TlllY'RI Mag1tAl!

BEAR NOEL Olivier Dunrea * "Satisfying to the last wordless page ... On Christmas Eve, the one night of the year that all the animals can gather together without fear, the creatures of the north woods await the arrival of Bear Noel." -Starred, Kirkus Reviews $16.00 I 0-374-39990-5 I Ages 4-8

ALBERT AND THE ANGELS Leslie Norris Pictures by Mordicai Gerstein "Norris's brightly polished tale of a boy who yearns to buy his mother a special present sparkles with Christmas magic." - Publishers Weekly $16.00 I 0-374-30192-1I Ages 5 up

WHAT IS A WISE BIRD LIKE YOU DOING IN A Peter SILLY TALE LIKE THIS? Uri Shulevitz * "Absolutely inspired and brilliantly executed ... Actually there are three stories here that nonsensically merge into one - and it all works!" - Starred, Booklist $16.00 I 0-374-38300-6 I Ages 4 up

MADLENKA Peter Sis * "An intriguing adventu re, wondrously playful and resonant with _,,,;- meaning ... Luscious with visual im agery." - Starred, The Horn Book $17.00 I 0 -374-39969-7 I Ages 4-8 Frances Foster Books FARRAR· STRAUS· GIROUX

Illustrations by Un Shulevitz from WHAT'S A WISE BIRD LIKE YOU DOING IN A SILLY TALE LIKE THIS?. Peter Sis from MADLENKA . Olivier Dunrea from BEAR NOEL. and Mord1ca1 Gerstein from ALBERT AND THE ANGELS Winter 2000-2001

contents

About the Cover Art Essays Winter Fishing ~ Philip Pullman's Q!iest ...... 4 Somewhere around eighty degrees, with By jack Zipes 90 percent humidity. That was the winter I knew as a boy: Florida in the 1960s Beyond Barbie ...... 14 buil ding boom, where rows ofbleach­ By Kry sty na Paray Goddu white and pale pastel homes extended to the edge of the still wild palmetto fields. Bridging the Age Divide ...... 26 The season wasn't marked by the first By Christine Heppermann snow; rather, by the migration of snow­ birds. Tourists. Escapees from the cold weather to the north. Thawing their numb fingertips, strolling the beaches in gaudy Bermuda shorts, their pale skin Reviews turning bright pink. Noses slathered with ~ New Books for Winter ...... 30 white zinc oxide. I imagined that they were attempting to absorb enough heat to last through the rest of the winter. In this migration, I watched for the arrival of my cousins. As soon as the Features adults had finished their hugs and hellos, ~ A Conversation with Philip Pullman ...... 7 we'd go cane-pole fishing, stuffing our pockets with hooks, sinkers, red-and­ By Martha Da v is Be ck white bobbers, and Wonder bread that we'd ball up and use as bait. We'd ride PROFILE Tomie dePaola 10 our bikes-metal-flake blue and candy­ By Barbara Elleman apple red Schwinn Stingrays with high­ rise handle bars and banana seats with BOOKMARK Ten Great Songbooks 13 sissy bars, the ace of spades clothes­ Story Collections from Near and Far . . ... 1 7 pinned to the front fork, sputtering like a motor. We'd ride through the palmetto Compiled by jenny Sa wy er fields to a lake, or to one of the canals that wove through the landscape. Find­ I N TERV I EW Leonard S. Marcus ...... 20 ing the right spot, we'd unwind our lines, By Nathali e op de Be ec k bait our hooks, cast out into the coffee­ colored water, and wait for the bluegills, A POEM FO R WI NTE R "The Winter Tree" ...... 24 perch, and catfish to start biting, while By Douglas Florian we cracked jokes about those poor saps in the north trying to fish through a hole ONE FO R THE SHELF Eleanor Estes's The Hundred Dresses ..... 56 in the ice. By Mary Lou Burket -David Diaz

1 Riverbank Review

A new Young Spirit book by

Editor Fu-Ding Martha Davis Beck Art Director Kristi Anderson Two Spruce Design Cheng Marketing Director Christine Alfano Circulation Manager C hristine Heppermann Dream-House Editorial Committee Christine Alfano Martha Davis Beck Once there was a house that loved and lost, Mary Lou Burket Christine Heppermann and loved again; a house made out ofdreams .... Susan Marie Swanson Copy Editor Lynn Marasco House Artist Julie Delton Computer Consultant Eric Hinsdale Cattails Andy Nelson Administrative Assistant Jodi Grandy Advisory Board Rudine Sims Bishop, Susan Bloom, Barbara Elleman, Carol Erdahl, Karen Nelson Hoyle, Susan Huber, Ginny Moore Kruse, Margaret O'Neill Ligon, Bob Nistler, Mary Wagner

