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GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT

Name: GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT
Author: Mark Shannon
ISBN: 0-399-22446-7

by Mark Shannon & illustrated by David Shannon ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 15, 1994

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Gawain, youngest of King Arthur's knights, is tired of the ribbing his inexperience elicits from the others at the Round Table. A bit precipitately he accepts a challenge from the colossal and horrid Green Knight of the North Country: an exchange of axe blows to the neck, Gawain to go first, the Green Knight to follow if he survives. Needless to say, he does, and he graces Gawain a year and a day, at which time Gawain must go to the North Country to meet his fate. This wonderful Celtic tale, a celebration of passion and honesty and courage, is given a decent retelling by arts journalist Mark Shannon, targeted at a much younger audience than the complete version. David Shannon's illustrations are technically impressive—with their deep shadows and blurred lines—but are too soft and moody to fit the reduced text. The text and paintings may be slightly odd fellows, but the story shines through, never to grow old. (Folklore/Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1994

ISBN: 0-399-22446-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1994

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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A DOG NAMED SAM

by Janice Boland & illustrated by G. Brian Karas ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1996

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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HOME

by Carson Ellis ; illustrated by Carson Ellis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 24, 2015

Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions.

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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)