Reviews of new children's books (all ages)
Steve Brock
For all ages:
SEVEN MYSTERIOUS WONDERS OF THE WORLD by Celia King. Chronicle
Books, 275 Fifth Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, (800) 722-6657,
(800) 445-7577 in CA, (415) 777-8887 FAX. Illustrated. 14 pp.,
$9.95 cloth. 0-8118-0361-9.
REVIEW
Number four in an outstanding series of pop-up books that
investigate wonders of the world, King introduces the reader to the
constructions of past civilizations and other mysteries that
continue to baffle us. Included are Atlantis, Stonehange, the
Bermuda Triangle, Shangri-La, The Egyptian Labyrinth, Easter
Island, and the Nazca Lines of Peru. Entertaining, instructive,
and highly recommended.
STORIES BY FIRELIGHT, written and illustrated by Shirley Hughes.
Lothrop, Lee, and Shepard Books, 1350 Avenue of the Americas, N.Y.,
NY 10019, (800) 843-9389, (201) 227-6849 FAX. Illustrated. 64
pp., $16.00 cloth. 0-688-04568-5
REVIEW
Hughes, a beloved and award-winning English author and illustrator,
confronts winter in stories and poems that aren't always as warm
and reassuring as the fire beside which they are to be read. The
book opens with an expectant poem about the coming of winter, but
next comes a sad story, actually a fable, telling of the unfairness
of harboring a wild animal. Other poems feature an old man (old as
the winter), a haunted house, Joseph and Mary's twentieth-century
reception, and a patch of sun that may mean spring is near. Hughes
is at her best in the wordless story of a boy's dream, in which he
finds a trapdoor into a terrifying world that he explores but
doesn't notice all the monsters and ghouls that stay just out of
sight. This book is destined to become an inspirational family
treasure. Highly recommended.
I SPY TWO EYES: NUMBERS IN ART, devised and selected by Lucy
Micklethwait. Greenwillow Books, 1350 Avenue of the Americas,
N.Y., NY 10019, (800) 843-9389, (201) 227-6849 FAX. Illustrated.
32 pp., $19.00 cloth. 0-688-12640-5
REVIEW
Children learn to count and find items, as well as being introduced
to masterpieces of art, in this constructive abstraction. As they
say on the PBS television show "Sesame Street," today's episode is
brought to you by the artists (among others), Gauguin, Matisse,
Kandinsky, Van Gogh, Rubens, Rousseau, Picasso, and Botticelli, and
the numbers one to twenty. Fifteen and twenty are challenges, but
all are a delight. Highly recommended. Also in the series: "I
Spy: An Alphabet in Art."
THE FIRST STRAWBERRIES: A CHEROKEE STORY by Joseph Bruchac,
pictures by Anna Vojtech. Dial Books, 375 Hudson St., N.Y., NY
10014, (212) 366-2000, (212) 366-2666 FAX. Illustrated. 32 pp.,
$13.99 cloth. 0-8037-1332-0
REVIEW
The first man and woman in the world live happily for many years.
One day, the man returns home and has angry words with the woman
because she is picking flowers instead of preparing a meal. Stung
by the words, she leaves, walking so fast that the man cannot catch
her. The sun notices the man's misery that he is alone, and it
plants a strawberry patch in front of the woman. As she stoops to
pick them, the man catches up and asks for forgiveness. That is
how strawberries were created. Today, when the Cherokee eat
strawberries, they think of kindness, friendship, and respect.
This is an ideal book to give a new friend or to a couple getting
married, accompanied, of course, by a basket of strawberries.
MAGICAL TALES FROM MANY LANDS, retold by Margaret Mayo, illustrated
by Jane Ray. Dutton Children's Books, 375 Hudson St., N.Y., NY
10014, (800) 253-2304, (212) 366-2666 FAX. Illustrated. 128 pp.,
$19.99 cloth. 0-525-45017-3
REVIEW
This varied mix of fourteen folktales, fables, and stories is a
perfect introduction to people from different cultures. The
Turkish Lemon Princess, the Blackfeet Feather Woman, the Scottish
Kate Crackernuts, the Three Golden Apples from France, the African
Halloween Witches, the evil Russian Baba Yaga (this time she's in
character, see the review of "Babushka Baba Yaga" in the ages 4-8
category), and others, will be in great demand as this book is
passed from mother to daughter. Janet Ray's illustrations are
endearing. Highly recommended.
MORE ROOTABAGAS, stories by Carl Sandburg, pictures by Paul O.
Zelinsky. Alfred A. Knopf, 201 E. 50th St., N.Y., NY 10022, (800)
638-6460, (212) 572-2593 FAX. Illustrated. 94 pp., $18.00 cloth.
