With an idealized fidelity that will strike a chord in Norman Rockwell fans, Russian-born Ibatoulline (Crossing, 2001) gives viewers a glimpse of small-town America through the eyes of a traveling electric-sign salesman and his daughter. With samples in their sporty convertible’s back seat and rolled up designs in the trunk, the two start their summer day with a stop at Sophie’s Diner, then it’s on to a market to watch a large sign being lowered onto the roof. The day turns into a special occasion for the young narrator when she seals her first deal, convincing a hard-nut local druggist to take one of the new, lit signboards with removable letters. “Someday I’m going to sell a million signs,” she proclaims as she and her father drive triumphantly away, pumping fists in the air. Despite the differences in age and sex, these two are peas in a pod, alive with that innate optimism that is the true salesperson’s sine qua non: “ ‘Now we’re rolling,’ Papa says. ‘We’re rolling big time,’ I say.” Automobiles and other details set this at least a generation back, but the town itself has a timeless look that echoes the equally timeless closeness between parent and child. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: May 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-670-03568-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2002
Sloat collaborates with Huffman, a Yu’pik storyteller, to infuse a traditional “origins” tale with the joy of creating. Hearing the old women of her village grumble that they have only tasteless crowberries for the fall feast’s akutaq—described as “Eskimo ice cream,” though the recipe at the end includes mixing in shredded fish and lard—young Anana carefully fashions three dolls, then sings and dances them to life. Away they bound, to cover the hills with cranberries, blueberries, and salmonberries. Sloat dresses her smiling figures in mixes of furs and brightly patterned garb, and sends them tumbling exuberantly through grassy tundra scenes as wildlife large and small gathers to look on. Despite obtrusively inserted pronunciations for Yu’pik words in the text, young readers will be captivated by the action, and by Anana’s infectious delight. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-88240-575-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your dreads! Isadora once again plies her hand using colorful, textured collages to depict her fourth fairy tale relocated to Africa. The narrative follows the basic story line: Taken by an evil sorceress at birth, Rapunzel is imprisoned in a tower; Rapunzel and the prince “get married” in the tower and she gets pregnant. The sorceress cuts off Rapunzel’s hair and tricks the prince, who throws himself from the tower and is blinded by thorns. The terse ending states: “The prince led Rapunzel and their twins to his kingdom, where they were received with great joy and lived happily every after.” Facial features, clothing, dreadlocks, vultures and the prince riding a zebra convey a generic African setting, but at times, the mixture of patterns and textures obfuscates the scenes. The textile and grain characteristic of the hewn art lacks the elegant romance of Zelinksy’s Caldecott version. Not a first purchase, but useful in comparing renditions to incorporate a multicultural aspect. (Picture book/fairy tale. 6-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-399-24772-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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