A simply written but touching holiday tale about cross-generational friendship. Sisters Lila and Jane are bewitched by the magnificent dollhouse displayed in the front window of Miss Amanda Whitcomb’s house. Stopping by the window after school to gaze at the intricately wrought plaything is the highlight of the girls’ day. Creating stories about the dollhouse and its contents helps the pair cope with the privations of the Great Depression; their Dad is out of work, they’ve moved out of their fine home, etc. An unexpected encounter with the eccentric, but friendly, older woman who lives inside the home marks the start of a special friendship. Miss Whitcomb welcomes the girls into her home, allowing them to play with her dollhouse. Despite their family’s hardships, the girls exhibit remarkable grace as they, and their family, freely share of their goodhearted spirit with the lonesome spinster. The inevitable disaster occurs when Miss Whitcomb dies suddenly on Christmas Eve, leaving the children devastated. They soon learn that Miss Whitcomb has left them the dollhouse. Yet, her legacy is both physical and spiritual as the girls generously share their new treasure with the child who has moved into Miss Whitcomb’s home. McDonough’s attention to small details vividly recreates the ambiance of the Depression era. While the plot is predictable, the combination of the character’s sweet nobility with McDonough’s winsome prose is beguiling. Palmisciano’s black-and-white illustrations, cheerfully drawn and with an eye for period details, lighten the emotional intensity of the tale. A wholesome and nostalgic period piece that’s a moving affirmation of good will to all. An author’s note provides further background information on the Great Depression. (Fiction. 7-10)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-8050-6464-8
Page Count: 83
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2000
PLB 0-688-13166-2 King Midas And The Golden Touch ($16.00; PLB $15.63; Apr.; 32 pp.; 0-688-13165-4; PLB 0-688-13166-2): The familiar tale of King Midas gets the golden touch in the hands of Craft and Craft (Cupid and Psyche, 1996). The author takes her inspiration from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s retelling, capturing the essence of the tale with the use of pithy dialogue and colorful description. Enchanting in their own right, the illustrations summon the Middle Ages as a setting, and incorporate colors so lavish that when they are lost to the uniform gold spurred by King Midas’s touch, the point of the story is further burnished. (Picture book. 7-9)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-688-13165-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999
Lunge-Larsen and Preus debut with this story of a flower that blooms for the first time to commemorate the uncommon courage of a girl who saves her people from illness. The girl, an Ojibwe of the northern woodlands, knows she must journey to the next village to get the healing herb, mash-ki- ki, for her people, who have all fallen ill. After lining her moccasins with rabbit fur, she braves a raging snowstorm and crosses a dark frozen lake to reach the village. Then, rather than wait for morning, she sets out for home while the villagers sleep. When she loses her moccasins in the deep snow, her bare feet are cut by icy shards, and bleed with every step until she reaches her home. The next spring beautiful lady slippers bloom from the place where her moccasins were lost, and from every spot her injured feet touched. Drawing on Ojibwe sources, the authors of this fluid retelling have peppered the tale with native words and have used traditional elements, e.g., giving voice to the forces of nature. The accompanying watercolors, with flowing lines, jewel tones, and decorative motifs, give stately credence to the story’s iconic aspects. (Picture book/folklore. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-395-90512-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1999
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