Elijah makes a miraculous appearance in this Passover tale of a boastful father and his wise and compassionate daughter, Gittel. To pay a debt, Yakov makes exaggerated guarantees of Gittel's handiwork and loses his means for earning a living. Gittel's kindness toward a trapped dove, a starving cat, and a shivering beggar earn the intervention of the prophet Elijah, who provides her with the tools and skill to make exquisite silver goods for the Passover seder, ensuring a fine livelihood for her and her chastened father. Silverman (Fixing the Crack of Dawn, 1994, etc.) renders Gittel's story in the manner of a folktale, burnished with motifs from the Rumpelstiltskin story. Lattimore, taking her cue from Chagall, creates scenes alight with the rhythms and colors of stained glass, where pink doves and green cats mingle with the floating figures and dancing houses of a snowbound shtetl. Readers familiar with Passover traditions will love the story most; others will find the glossary a useful page for learning more. (Picture book/folklore. 7+)
Pub Date: March 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8167-3798-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A timeless tale of found family, full of Halloween charm.
An orphan winds up in the strange, spooky land of the undead and discovers the home and family she’s always craved.
One Halloween, Eve attempts yet another escape from her awful orphanage and comes across someone completely unexpected in the forest—the Pumpkin King. He’s imposing and has a jack-o’-lantern pumpkin as a head, but Eve, who’s lanky and cued white, refuses to feel fear. Impressed by her verve, he offers to adopt her and make her the Pumpkin Princess of Hallowell Valley, a hidden land populated by all sorts of undead creatures, including vampires, werewolves, and witches. Eve has a lot to learn about her unusual new home, but for the first time ever, she has friends to help. But not everyone in Hallowell is happy about having a living being among them. There are secret, nefarious plans brewing, and in order for Eve to save her new home, she’ll have to confront her fears. This spooky, autumnal take on the classic human-in-a-magical-world scenario is a delightful blend of eerie and heartwarming. The original world feels cozy with its lovable, oddball characters, while the untrustworthy baddies make the tale more exciting. The Pumpkin King is absolutely adorable as a father figure, and his relationship with Eve is precious. The mystery element has surprising twists, but it’s Eve’s finding a place to belong and be loved that will ensnare readers. Rockefeller’s spooky spot art opens each chapter.
A timeless tale of found family, full of Halloween charm. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9780316572989
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
A Christmas cozy, read straight or bit by bit through the season.
Neither snow nor rain nor mountains of yummy cheese stay the carrier of a letter to Santa.
So carelessly does 8-year-old Oliver stuff his very late letter to Santa into the mailbox that it falls out behind his back—leaving Winston, a “small, grubby white mouse” with an outsized heart, determined to deliver it personally though he has no idea where to go. Smith presents Winston’s Christmas Eve trek in 24 minichapters, each assigned a December “day” and all closing with both twists or cliffhangers and instructions (mostly verbal, unfortunately) for one or more holiday-themed recipes or craft projects. Though he veers occasionally into preciosity (Winston “tried to ignore the grumbling, rumbling noises coming from his tummy”), he also infuses his holiday tale with worthy values. Occasional snowy scenes have an Edwardian look appropriate to the general tone, with a white default in place but a few dark-skinned figures in view. Less-crafty children will struggle with the scantly illustrated projects, which run from paper snowflakes to clothespin dolls and Christmas crackers with or without “snaps,” but lyrics to chestnuts like “The 12 Days of Christmas” (and “Jingle Bells,” which is not a Christmas song, but never mind) at the end invite everyone to sing along.
A Christmas cozy, read straight or bit by bit through the season. (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-68412-983-6
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Silver Dolphin
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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