Winter 2000-2001 Picture book • Ages 3-8 • ISBN 1-57174-186-0 • $16.95 Volume III, Number 4 Copyright © 2000 by the Riverbank Review. "Superb! Recapture the spirit of family and the All rights reserved. Please direct correspondence to: true meaning of home in your heart forever." Riverbank Review University of St. TI10mas -don Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements 1000 LaSalle Avenue, MOH-217 Minneapolis, MN 55403-2009 Phone: (651) 962-4372 "Dream-House wanders the universe providing Fax: (651) 962-4169 shelter for our trials and triumphs. It is E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.riverbankreview.com rich with images for the poignant

unfolding of our psyche." The Riverbank Review (ISSN 1099-6389) is pub­ Hampton Roads -Coleman Barks, author of lished quarterly, in March, June, September, and Publishing Company, Inc. The Essential Rumi December. Subscriptions are $20 for one year www.hrpub.com (four issues), $35 for two years. The Riverbank 800. 766.8009 Review is published in affiliation with the School • A' .1d .1hle llll\\' .11 \ "Olli loc.il hoobdk1 01 01de1 d11cll • ofEduc,nion at the University of St. Thomas.

2 Winter 2000-2001

editors note

My older son began urging me to read The Golden Compass standing the piece of equipment that I do all my work on. two years ago. I resisted, offering a reason that felt simple While there are some occasions in life where "two roads and solid, a brick in the foundation of the house I dwell diverge in a yellow wood" and we have to choose, it seems in: I don't like fantasy. to me there are more situations where both the road and The things we like and don't like are an important part the woods are of our own making. Who says that boys of who we are. How dull the world would be if everyone shouldn't play the flute, or that girls shouldn't play the enjoyed the same books, food, and music. But taste can trumpet? No one I know-but check out the woodwind also trace the narrow shape of a rut, keeping us from new and brass sections at the next school band concert you discoveries about the world and ourselves. attend. Reading is different, of course, because children can My son is not pushy, but he is persistent. "You'd love read all kinds of books, which is part of what makes it such it," he told me. And I saw in his eyes that he meant me. He an important part of a young person's experience. Yet, I wasn't just telling me he liked the book, but that, based on think as adults we narrow children's reading experiences in what he knew of me, I would like it, too. Which gave me a variety of ways, sometimes consciously, sometimes not. pause. Did he see something in me that I was ignoring? Who thinks that boys won't be interested in books with girl Was it possible he was right? protagonists? Few of us want to send that message, but it is The answers to those questions turned out to be yes and an assumption that still seems to prevail. (Parents of boys, yes. I came out the other end of Philip Pullman's trilogy take note: Pullman's trilogy is a wonderful example of a (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber work that has strong appeal to boy readers, and that has a Spyglass) so stimulated by the ideas and the language in the complex and intriguing girl in a central role.) books that I could think about little else for days. In this issue of the Riverbank Review, Christine Hepper­ Then, I started to think about my resistance to reading mann writes about picture books that "bridge the age the work in the first place. Though I'm guessing I wouldn't divide," portraying relationships between the young and like a lot of what gets published in the fantasy genre, my the old in a manner that is engaging-and realistic. One of categorical rejection now seems narrow and foolish. And it the many things books invite us to do is to cross divides of makes me wonder: What else might I like, if I gave it a all kinds-age, gender, race, temperament-to imagine how chance? Mustard? Musicals? Mimes in the park? My self­ life is or has been for others. Children need opportunities imposed boundaries of taste were due, it seems, for a to stretch, to sample unfamiliar fare, to discover-just like shakeup. I suspect many of us get to this point from time adults-that they like things they thought they wouldn't, to time. It's easy to slide into a suit of habit and stay in it and that their interests can lead them, literally, anywhere. until, if we're lucky, someone nudges us out. In my own As adults we can encourage this stretching, while still hon­ experience, that someone is often a child. oring children's natural tastes and preferences. Perhaps the But the narrowing of likes and dislikes begins when we most powerful way to do this is to engage in some stretch­ are kids, and children themselves may need a shakeup now ing ourselves; to let our children see us going against the and then, as well. Often the wall that stands between a worn, familiar grain of habit with an open mind. child and a potentially satisfying pursuit is as slim as can -Martha Davis Beck be, but unless it is challenged it will remain in place. I can remember turning away from math at about the age of ten. I was pretty good at it but decided that I didn't want to be Acknowledgments "that kind of kid." Somewhere, I had picked up the notion Publication of the Riverbank Review is made possible that a person either went down the arts path or down the by a gift from Margaret S. Hubbs, and by a grant from math-and-science path. More than thirty years later, I still the Minnesota Humanities Commission, in coopera­ negative effects of that unnecessarily rigid MINNESOTA tion with the National Endowment for the Humanities feel some HUMANITIES choice. One example? A stubborn resistance to under- COMMISS ION and the Minnesota State Legislature.

