The idea of a Noah's ark handed down from generation to generation holds such promise, and so well suits Goffstein's precise, intimate, quietly unfolding manner, that the fact that it remains tenuous, undeveloped—as do the pictures—is all the more a disappointment. "When I was a little girl ninety years ago," begins the small black-clad figure, "my father made me an ark." And she goes on to describe his pleasure in building it, the figures he carved, her special fondness for the sad-looking smaller gray horse—stroked "until. . . there is not much paint left on her, except for her two little eyes, which look grateful." Her father adds more animals; upon marrying, she takes the ark to her new home; and in time she passes both ark and story along to her children. "Now," with everyone gone, the memories remain: "Our fun and sorrow seem to form a rainbow, and it warms me like sunshine." But apart from the father's booming refrain—"Make it three hundred cubits long"—and the expressed fancy for one horse, the narrative hovers, unsecured; the recollection does not become a shared experience.
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1978
ISBN: 0060220228
Page Count: 31
Publisher: Harper & Row
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1978
A festive invitation to creative liberation.
A pleasingly tactile exploration of the possibilities inherent in mistakes.
"A torn piece of paper... / is just the beginning!" Spills, folded paper, drips of paint, smudges and smears—they "all can make magic appear." An increasingly complex series of scenarios celebrates random accidents, encouraging artistic experimentation rather than discouragement. The folded-over paper can be a penguin's head; a torn piece of newsprint can turn into a smiling dog with a little application of paint; a hot-chocolate stain can become a bog for a frog. Thanks to a telescoping pop-up, a hole is filled with nearly limitless possibilities. The interactive elements work beautifully with the photo-collaged "mistakes," never overwhelming the intent with showiness. Saltzberg's trademark cartoon animals provide a sweetly childlike counterpoint to the artful scribbles and smears of gloppy paint.
A festive invitation to creative liberation. (Pop-up. 4-12)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-7611-5728-1
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2010
A lovely encouragement to young writers to persist.
This follow-up to How To Read a Story (2005) shows a child going through the steps of creating a story, from choosing an idea through sharing with friends.
A young black child lies in a grassy field writing in a journal, working on “Step 1 / Search for an Idea— / a shiny one.” During a walk to the library, various ideas float in colorful thought bubbles, with exclamation points: “playing soccer! / dogs!” Inside the library, less-distinct ideas, expressed as shapes and pictures, with question marks, float about as the writer collects ideas to choose from. The young writer must then choose a setting, a main character, and a problem for that protagonist. Plotting, writing with detail, and revising are described in child-friendly terms and shown visually, in the form of lists and notes on faux pieces of paper. Finally, the writer sits in the same field, in a new season, sharing the story with friends. The illustrations feature the child’s writing and drawing as well as images of imagined events from the book in progress bursting off the page. The child’s main character is an adventurous mermaid who looks just like the child, complete with afro-puff pigtails, representing an affirming message about writing oneself into the world. The child’s family, depicted as black, moves in the background of the setting, which is also populated by a multiracial cast.
A lovely encouragement to young writers to persist. (Informational picture book. 6-10)Pub Date: July 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4521-5666-8
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
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