Twice bestirred, twice entangled in human affairs (An Older Kind of Magic, The Nargun and the Stars), the earth-spirits Wrightson has invoked from Australian aboriginal lore are now ubiquitous, a primordial underground—whose rising, previously an incident, takes on the dimensions and import of a Flood. Or, in the careless heat of an Australian Christmas season, of an incipient ice age. On the continent's green edges live the Happy Folk; scattered behind are the Inlanders and the land's own dark-skinned People (with appropriate eco-moral values: the coastal city dwellers, the residents of the outback, and the Aborigines). An icy blast in the desert, the local People's knowledge of the ice-bearded, clamorous Ninya ("No men left to sing them back into their caves")—plus newspaper reports of sudden, approaching frosts—take young Wirrun of the People from his city gasstation job to fight the peril that only he recognizes. As sidekick he has the petulant, wispy Mimi, stick-figure femme fatale; for protection, the Power bestowed by the first of the creatures in their path. Wirrun has sent for the men from Mount Conner to sing the Ninya down; what he must also do, he learns, is beat the Ninya to the Eldest Nargun, source of fire, and rouse it to hold them until the men arrive. In the final seaside reckoning, however, the liveliest part is played by some Aboriginals Wirrun enlists—and by an observant Inlander tipped off because, for once, he sees the People "brisk and in good humor." Apart from the Happy Folk caricature, Wrightson does well by her character mix—even allowing the Mimi, most sensitive of spirits, to remind Wirrun of "the curious thing that men were made for: to care." The levity and sentiment are a relief from the ponderousness—itself redeemed, in large measure, by Wrightson's precise, muscular writing.
Pub Date: Sept. 9, 1977
ISBN: 0345332482
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1977
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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