With Mama in bed waiting for the new baby, Betsy is sent to her grandparents. She's old enough to remind Grandy not to call her "Little Bit"; still, she takes her silky blanket. In Grandy's barn are three wild-goose eggs. Waiting for them to hatch (how a blanket keeps them warm is not explained) helps pass the time while the pile of letters from Mama mounts; once the eggs do hatch, Betsy shares her beloved silky with the goslings. At summer's end, Mama's letters fill two boxes; the geese (in a poignant parting) fly south; and Betsy sets out to meet the new baby—without the silky. Gracefully, Yolen interweaves carefully selected details to depict a well-loved child maturing during a necessary separation. Setting the story perhaps a hundred years ago, Baker focuses on its warm emotional content, placing her expressive figures in barely suggested impressionistic scenes rendered in misty browns and grays. A lovely, beautifully crafted book. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-316-96893-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1993
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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