0-679-80070-0
REVIEW
In the tradition of Sandburg's other children's books: "Rootabaga
Stories" (1922), "Rootabaga Pigeons" (1923), and "Potato Face"
(1930), this new book of unpublished works seems dated and lacking
meaning, but those who look a little deeper will find a wealth of
metaphor and alliteration. These ten tales abound in the wry wit
of midwestern America, dealing with anti-war themes, class
distinctions, and Sandburg even gives death a poke in the ribs.
The soft and dreamy watercolor pictures by Zelinsky add a mystical
touch. Recommended.
THE OXFORD BOOK OF CHILDREN'S STORIES, selected by Jan Mark.
Oxford University Press, 200 Madison Ave., N.Y., NY 10016, (800)
451-7556, (919) 677-1303 FAX. Notes and sources, list of further
readings. 470 pp., $25.00 cloth. 0-19-214228-3
REVIEW
There are few moments as comforting and reassuring to children as
when Mom or Dad sits down to read a story aloud. During that
precious time, anything is possible; ghosts may lurk on the
periphery, pirates may be just offshore, and worlds of mystery and
adventure are just a few words away. The forty-four stories in
this new collection run the spectrum of children's authors: Louisa
May Alcott, Rudyard Kipling, E. Nesbit, Carl Sandburg, Joan Aiken,
and Richard Kennedy. The stories are arranged chronologically, and
are perfect for reading aloud. This is an ideal Christmas gift
that will last all year. Mark's essay on the development of the
children's short story also makes the book a respectable reference.
EYEWITNESS ART SERIES: GOYA by Patricia Wright, POST-IMPRESSIONISM
by Colin Wiggins, COLOR by Alison Cole. Dorling Kindersley, 225
Park Avenue South, N.Y., NY 10003, (800) 733-3000, (800) 659-2436
FAX. Illustrated, index, biographies, list of museum collections,
glos.sary, map. 64 pp., $16.95 cloth, each. Goya is 1-56458-333-
3, Color is 1-56458-332-5, Post-Impressionism is 1-56458-334-1
REVIEW
The "Eyewitness Art" series performs two functions: presenting an
overview of different artforms, schools, and movements, and
introducing readers to individual artists who personify each
influence. "Goya" is a colorful biography of the prominent
portrait painter from Spain, who lived from 1746-1828. All of his
major works are displayed, along with several of his caprices,
frescoes, majas, depictions of war, the black paintings, as well as
his exile to Bordeaux in 1824. The heading on the last page
incorrectly says that Goya died at eighty. Actually, he died at
eighty-two. "Post Impressionism," a term created by art critic
Roger Fry in 1910, indicated the desire of artists to "go beyond
the world of external appearance" that had dominated the work of
the Impressionists. Combining biographies of the major proponents
of the genre (Cezanne, Seurat, Van Gogh, Gaugin, Lautrec, Renoir,
Degas, Picasso, Matisse, and others), the book also concentrates on
different styles that developed within the movement (pointillists,
symbolists, the Nabis, grotesque, cubism, and surrealism). The
focus of "Color" is the different ways that artists manipulated
colors to elicit distinct responses from their patrons. Beginning
with a historical overview, the book analyzes the use of color in
a world with an increasing array of available materials, from
primitive charcoal and iron oxides to the use of gold, egg tempra,
oils, the arrangement of colors on a palette, and the use of light
and luster to enhance certain colors. Also, many of the
innovations by individual artists are discussed. Dissappointingly,
computer art is not addressed. All three books are highly
recommended for elementary, middle-school, and public libraries.
SADAKO by Eleanor Coerr, illustrated by Ed Young. G. P. Putnam's
Sons., 200 Madison Ave., N.Y., NY 10016, (800) 847-5515, (212)
213-6706 FAX. Illustrated. 32 pp., $16.95 cloth. 0-399-21771-1
REVIEW
Adapted from Coerr's triumphant novel of bravery in the face of
death, this children's book contains a powerful message for all
ages. Sadako Sasaki was two years old when Hiroshima was destroyed
by a hydrogen bomb. When she was twelve, she developed leukemia
from the bomb's effects. When she hears of the Japanese legend
that says if a sick person folds one thousand paper cranes, the
gods will grant the wish to be healthy again, Sadako begins in
earnest. The disease took Sadako, however, after she had folded
six hundred fourty-four cranes. In her memory, those who had known
Sadako finished the three hundred fifty-six cranes, and one
thousand cranes were buried with her. Now, a statue of Sadako
stands in Hiroshima Peace Park, where children place garlands of
paper cranes on Peace Day. A moving story and a fitting tribute.
Highly recommended.
