A short novella of the coming-to-terms—rather than coming-of-age—variety. The narrator's grandmother dies in the first chapter and leaves behind a secret: clues for a treasure hunt to be held the following summer during the annual lakeside family reunion. Then come uneasy scenes of the family at the lake without Grandma, the hunt and subsequent discovery of her treasures: trees she planted before dying, one for each of seven grandchildren. The writing is careful, infrequently invoking poetic images and occasionally falling prey to sentimentality. Most of the text consists of unlikely, deliberately double-edged conversations among the children. They can't express their feelings and don't know what to say; Willner-Pardo (who teamed with Krudop previously on What I'll Remember When I Am a Grownup, 1994) tries to capture their natural inarticulateness in dialogue, with the unintended result of leaving readers in her wake. The restrained, blurry light of the oil paintings looks precisely as if ``someone had forgotten to dust the sun'' and are wholly evocative of the text's brooding mood. (Fiction. 6-10)
Pub Date: Feb. 20, 1996
ISBN: 0-395-68190-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1996
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
At ``Step 2'' in the useful ``Step into Reading'' series: an admirably clear, well-balanced presentation that centers on wolves' habits and pack structure. Milton also addresses their endangered status, as well as their place in fantasy, folklore, and the popular imagination. Attractive realistic watercolors on almost every page. Top-notch: concise, but remarkably extensive in its coverage. A real bargain. (Nonfiction/Easy reader. 6-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-679-91052-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
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