In contrast to the common tendency to set straightforward stories for children in rhyme, San Souci (The Silver Charm, below, etc.) has taken a narrative poem and set it in prose. Unfortunately, this adaptation of Longfellow’s poem of the same name does not quite work as a picture book. Although the proto-environmental theme of the original will appeal to contemporary children, the modified narrative is lengthier and less cohesive than would be expected in a story written explicitly and originally for children of picture-book age. Only some of the character and story line changes are mentioned in the author’s note, and only some are successful. That schoolchildren participate in saving birds the townspeople have voted to kill for the sake of the crops does make the story more relevant to young readers, but confusion results from the changing of the character of Almira from a helpless townswoman with no voice in the matter to a vocal supporter of the birds. She argues in favor of the birds for the sake of their “sweet songs.” The Squire later admits she was right, but it was not the lack of birdsong that convinced the townspeople they were wrong. Rather, they dislike the resulting overpopulation of insects, an eventuality the schoolteacher warns about in the original. A nice touch in both versions is Almira’s marriage to the schoolteacher amid the tune of restored birdsong. Root’s (The Storytelling Princess, 2001, etc.) soft, delicate watercolor-and-pencil illustrations in pastel shades alternate between spot illustrations and full-page depictions of events framed by detailed borders, which add a folkloric air to the story. Occasional humorous detail for careful readers include a hunter tripping over his gun as a raccoon leaps onto his head, presumably in an attempt to protect its fellow creatures. Despite its narrative faults, this adaptation is attractively presented, and does have academic value: adults can use it to introduce children to Longfellow’s poetry and to environmentalism. Without an adult’s encouragement, however, young readers may not pick this up or stay with it on their own. (Picture book. 6-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-8037-2111-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2002
Innocuous adventuring on the smallest of scales.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle (1965) upgrades to The Mice and the Rolls-Royce.
In Windsor Castle there sits a “dollhouse like no other,” replete with working plumbing, electricity, and even a full library of real, tiny books. Called Queen Mary’s Dollhouse, it also plays host to the Whiskers family, a clan of mice that has maintained the house for generations. Henry Whiskers and his cousin Jeremy get up to the usual high jinks young mice get up to, but when Henry’s little sister Isabel goes missing at the same time that the humans decide to clean the house up, the usually bookish big brother goes on the adventure of his life. Now Henry is driving cars, avoiding cats, escaping rats, and all before the upcoming mouse Masquerade. Like an extended version of Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Two Bad Mice (1904), Priebe keeps this short chapter book constantly moving, with Duncan’s peppy art a cute capper. Oddly, the dollhouse itself plays only the smallest of roles in this story, and no factual information on the real Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House is included at the tale’s end (an opportunity lost).
Innocuous adventuring on the smallest of scales. (Fantasy. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-6575-5
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
Mary, Remember, and Bartholomew Allerton were among the youngest on the Mayflower's first voyage; the words here tell how, with the other newcomers, they suffer tremendous losses but gradually come to view Plymouth as home. Meanwhile, the author's paintings expand considerably on the text with a fanciful map of the journey, a cutaway view of the ship, and crowd scenes of planting, harvest, and thanksgiving. The children, introduced in the first paragraph, don't appear in the illustrations, and are not the focus of any picture, until well into the book. The ongoing disparity between text and art is unsettling; moreover, the text is often clumsy: After the death of Mary—last of the original group—the narrative leaps back to a confusing, incomplete explanation of the Pilgrims' origins. The panoramic watercolors are attractive, with expertly composed, cinematic scenes, but the text, pursuing its separate agenda, regrettably never catches up. (Picture book. 6-9)
Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1992
ISBN: 0-02-742643-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1992
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