Spare and beautiful
“At the very beginning of time,” spoken words had the power to become true—as protagonists Tiri the Arctic fox and Ukaliq the Arctic hare soon realize in this traditional Inuit tale.
In this “time of magic words” all the Earth is in a state of darkness. It is great for the nocturnal animals like Tiri, who can easily see and hunt in the dark. He makes sure the darkness prevails by calling its name: “Taaq, taaq, taaq!” Ukaliq overhears Tiri and thinks it unfair to have only darkness. How can she find food? She calls out the word for day, “Ubluq, ubluq, ubluq!” and so light comes into the world in a spectacular double-page spread in which the verso is dominated by the huge arc of the yellow, rising sun. The two disagree and argue and finally decide on a compromise that will “give each other enough time to find a meal or two before the other changes the light in the sky.” Rumbolt grew up listening to traditional Inuit stories and customs shared by her family and other elders. Her cadenced retelling of this traditional origin story will help young readers learn how to compromise and problem solve. Lishchenko’s deliberate palette of black and white, plus touches of a few other colors, plays strikingly with negative and positive space and adds a subtle dimension to this story of opponents learning how to coexist.
Spare and beautiful . (Picture book/religion. 3-7)Pub Date: Oct. 30, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-77227-180-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Inhabit Media
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
A fun and engaging introduction to Mexico for the younger set.
Young armchair travelers are invited to join a treasure hunt around Mexico while learning a few Spanish words and geographical facts along the way.
The first double-page spread presents a colorful map of Mexico with some of the objects readers will find over the course of their journey as well as a few quick facts about Mexico. A series of colorful and kid-friendly double-page spreads depict landmarks, customs, and foods to be found in different locales, always following the same format: A scene is depicted, basic information is presented in rhyming text, an object must be found, and a “DID YOU KNOW” fun fact appears. To aid children in their search, the object to be located usually is depicted with an aura or stars around it. Words in Spanish are printed in boldface and then presented phonetically. In Mexico City, for example, amid modern skyscrapers, children are invited to locate the statue of El Angel, before reading the “DID YOU KNOW?” fact: The statue is “covered with 24K gold!” There is a commercial angle to the outing, as children are encouraged at the end of the book to visit the website where they can get stickers for each object found in addition to other, related material for sale. The compositions are busy for younger board-book readers, but older toddlers and preschoolers should enjoy it.
A fun and engaging introduction to Mexico for the younger set. (Board book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-945635-22-9
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Encantos
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Adults wishing to expand the worldviews of their young charges beyond Eurocentric interpretations will find plenty of visual...
A retelling of the classic fairy tale with India as its setting.
This latest addition to the Once Upon A World series tells the well-known story of the maiden with beautiful long tresses locked away in a tower by an evil witch and the prince who falls in love with her. As with Perkins’ Cinderella (illustrated by Sandra Equihua, 2016) and Snow White (illustrated by Misa Saburi, 2016), the text has been simplified for a younger audience, and the distinguishing twist here is its setting in India. The mixed-media illustrations of plants, animals, village life, and, of course, Rapunzel, the witch, and the prince come alive in warm, saturated colors. Other than the visuals, there is little to differentiate the story from traditional tellings. As always, it is still the prince who will eventually lead Rapunzel to her salvation by taking her to his kingdom far away from the witch, but that is the nature of fairy tales. The only quibble with this book and indeed with this series is the board-book format. Given the fact that the audience most likely to enjoy it is beyond the board-book age, a full-size book would have done more justice to the vibrant artwork.
Adults wishing to expand the worldviews of their young charges beyond Eurocentric interpretations will find plenty of visual delights in this one, though they’ll wish it were bigger. (Board book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 21, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-9072-6
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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