Picture Book Reviews: Folk and Fairy Tales

[Wendy E. Betts]

NOTES FROM THE WINDOWSILL ISSN 1078-8697
An electronic journal of book reviews. Copyright 1994 Wendy E. Betts.
Reproduction for personal and non-profit use is permitted only if this
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Vol. 2, No. 148 Picture Books, Folk Tales, ages 4 & up 12/12/94

__ How Night Came from the Sea_ retold by Mary-Joan Gerson. Illustrated
by Carla Golembe.

"Long, long ago, at the very beginning of time, when the world had
just been made, there was no night." To this strange world, where "no
one have every heard of sunrise or sunset, starlight or moonbeams,"
the daughter of the sea goddess lemanja came to live with her
husband, one of the sons of the earth people. In time, the constant
brightness began to hurt her eyes, and so her husband sent three
trusted servants to lemanja's kingdom, to beg for some of the night
which is like "the quiet after crying or the end of a storm."
Exquisitely written and vibrantly illustrated, this version of a fairy
tale from Brazil is laden with feeling and imagery. Illustrations
reminiscent of rich, colorful finger-paints show the brilliant
contrasts between the stunning brightness of day and the soothing
comfort of night. A lovely and affecting book. (4 & up) *

__ Catkin_ by Antonia Barber. Illustrated by P.J. Lynch. Candlewick,
1994 (1-56402-485-7) $16.95

An original tale that draws not only on traditional folk tale motifs,
but also on universal conflicts and emotions, _Catkin_ is a stirring
story about love, righteousness and justice. Catkin is a small orange
cat, favorite companion--and protector--of a little girl. When his
carelessness leaves her unwatched and she is stolen by "the Little
People," Catkin makes the dangerous journey to their kingdom, to try
and win her back through cunning. The rulers of the fairies, who have
grown to love their little captive dearly, almost defeat Catkin by
forcing him to choose between his own freedom and that of the child.
But when he chooses to save the child, even the fairies aren't immune
to the power of his sacrifice.

In most traditional lore, fairies are supposed to be cold-blooded,
incapable of the powerful love and grief portrayed in this tale.
Whether it is done intentionally or not is unclear, but their unusual
emotional role in this story has a startling effect: it inevitably
brings to mind Baby Jessica and other infamous _causes celebres_ of our
time. This however, is a healing version of those sad stories, told
without malice for either side and with an ending many would like to
see: the fairies agree to abide by the judgement of a wise woman, who
returns the child to her parents but decrees that she and Catkin will
spend part of the year in the kingdom of the Little People.

Lynch's sumptuous, realistic paintings give both the necessary mystery
and humanity to the fairies and create a Catkin so soft and lifelike,
you want to pick him off the page and hug him. (5 & up)

__ The Fog's Net_ by Pat Pflieger. Illustrated by Ruth Gamper. Houghton
Mifflin, 1994 (0-395-68194-4) $14.95

In a village by the sea, people disappear when the fog drifts in.
"The mist is hungry" say the villagers. "It has cast its nets for
food." But only Devora the weaver knows how right they are. This
haunting, original tale tells how Devora weaves a net for the fog to
save her brother from it--and how, when the fog takes him anyway, she
sets out to rescue him. I don't think _The Fog's Net_ satisfactorily
resolves its moral dilemma--was it right for Devora to try and save
her brother's life at the expense of others?--but that does leave an
interesting opening for discussion. The illustrations are also not
completely satisfactory, with characters drawn in stiff, unbelievable
poses, but they do beautifully evoke the mysterious qualities of the
sea and fog, and are quite lovely overall. (6 & up)

* indicates a book the reviewer feels is outstanding in its genre

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