Another original fairy tale from the apparently bottomless imagination of Yolen (Here There Be Unicorns, p. 1546, etc.). This is the slightly convoluted story of an enchanted castle—wherein lives a terrifying beast—and the nearby woodsman's cottage. The woodsman lives with his frail wife of mysterious origins and their little daughter, Aurea. A sorceress comes and poses as a cook offering her services in exchange for room and board, but she is really looking for a charm she believes to be in the woodsman's possession. Unable to find it, she disposes of the man and his wife and tries to do away with Aurea as well, but she's foiled by the animals whom the girl has befriended. The charm is the comb that Aurea's mother gave to her on her deathbed. When the beast comes to the forest, the girl combs his mane with it and braids some of her own golden hair into his—and he becomes a man, the long-lost king and Aurea's grandfather. The sorceress is changed into a bird and chained by the wickedness in her own heart. Yolen's language is lovely as usual, but there are too many fairy-tale conventions mashed into this one story. Dyer's illustrations, however, are enchanting. (Fiction/Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-316-96894-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1994
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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