PENGUINS AT HOME: GENTOOS OF ANTARCTICA, written and photographed
by Bruce McMillan. Houghton Mifflin, 215 Park Avenue South, N.Y.,
NY 100..03, (800) 225-3362. Illustrated, index, bibliography,
maps. 32 pp., $15.95 cloth. 0-395-66560-4
REVIEW
The gentlest of the penguins of the Antarctic Peninsula is the
Gentoo. McMillan studies various aspects of this bird, who grows
to about two-and-a-half feet tall. Whether nesting, breeding,
playing, hunting for krill, feeding hungry chicks, the photographs
make each penguin look like it's having fun, even the dirty one.
The penguin population is growing, largely due to the hunting of
whales and seals, which results in less competition for food. The
pictures are so realistic that the reader may want to put a coat
on. Recommended.
THE DISNEY VILLAN by Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas. Hyperion
Publishing, 114 Fifth Ave., N.Y., NY 10011, (800) 343-9204, (212)
633-4811 FAX. Illustrated, index, list of animators. 232 pp.,
$45.00 cloth. 1-56282-792-8
REVIEW
As a child, did you ever go to a Disney movie and wake up screaming
later that night, certain that the witch from Snow White, or the
Coachman on Pleasure Island from Pinocchio, or the Maleficent from
Sleeping Beauty, had you in their clutches and was dragging you to
your doom? I had plenty of them. All of the Disney villains, who
many feel are more memorable than the heroes they battled, have
been collected in a new book by two veteran Disney animators.
After a discussion of what a villain actually is, Johnston and
Thomas examine the Disney short subjects, in which the villain was
usually another animal. Then it's off to the movies, where most of
the full-length features had only one villain. In the older
movies, which have been re-released to the delight of a new
generation, there are the queen-of-hearts in Alice in Wonderland,
Captain Hook in Peter Pan, Cruella DeVille in 101 Dalmations, and
the evil stepmother from Cinderella. In more recent movies,
children can cringe and cry in the night to get away from Ursula in
The Little Mermaid or Jafar in Aladdin. This is a wonderful,
behind-the-scenes portrayal of the Disney creation team in action.
The book is perfect as a Christmas gift from one family to another
or for anyone with an interest in animation.
THE BIRD ATLAS by Barbara Taylor, illustrated by Richard Orr.
Dorling Kindersley, 225 Park Avenue South, N.Y., NY 10003, (800)
733-3000, (800) 659-2436 FAX. Illustrated, index, maps. 64 pp.,
$19.95 cloth. 1-56458-327-9
REVIEW
Be careful when you open this book. If not opened slowly and
carefully, the birds will fly out! Beginning with a section titled
"What is a Bird," the atlas is arranged by continent with a double-
page spread introducing birds of the area in general, while
subsequent pages give more specific information. Individual
entries list a symbol corresponding to where on the map the bird
lives, common and latin names, the size of the bird, and a brief
description. The illustrations are extremely lifelike. Highly
recommended for the personal libraries of junior bird-lovers and
middle-school and public libraries.
THE ELDERS ARE WATCHING by Dave Bouchard, with pictures by Roy
Henry Vickers. Fulcrum Publishing, 350 Indiana St., Suite 350,
Golden, CO 80401, (800) 992-2908, (303) 279-7111. Illustrated.
55 pp., $12.95 paper. 1-55591-158-7
REVIEW
You promised you'd care for the cedar and fir,
The mountains, the sea and the sky.
To the Elders these things were the essence of life.
Without them a people will die.
-- Dave Bouchard
Traditional Northwest tribal images were never brighter than in
this flowing and colorful plea to reverse our self-indulgence,
preserve the environment, and with it, our cultural heritage. The
rainbow images evoke Northwest scenes while the powerful words
express disappointment with out lack of respect for the natural
world. No matter what our tribe, Bouchard and Vickers say, our
Elders are sadly watching. Highly recommended as a reminder as
well as an art book.
THE RAINBOW FAIRY BOOK, edited by Andrew Lang, illustrated by
Michael Hague. William Morrow and Company/Books of Wonder, 1350
Avenue of the Americas, N.Y., NY 10019, (800) 843-9389, (201)
227-6849 FAX. Illustrated, bibliography. 288 pp., $20.00 cloth.
0-688-10878-4
REVIEW
The memory of Andrew Lang (1844-1912), editor and collector of
fairy tales, is evoked in this collection of classic stories from
all over the world. Around the turn of the century, Lang published
a series of books of fairy tales in the "Colored Fairy Tale"
series, such as "The Blue Fairy Book" in 1889. Others include "The
Yellow Fairy Book," "The Blue Fairy Book," and the "Green Fairy
Book." The more well-known stories appearing in the "Rainbow"
collection are: "Rapunzel," "Cinderella," "Rumpelstiltzkin,"
"Hansel and Gretel," "The Three Little Pigs," "Jack and the
Beanstalk," and "Little Red Riding Hood." While Lang has been
accused of "purifying" his sources, this is an enduring collection
that will be passed down from generation to generation.