Picture book newcomer te Loo retells a classic Chinese tale about a boy who decides to build the ultimate kite. But when his efforts draw the attention of the emperor, it’s for all the wrong reasons. In the opening, a framed vignette shows the boy rushing off on his red bicycle, on his way “to Mr. Fo’s shop for paper, sticks, and string.” A double-page spread shows him looking up from the darkened workshop to the light-filled ceiling, where more than a dozen kites are on display. For his part, Mr. Fo issues a warning: “you must paint your kite before you fly it or the emperor of the sky will be angry.” But Ping-Li doesn’t listen. After crafting his kite on the steps of the temple, he rides home with it fluttering from the back of his bicycle. In the park, Ping-Li ties the kite to his knee and lets it fly free as he sleeps. Above him, a dragon-shaped cloud foreshadows the pivotal encounter: the emperor, aboard his dragonship, reaches down and “pluck[s] the kite from the air.” A sinuous ladder unfurls from the cloudy ship and Ping-Li climbs into the sky. There, he sees the finest of kites. “You must make your kite better than all the kites in my ship,” the emperor tells Ping-Li. And Ping-Li does—he paints his kite in the image of the emperor. With spare text and evocative illustration this handsome volume, first published in the Netherlands, will find an easy fit on the multicultural bookshelf. (Folktale. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 2002
ISBN: 1-886910-75-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2002
A book that will make young dog-owners smile in recognition and confirm dogless readers' worst suspicions about the mayhem caused by pets, even winsome ones. Sam, who bears passing resemblance to an affable golden retriever, is praised for fetching the family newspaper, and goes on to fetch every other newspaper on the block. In the next story, only the children love Sam's swimming; he is yelled at by lifeguards and fishermen alike when he splashes through every watering hole he can find. Finally, there is woe to the entire family when Sam is bored and lonely for one long night. Boland has an essential message, captured in both both story and illustrations of this Easy-to-Read: Kids and dogs belong together, especially when it's a fun-loving canine like Sam. An appealing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8037-1530-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions.
Ellis, known for her illustrations for Colin Meloy’s Wildwood series, here riffs on the concept of “home.”
Shifting among homes mundane and speculative, contemporary and not, Ellis begins and ends with views of her own home and a peek into her studio. She highlights palaces and mansions, but she also takes readers to animal homes and a certain famously folkloric shoe (whose iconic Old Woman manages a passel of multiethnic kids absorbed in daring games). One spread showcases “some folks” who “live on the road”; a band unloads its tour bus in front of a theater marquee. Ellis’ compelling ink and gouache paintings, in a palette of blue-grays, sepia and brick red, depict scenes ranging from mythical, underwater Atlantis to a distant moonscape. Another spread, depicting a garden and large building under connected, transparent domes, invites readers to wonder: “Who in the world lives here? / And why?” (Earth is seen as a distant blue marble.) Some of Ellis’ chosen depictions, oddly juxtaposed and stripped of any historical or cultural context due to the stylized design and spare text, become stereotypical. “Some homes are boats. / Some homes are wigwams.” A sailing ship’s crew seems poised to land near a trio of men clad in breechcloths—otherwise unidentified and unremarked upon.
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6529-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
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