3 Riverbank Review

Philip Pullman's Qyest

In the fantastic trilogy that culminates in The Amber Spyglass, Pullman explores both the dark forces that threaten our freedom and the powers within us to imagine a better world into being. By Jack Zipes

hilip Pullman's allegorical fantasy series His Dark Materials shows children courageously dealing with barbaric conditions P in worlds not of their own making. The first two novels in the trilogy, The Golden Compass (1995) and The Subtle Knife (1997), reveal the threats to children by adults obsessed with their own righteous missions. Whether they act material that constitutes and nourishes in the name of religion or in the name human existence. Without it, the world of science, it is the same: young people would disintegrate and depravity would are used as objects in a Manichaean reign. On their quests, the children are battle of good and evil. aided by magical tools that require wis­ In The Golden Compass, feisty Lyra dom for their use: Lyra possesses the Belacqua is virtually stalked by her alethiometer, a compass that can pro­ own mother, representing the repres­ vide truthful answers to questions, and sive Church that seeks to gain total Will is responsible for the subtle knife, control over people and compel them a powerful weapon used for good and to serve a higher authority. In The Sub­ evil that can cut openings into differ­ tle Knife, we are introduced to the con­ ent worlds. The two twelve-year-old fused young Will Parry, pursued by protagonists are not simply stalked vic­ government agents who want to learn tims. Pullman demonstrates that at each man's most engaging ideas is the exis­ more about his father's scientific turn in their lives they can and must tence of daemons, animals that em­ explorations so that they can effective­ make choices. body the souls of the humans they are ly dominate foreign countries. By In The Amber Spyglass, the final book paired with. Humans and daemons chance, Will encounters Lyra in the of this extraordinary trilogy, the dark­ share a powerful, intimate, and mutu­ strange Italian Renaissance world of ness that Lyra and Will must battle is ally protective relationship. Cittagazze, where together they com­ finally exposed for what it is: the prod­ Pullman does not write down to bat predators seeking to exploit their uct of malignant forces serving an alleged­ children. He has said, "I pay my readers talents and skills. ly divine authority. Though Pullman's the compliment of assuming that they Lyra and Will are on both personal work is filled with wars, murders, and are intellectually adventurous." In both and social quests- to find their fathers, dismal scenes from the world of the the trilogy and his recent novel, I Wtzs a and to grasp the meaning of a mysteri­ dead, a utopian spirit pervades the tone Rat (1999), this author's respect for ous substance called Dust. It never and atmosphere of this novel, as it did young readers is evident. Pullman uses becomes entirely clear what Pullman's in the first two books of the trilogy, and Milton's Paradise lost as the allegorical Dust is, except that it is the essential the writing is luminous. One of Pull- basis for his trilogy, engaging his read-

