Eleven stories that first appeared in the 70's in The First, Second, and Third Margaret Mahy Story Books, apparently never distributed in the US. As suggested by the large format and many colorful illustrations, these are for younger children and are far less complex and allusive than, say, The Door in the Air (1991); nor do they have the rambunctious humor and irrepressible wordplay of Mahy's Nonstop Nonsense (1989). Some simply present an idea without much development: rude old "Aunt Nasty," a witch who visits a normal family, surprises her niece and nephew by magically providing a perfect birthday party as she departs; the title story concerns a giant oyster, finally captured after it swallows a truck full of "champagne and carrot whisky" and becomes "hopelessly inebriated." Some stories have more of Mahy's characteristic subtlety and wit: in "Looking for a Ghost," a boy is shown around a scary old house by a little girl without realizing that she is the spirit he seeks; and in "Teddy and the Witches," a small boy traps a witch after she and her sisters have turned all the cows into elephants; he steadfastly refuses to free her (despite the glorious adventures the witches inflict on him) until the cows are restored to normal. The text here, while printed large, is substantial, best for able readers or for sharing aloud. An inviting volume, a bit uneven but with much to amuse and enrich. (Short stories. 7-11)
Pub Date: March 31, 1992
ISBN: 0-689-50547-7
Page Count: 88
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1992
Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay.
Renowned Latin American writer Alvarez has created another story about cultural identity, but this time the primary character is 11-year-old Miguel Guzmán.
When Tía Lola arrives to help the family, Miguel and his hermana, Juanita, have just moved from New York City to Vermont with their recently divorced mother. The last thing Miguel wants, as he's trying to fit into a predominantly white community, is a flamboyant aunt who doesn't speak a word of English. Tía Lola, however, knows a language that defies words; she quickly charms and befriends all the neighbors. She can also cook exotic food, dance (anywhere, anytime), plan fun parties, and tell enchanting stories. Eventually, Tía Lola and the children swap English and Spanish ejercicios, but the true lesson is "mutual understanding." Peppered with Spanish words and phrases, Alvarez makes the reader as much a part of the "language" lessons as the characters. This story seamlessly weaves two culturaswhile letting each remain intact, just as Miguel is learning to do with his own life. Like all good stories, this one incorporates a lesson just subtle enough that readers will forget they're being taught, but in the end will understand themselves, and others, a little better, regardless of la lengua nativa—the mother tongue.
Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-375-80215-0
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Trickling, bubbling, swirling, rushing, a river flows down from its mountain beginnings, past peaceful country and bustling city on its way to the sea. Hooper (The Drop in My Drink, 1998, etc.) artfully evokes the water’s changing character as it transforms from “milky-cold / rattling-bold” to a wide, slow “sliding past mudflats / looping through marshes” to the end of its journey. Willey, best known for illustrating Geraldine McCaughrean’s spectacular folk-tale collections, contributes finely detailed scenes crafted in shimmering, intricate blues and greens, capturing mountain’s chill, the bucolic serenity of passing pastures, and a sense of mystery in the water’s shadowy depths. Though Hooper refers to “the cans and cartons / and bits of old wood” being swept along, there’s no direct conservation agenda here (for that, see Debby Atwell’s River, 1999), just appreciation for the river’s beauty and being. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: June 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7636-0792-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2000
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