Printed on creamy stock between heavy purple covers, this majestic rendition of the Christmas story makes a sumptuous gift item. Adding extra illustrations fore and aft, Wormell follows Mary and Joseph as they journey to Bethlehem past black storks, griffon vultures and a lion (all identified in a discursive key at the end), and settle in the stable. Meanwhile, shepherds and wise men, plus a Canaan dog, a gray wolf and other creatures, get the Good News, then flee with the Child to Egypt, “beyond King Herod’s grasp,” until it’s time for Jesus to “fulfill his wondrous destiny.” The animals, in dignified natural poses, generally occupy the foregrounds in Wormell’s deeply shadowed color woodcuts, but even younger viewers should have no trouble following the human story—with or without the formal, all-caps text on each verso. (Picture book. 6-9)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-7624-2669-1
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Running Press
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2006
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Miranda’s book counts the monsters gathering at a birthday party, while a simple rhyming text keeps the tally and surveys the action: “Seven starved monsters are licking the dishes./Eight blow out candles and make birthday wishes.” The counting proceeds to ten, then by tens to fifty, then gradually returns to one, which makes the monster’s mother, a purple pin-headed octopus, very happy. The book is surprisingly effective due to Powell’s artwork; the color has texture and density, as if it were poured onto the page, but the real attention-getter is the singularity of every monster attendee. They are highly individual and, therefore, eminently countable. As the numbers start crawling upward, it is both fun and a challenge to try to recognize monsters who have appeared in previous pages, or to attempt to stay focused when counting the swirling or bunched creatures. The story has glints of humor, and in combination with the illustrations is a grand addition to the counting shelf. (Picture book. 3-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201835-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
Craft's first book is a retelling of the famous story of Psyche, who is so beautiful that Venus, the goddess of beauty, is jealous. She sends her son, Cupid, to punish the mortal, but he falls in love with her. When Psyche fails to trust that love, she must perform seemingly impossible tasks to win Cupid back. The text flows smoothly and retains a touch of formality, giving the story a suitably ancient resonance. The radiant oil- over-watercolor paintings are exquisitely detailed, filled with intricacies that reward long and careful scrutiny. The design of the book is meticulous, from an unusual, yet readable, typeface to the ornate borders, some of which resemble gold jewelry more than paintings. (Picture book/folklore. 6-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-688-13163-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1996
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