4 Winter 2000-2001 ers in an intense philosophical debate open windows to the past and future, love they feel for one another. Indeed, about the meaning of God in an appar­ connecting worlds that are disintegrat­ they transform this love into a love for ently godless world. Pullman confronts ing because of the same dark disease­ humanity, realizing that it forms the serious social issues with a humanistic the inhumanity of humankind. basis of their moral responsibility. perspective and imaginatively As The Amber Spyglass begins, There is no happy ending to the extends the assumptions Lyra and Will have been trilogy. But there is the firm resolution and arguments of tradi­ separated. Will has just of two youngsters who want to build a tional theology in a experienced the death "republic of Heaven" where they are. way that recalls the of his father, and the As Lyra says to her daemon Pan, "We writings of William crazed and desper­ shouldn't live as if heaven mattered Blake (whom he in­ ate Mrs. Coulter is more than this life in this world, be­ vokes with a quote holding Lyra pris­ cause where we are is always the most at the beginning of oner in a cave and important place." Lyra and Will are no The Amber Spyglass). has given her a sleep- .longer victims: they have become con­ Pullman's trilogy ing potion. Out of scious of who wants to manipulate metaphorically address­ dedication to Lyra, Will them, and why. Now they face the chal­ es both the challenges determines to rescue her. lenge of transforming their worlds for faced by children in con- At the same time that he the better. lllustration by Eric Rohmann, temporary society and their from The Amber Spyglass goes off in pursuit of her, innate ability to make the the Church, a perverse in­ right moral choices-choices that have stitution of evil, and Lord Asriel, the the power to restore the world's bal­ egotistical leader of secular humanist ance. Though his books can be read in forces, engage in a cosmic battle, each large measure as a defense of children, side seeking to use the children for Pullman clearly believes children must its own benefit. Once Will and defend themselves and face up to the Lyra are reunited, thanks to the ~ material conditions that impinge upon majestic bear lorek Byrni- _,}, their lives. The fantastic accomplish­ son, they disengage them- f '. , ment of Lyra Silvertongue (as she is selves from the hostile ;f ultimately renamed) and Will Parry at forces that have threat- ' the end of The Amber Spyglass is a tri­ ened them and go ,._-' A umph brought about through great on their own quest , compassion and ethical commitment. to free the ghosts All the narrative elements of Pull­ of the dead from man's fiction express his preoccupa­ a dreary under­ tion with the destiny ofyoung people in world so they can a postmodern "civilizing" process that become the mat- ' is conflict-ridden and double-edged. ter that constitutes Pullman portrays adults expending Dust once again. · great energy cultivating the talents and Ultimately, moral integrity of children. At the Will and Lyra dis­ same time, he depicts them experi­ cover that they hold menting brutally with children's lives, the destiny of all three negating the advances of the Enlight­ worlds they have expe­ enment with their hypocrisy and lies. rienced in their hands, but Despite the lessons of the Holocaust that the two of them must - and wars of mass destruction, Pullman separate; they cannot live to­ does not believe we have advanced to gether if these worlds are to be overcome evil or the threat of tyranny. preserved. They do not flee their Illustration by Kevin Hawkes, The time and place shifts in his trilogy responsibility, despite the great from I Was a Rat

5 Riverbank Review

boy dressed in a tattered page's uni­ The University of St. Thomas announces form appears out of nowhere one evening, on the doorstep of a cobbler's THE NINTH ANNUAL shop. The cobbler and his wife, an old couple named Bob and Joan, take him HUBBS CHILDREN'S in and care for him. They discover that he not only has no name, but no idea LITERATURE CONFERENCE what a name is. The reader soon learns that Roger (as the boy is christened) was indeed once a rat: he was the rat that was turned into Cinderella's page, and somehow the fairy godmother neglected to transform him back. In his human condition, Roger must learn what it means to be civi­ lized, but at the same time, he is bent on proving to Bob and Joan that he truly was a rat, so that they will know him, and accept him, for who he is. Indeed, he cannot prevent himself from acting like a rat in certain situations. What fo l­ lows is a series of tragicomic episodes in which a horrified community of "civilized" adults seeks to punish Roger for his rodent tendencies. Newspaper reports about his "dangerous" behav­ ior stimulate mass hysteria by portray­ Imagination & Risk: ing Roger as a monster. In reality he is a misunderstood, kindhearted innocent The Picture Book Today who has difficulty learning proper En­ glish expressions and manners. Saturday, February 24, 2001 In the end, Roger gives up his quest O'Shaughnessy Educational Center to be a rat again, knowing that he might well be exterminated. Though it's diffi­ University of St. Thomas cult being a person, he's willing to stay St. Paul, Minnesota with his kind caretakers and learn the A celebration of children's literature for teachers, cobbler's trade. Pullman ends the parents, students, librarians, and anyone interested novel on a bittersweet note, as Roger in encouraging the uses of quality children's litera­ philosophically accepts his lot: "The ture in homes, schools and communities. world outside was a difficult place, but toasted cheese and love and craftsman­ ship would do to keep them safe." Keynote address by acclaimed illustrator and author Roger's tale is reminiscent of the true Emily Arnold McCully story of Casper Hauser, who appeared one day in the nineteenth century in a German village, unable to speak or write. He had been mysteriously con­ For a conference brochure, please call (651) 962-4431 fined in a house in the woods until his or (800) 328-6819, Ext. 2-4431 late adolescence. When the well-inten­ tioned people of the town discovered the

