the subtle tones and juxtapositions contribute meaning. An interesting effort, adding up to more than just a worthy experiment. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: May 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-374-34657-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1992
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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