A wisdom tale that children of any background can understand.
An ancient Hindu story about one of Vishnu’s avatars, who challenges the greedy king, Bali.
Bali, with the help of his goading adviser, Shukra, has moved beyond his kingdom to take over the Earth and the galaxy beyond. He is still not content, so Vishnu, the Supreme Person, comes to him in the form of a small human to help him understand himself. When the king, power-hungry but still charitable, sees the childlike person who presents himself as Vamana, he wants to grant his every wish. Vamana makes a modest request: “I do not need much, only a bit of land as wide as my three steps.” Although Shukra is suspicious, Bali grants the wish. Only then does Vishnu reveal himself, growing into a giant. He uses his large steps to take back the Earth and the universe, creating the Ganges River along the way. When there is no other place for Vamana to take his third step, the king graciously offers his own head. Vamana takes his last step, reduces himself in size again and rewards the enlightened king by restoring his original kingdom. (In some versions, Bali is given the underworld to rule.) Full-bleed, vividly colored illustrations, reminiscent of Indian religious posters, show Vamana with his traditional umbrella. The author’s note mentions the original source, a Sanskrit text called the Bhagavata Purana.
A wisdom tale that children of any background can understand. (Folk tale. 7-10)Pub Date: March 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-60887-303-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Insight Kids
Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Trisha is ready to start at a new school, where no one will know she has dyslexia. At first, she is heartbroken to be in Miss Peterson’s special-ed class, aka, “the junkyard.” But Miss Peterson treats the children as anything but junk, showing them that everyone has a unique talent. Polacco’s trademark style is fully present here; her sensitively drawn alter ego shines with depth of feeling. When bullying occurs, Miss Peterson proves her students are worthwhile by planning a junkyard field trip, where they find valuable objects to be used in exciting ways. Trisha’s group repairs a plane, and the class buys an engine for it. Then a beloved class member dies, and the children must find a way to honor him. While the plot meanders somewhat, the characters are appealing, believable and provide a fine portrayal of a truly special class. Children will be drawn in by the story’s warmth and gentle humor and will leave with a spark of inspiration, an appreciation of individual differences and a firm anti-bullying message, all underscored by the author’s note that concludes the book. (Picture book. 7-10)
Pub Date: July 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-399-25078-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2010
Alert readers will find the implicit morals: know your audience, mostly, but also never underestimate the power of “rock”...
The theme of persistence (for better or worse) links four tales of magic, trickery, and near disasters.
Lachenmeyer freely borrows familiar folkloric elements, subjecting them to mildly comical twists. In the nearly wordless “Hip Hop Wish,” a frog inadvertently rubs a magic lamp and finds itself saddled with an importunate genie eager to shower it with inappropriate goods and riches. In the title tale, an increasingly annoyed music-hating witch transforms a persistent minstrel into a still-warbling cow, horse, sheep, goat, pig, duck, and rock in succession—then is horrified to catch herself humming a tune. Athesius the sorcerer outwits Warthius, a rival trying to steal his spells via a parrot, by casting silly ones in Ig-pay Atin-lay in the third episode, and in the finale, a painter’s repeated efforts to create a flattering portrait of an ogre king nearly get him thrown into a dungeon…until he suddenly understands what an ogre’s idea of “flattering” might be. The narratives, dialogue, and sound effects leave plenty of elbow room in Blocker’s big, brightly colored panels for the expressive animal and human(ish) figures—most of the latter being light skinned except for the golden genie, the blue ogre, and several people of color in the “Sorcerer’s New Pet.”
Alert readers will find the implicit morals: know your audience, mostly, but also never underestimate the power of “rock” music. (Graphic short stories. 8-10)Pub Date: June 18, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-59643-750-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
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