6 Winter 2000-2001

young "savage," they sought to "civilize" Texan aeronaut, who sacrifices his life tion more concretely. Yet he does not him and eventually caused his death. for Lyra and for Will's father; Serafina provide easy answers. Pullman's fantas­ The "Casper Hauser problem" runs Pekkala, a witch who defends Lyra and tic explorations of other worlds ends in through most of Pullman's work. Lyra, Will; and Dr. Mary Malone, who grasps a moral challenge to his readers-not Will, and Roger are all "young savages," the essence ofDust and resolves to pro­ to accept evil that postures as good, introduced to a world that seeks to tame tect Will and his mother. These adults, and not to compromise their integrity. and govern them in the name of good­ like Bob and Joan in I wtls a Rat, con­ There is a wonderful hint in his trilogy ness and propriety. Yet it is a world that stitute the positive side of the civilizing that Milton's "paradise lost" could also confuses them and ravages their process; they seek to disentangle the become "paradise regained," but this souls. In offering up this vision, Pull­ young from harm. resolution will depend on how chil­ man does not demonize adults or soci­ Pullman's trilogy and modem fairy dren use their imaginations and re­ ety. Though he offers a devastating cri­ tale, taken together, reflect a hopeful spond to the crises of civilization that tique of organized religion, his writing vision of our potential to transform Pullman has insightfully and honestly is imbued with a philosophical rigor darkness into light. There is a power to depicted in his works. and a subtle sense of humor that add Pullman's writing that distinguishes his nuance and depth to his characteriza­ books from much of the mystical driv­ Jack Zipes is a professor of German at the University of Minnesota. He has published tions. In the trilogy, there are numer­ el that poses as "good" fantasy. Pull­ numerous studies on fairy tales and children's ous wise and compassionate characters, man sends readers on fantastic voy­ literature. His most recent book is Sticks and such as Will's father, a shaman, who gives ages, then brings them back down to Stones: The Troublesome Success of wise counsel to his son; Lee Scoresby, a earth, able to grasp our human situa- Children's Literature.

A Conversation with Philip Pullman

Philip PuUman stopped in Minneapolis recent­ something seemed to be freed within people with power and people without {y, on tour to promote The Amber Spyglass. me, something was liberated and loos­ power. I'm wondering if it's possible to What fallows is an excerpt .from a conver­ ened, and I was able to go further than use the apparatus offantasy to do some­ sation between Mr. Pullman andRiverbank I'd ever gone before. Clearly my imagi­ thing similar, because my main interest Review editor Martha Davis Beck. nation has condemned me to write works has always been and will always be in of fantasy! the real world, not in what one might I know that you've been a critic ofC. S. call "fairyland." In this, I'm setting myself MOB : As a reader who usual{y has trou­ Lewis. Unlike Lewis, you seem to want to firmly and squarely against C. S. Lewis, ble reading books labeled as fantasy, I use fantasy to probe accepted truths and who hated this world so much that he found myself engrossed in your trilogy. I social contradictions. To what extent do could think of nothing better to do with think it's because ofthe extent to which the you think books such as yours can have a his children at the end ofNamia than to books are grounded in the central concerns social impact on readers? kill them all and take them somewhere efthis world, and the.fact that this becomes That relates to something I've been else ... and feared and detested the pro­ evident right away. wondering about recently. It's been cess of growing up so much that he ban­ PP: I'm not a great reader of fanta­ noticeable in the last few years, in ished Susan to hell, simply for- sy myself. The deepest and most lasting Britain anyway, that some genre books Her interest in lipstick? satisfactions I've found in literature I've are making their way into the general Yes, lipstick and nylons. always found in realistic fiction: from literary pages. I'm thinking particularly In your trilogy, Dust, which I interpret Jane Austen, from George Eliot. But to of crime, and of writers like P. D. James to be "the stuff of experience," is the most my great and lasting regret, I can't write who are not just telling a whodunit or a poweiful substance there is. You celebrate like Jane Austen or George Eliot. Yet as gross-out murder story, but are using wisdom, the seeking of knowledge, and, at soon as I wrote the first four words of crime as a vehicle for examining society, the heart ef this-the process of becoming this trilogy-"Lyra and her daemon"- looking at the way relations work between an adult. It hit me, after reading the trilogy,

