While the charming illustrations give this title great shelf appeal, lack of narrative depth makes it best suited for...
A Peruvian príncipe sets out to foil his mamá and marry the girl of his dreams in this Latinx-inspired adaptation of “The Princess and the Pea” from Spanish-language–adaptation veteran Elya (La Madre Goose, 2016, etc.).
En route to her own castle, the titular princesa catches the eye of the prince, who invites her to stay the night. The classic Hans Christian Andersen tale unfolds with Latin flair in rhyming couplets sprinkled with Spanish vocabulary terms. The appeal here is for non-native speakers seeking an introduction to the language. At times the dual-language rhyme becomes awkward with phrasing that misses the mark in both languages, “The girl stretched her brazos / and yawned with her boca”—as if she’d yawn with anything other than her mouth? The text also fails to establish the mother’s motive for putting the pea under the mattresses, and for this reason background knowledge of the original is a prerequisite to truly enjoy this adaption. Martinez-Neal’s darling, soft-edged mixed-media illustrations bring the brown-skinned characters to life in costumes from different regions of Peru, while guinea pigs and alpaca fleece create an atmosphere of a busy rural textile industry.
While the charming illustrations give this title great shelf appeal, lack of narrative depth makes it best suited for comparison with the original rather than a title that stands on its own. (glossary) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-25156-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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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