There are still wild horses roaming what was the Old West thanks to a wise Congress that in 1971 passed a law to protect them. London (Froggy Goes to the Doctor, above, etc.) is grateful he has actually seen them. In a spare and gentle style, he tells the story of a newborn Mustang, his thundering herd, and Little Pinto’s brush with fate. Underlying the narrative, readers learn of the Mustangs’ habitat in the great Painted Desert, their social structure with a white-faced herd master, their different labels, and their way of life. They fear rogue stallions, fast, raging water, and most especially, man in his airplanes. More than the story, San Souci’s (Frightful’s Daughter, above, etc.) spreads of gorgeous watercolors with color pencil highlights breathe life into the Mustangs’ world in a realistic play of color and light. His attention to research and detail goes so far as to depict a dark shield on Little Pinto’s neck and chest, believed by the Indians, he says, to give the horse magical powers. Young readers should not miss the sense of community and family these “wild” horses must have to survive in their harsh but beautiful land, and in that notion they will countenance nature’s link with their own survival. One could only hope one day to see a herd of Mustangs in the wild, pounding resolutely to their own purpose, and that longing will start here for many young imaginations. (afterword, glossary) (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-7636-1554-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions.
Ellis, known for her illustrations for Colin Meloy’s Wildwood series, here riffs on the concept of “home.”
Shifting among homes mundane and speculative, contemporary and not, Ellis begins and ends with views of her own home and a peek into her studio. She highlights palaces and mansions, but she also takes readers to animal homes and a certain famously folkloric shoe (whose iconic Old Woman manages a passel of multiethnic kids absorbed in daring games). One spread showcases “some folks” who “live on the road”; a band unloads its tour bus in front of a theater marquee. Ellis’ compelling ink and gouache paintings, in a palette of blue-grays, sepia and brick red, depict scenes ranging from mythical, underwater Atlantis to a distant moonscape. Another spread, depicting a garden and large building under connected, transparent domes, invites readers to wonder: “Who in the world lives here? / And why?” (Earth is seen as a distant blue marble.) Some of Ellis’ chosen depictions, oddly juxtaposed and stripped of any historical or cultural context due to the stylized design and spare text, become stereotypical. “Some homes are boats. / Some homes are wigwams.” A sailing ship’s crew seems poised to land near a trio of men clad in breechcloths—otherwise unidentified and unremarked upon.
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6529-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
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