7 Riverbank Review that I couldn't think ofanother recent book stones in this trilogy. As an adult who is What would you scry to someone who that presented coming ef age as-not inev­ familiar with these works, Ifound the allu­ said that it's an enormously flexible central itably, but potentially-a great adventure. sions stimulating, but common wisdom story that has inspired people as diverse as I can't think of one either, and it would suggest that contemporary kids Blake and Kierkegaard? distresses me, because this is the most might be put offby such references. It seems That is the part that still lives. But important and exciting adventure we to me that one of the boldest things you're we can't shut off our intelligence, our all set out on. doing is asserting the value and interest of critical sense, our historical knowledge You use Milton's Paradise Lost and classic literature. when we're told a story like that. We must the work of Blake and Keats as touch- It's important to me, because these bring all those faculties to bear. are works I know well and have loved Is the fault with the central story, or for many years. They did serve as touch­ with structures that interpret it narrowly? Coming up stones. It's a little bit of both. The struc­ in the Spring issue In The Amber Spyglass, I noticed the tures are largely to blame, of course, ~ o.f'the angels' envy of the bodies of humans. I because their function is a political one. 1 couldn't help but think of Blake's celebra­ But part of the problem is also in the ~i_ve3~~~-~ri~ tion ofsexuality, his effort to place it at the concept of God himself. The whole his­ of \,oo.fcs for }'cu ng readers heart of-religion. Were you influenced by tory of God is a very interesting story, his ideas on this? extraordinarily complex and contradic­ Yes, and the absolute primacy of the tory. But it consists, all the way through, 2001 Children's Books physical life. Our nerves and our emo­ of human beings trying to make sense tions and our bodies. And of course of the universe. The need for God grows of Distinction Awards what he says on the imagination. out of our sense of alienation and puz­ In the different worlds that exist side by zlement as to how we came to be here. An Interview side in the trilogy, there are parallel enter­ What are we doing here? What does it with Brock Cole prises going on in the fields ef science and mean to be conscious, alive? Are we religion: in one world, the study of Dust is going anywhere? Will we survive? All considered to be physics, and in another it these big questions. Joseph Bruchac is theology. 0ra's parents, who are like the Is religion an inevitable part of the on Sacajawea opposite ends of a magnet, represent these questing? two realms. Many of us have a religious attitude A Profile of They are different ways of appre­ -you can be a convinced atheist and Mildred Taylor hending the world, of course. I think still have a profoundly religious attitude that science has been the most success­ toward the big questions oflife. But the ful human intellectual enterprise ever, questions are often obscured by the pres­ The Picture Books because it has transformed the physical sure of daily life. I think there's a win­ of Gabrielle Vincent nature of our world and our experi­ dow in our minds, between the age when ence. It's worked because it functions puberty begins and the time when we Jennifer Armstrong by trying to contradict itself: you set up have to earn a living, when there is a pro­ a theory and you try to find counter­ found hunger for asking those questions. on Writers and examples. It does not function by say­ That's exactly where this trilogy aims Their Audience ing "This is the truth and no one shall its elf, isn 't it? contradict me." That's what religion That's the audience that I'm find­ Bookmark: Rivers does, especially Western Christianity. ing it's getting. I'm pretty specific in my criticism here, What audience did you have in mind? because I don't want to lay into other The audience I had in mind is as large and as mixed as I can make it. I PLUS religions; I don't know enough about -=- them. The Western Christian church is would like an audience that consists of New Books for Spring the tradition I grew up in. It's a tradition men, women, boys, girls, old people, that has fostered charity, it's fostered young people, horses, dogs, pigeons­ kindness; it's also fostered hatred. whoever wants to stop and listen.-=-

