A fascinating, loving snapshot of a gravity-defying artform lost to time.
Impressive towers of noodles whiz through the city in this charming tribute to the hardworking deliverymen of midcentury Tokyo.
A gaggle of children wait patiently to catch a glimpse of the demae (deliverymen) as they set off from the soba noodle shop in the morning. The youngsters stare with wide-mouthed wonder as the men stack trays upon trays of ceramic soup bowls and wooden soba boxes on their shoulders. Arms steady, the demae mount their bicycles and weave their way through busy streets to feed a hungry city. The deliverymen “are artists. Architects. Tough talkers. Speedy spinners…and acrobats,” expertly navigating the curves and hills of the city landscape until they return to their families at night. Drawing on youthful memories of summers spent in Tokyo’s Nishi-Ogikubo neighborhood, Maclear crafts a compelling story from a child’s perspective, engaging the senses with rhythmic prose and onomatopoeia. Her author’s note explains that this delivery method—used from the 1930s to the ’70s—was eventually phased out. Perfectly complementing the text, Zhang’s illustrations use lively and expressive strokes of ink and gouache, each spread bursting with character. Readers will enjoy poring over the delightful details on each page. Maclear and Zhang have created an intimate and immersive experience that transports readers to the Tokyo of yesteryear, allowing them to bask in the sights, scents, and sounds of the busy city.
A fascinating, loving snapshot of a gravity-defying artform lost to time. (author’s note, glossary, photos) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2024
ISBN: 9780593706084
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House Studio
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
Innocuous adventuring on the smallest of scales.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle (1965) upgrades to The Mice and the Rolls-Royce.
In Windsor Castle there sits a “dollhouse like no other,” replete with working plumbing, electricity, and even a full library of real, tiny books. Called Queen Mary’s Dollhouse, it also plays host to the Whiskers family, a clan of mice that has maintained the house for generations. Henry Whiskers and his cousin Jeremy get up to the usual high jinks young mice get up to, but when Henry’s little sister Isabel goes missing at the same time that the humans decide to clean the house up, the usually bookish big brother goes on the adventure of his life. Now Henry is driving cars, avoiding cats, escaping rats, and all before the upcoming mouse Masquerade. Like an extended version of Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Two Bad Mice (1904), Priebe keeps this short chapter book constantly moving, with Duncan’s peppy art a cute capper. Oddly, the dollhouse itself plays only the smallest of roles in this story, and no factual information on the real Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House is included at the tale’s end (an opportunity lost).
Innocuous adventuring on the smallest of scales. (Fantasy. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-6575-5
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
A life devoted to freedom and dignity, worthy of praise and remembrance.
With the words of Massachusetts colonial rebels ringing in her ears, a slave determines to win her freedom.
In 1780, Mumbet heard the words of the new Massachusetts constitution, including its declaration of freedom and equality. With the help of a young lawyer, she went to court and the following year, won her freedom, becoming Elizabeth Freeman. Slavery was declared illegal and subsequently outlawed in the state. Woelfle writes with fervor as she describes Mumbet’s life in the household of John Ashley, a rich landowner and businessman who hosted protest meetings against British taxation. His wife was abrasive and abusive, striking out with a coal shovel at a young girl, possibly Mumbet’s daughter. Mumbet deflected the blow and regarded the wound as “her badge of bravery.” Ironically, the lawyer who took her case, Theodore Sedgwick, had attended John Ashley’s meetings. Delinois’ full-bleed paintings are heroic in scale, richly textured and vibrant. Typography becomes part of the page design as the font increases when the text mentions freedom. Another slave in the Ashley household was named in the court case, but Woelfle, keeping her young audience in mind, keeps it simple, wisely focusing on Mumbet.
A life devoted to freedom and dignity, worthy of praise and remembrance. (author’s note, selected bibliography, further reading) (Picture book/biography. 5-8)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-7613-6589-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Carolrhoda
Review Posted Online: Oct. 8, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2013
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