8 Winter 2000-2001

2001 Poetry ~ Children's Books Nonfiction Come with Me: ~ Poems for a Journey By Naomi Shihab Nye of Distinction Asteroid Impact Illustrated by Dan Yaccarino By Douglas Henderson GREENWILLOW FINALISTS DIAL Blizzard: The Storm That Days Like This: A Collection Watch far the winners in our Spring issue! Changed America of Small Poems By Jim Murphy Selected and illustrated SCHOLASTIC by Simon James CANDLEWICK Picture Books Fiction Brother Sun, Sister Moon: The Life and Stories ~ ~ In Every Tiny Grain of Sand: of St. Francis Buttons A Child's Book of Prayers The Art of Keeping Cool By Margaret Mayo By Brock Cole and Praise By Janet Taylor Lisle Illustrated by Peter Malone FARRAR, STRAUS & GIROUX Collected by Reeve Lindbergh LITTLE, BROWN ATHENEUM Illustrated by Christine Davenier et al. A Day, a Dog CANDLEWICK Do You Remember the Color By Gabrielle Vincent Because of Winn-Dixie By Kate DiCamillo Blue? And Other ~estions In the Hollow of Your Hand: FRONT STREET Kids Ask about Blindness CANDLEWICK Slave Lullabies By Sally Hobart Alexander Dinosaur! Collected by Alice McGill VIK.ING By Peter Sis The Boxer Illustrated by Michael Cummings By Kathleen Karr H OUGHTON MIFFLIN GREENWILLOW Frank 0. Gehry: Outside In FARRAR, STRAUS & GIROUX By Jan Greenberg and Henry Hikes to Fitchburg Light-Gathering Poems Sandra Jordan By D. B. Johnson Esperanza Rising Edited by Liz Rosenberg DKINK H OUGHTON MI FFLIN By Pam Munoz Ryan HENRY HOLT SCHOLASTIC Ida B. Wells: Mother of the Mammalabilia Just Enough Civil Rights Movement Homeless Bird By Douglas Florian By Teri Daniels By Dennis Brindell Fradin and By Gloria Whelan HARCOURT Illustrated by Harley Jessup Judith Bloom Fradin VIK.ING HARPERCOLLINS CLARJON Night Garden: Life Is Funny Poems from the World Me and My Cat? The Longitude Prize By E. R. Frank of Dreams By Satoshi Kitamura By Joan Dash DKINK By Janet S. Wong FARRAR, STRAUS & GIROUX Illustrated by Dufan PetriCic Illustrated by Julie Paschkis FARRAR, STRAUS & GIROUX One Lighthouse, One Moon Memories of Summer M CELDERRY By Anita Lobel By Ruth White Only Passing Through: GREENWlLLOW FARRAR, STRAUS & GIROUX The Story of Sojourner Truth The Pig in the Spigot By Anne Rockwell By Richard Wilbur River Friendly, River Wild 145th Street: Short Stories Illustrated by Gregory Christie Illustrated by]. Otto Seibold HARCOURT By Jane Kurtz By Walter Dean Myers KNOPF Illustrated by Neil Brennan DELACORTE SIMON & SCHUSTER So You Want to Be President? Salting the Ocean: 100 Poems by Young Poets The Wanderer By Judith St. George Edited by Naomi Shihab Nye The Trip Back Home By Sharon Creech Illustrated by David Small GREENWILLOW By Janet S. Wong HARPERCOWNS PHILOMEL Illustrated by Bo Jia Take It to the Hoop, HARCOURT Uncommon Traveler: The Year of Miss Agnes Mary Kingsley in Africa Magic Johnson By Kirkpatrick Hill Yoshi's Feast By Don Brown By ~incy Troupe M CELDERRY Illustrated by Shane W. Evans By Kimiko Kajikawa H OUGHTON MIFFLIN Illustrated by Yumi Heo HYPERION DK I NK

9 Riverbank Review

....profile Tamie dePaola

There is no shortage ef accolades-or ofprojects in the works-for this beloved author-illustator. By Barbara Elleman

nother Strega Nona book. More 26 Fairmount Avenue winning a Newbery Honor for 26 Fair­ mount Avenue? With 200-plus books to stories. A new folktale re telling. A return to the saints. And his credit, more than half of which he Afurthermore-the Barkers are coming! DePaola devotees has written as well as illustrated, writ­ have much to look forward to as this prolific author and ing stories is nothing new for Tomie. But 26 Fairmount artist continues to challenge himself while beguiling chil- Avenue is different: it is text dren and adults with his imaginative Nearly two years had passed • oriented, and the black-and­ artwork and innate sense of story. since we had chatted last, for white drawings, while they In Tomie's folk art, the spare lines my retrospective study Tamie are highly effective, are more ~ and rich colors are what the eye sees dePaola, His Art & His Sto­ supplementary than integral ~ and the mind remembers. But beneath ries, and time to catch up was to the story. Originally, Tomie ~ a seemingly simple technique lies a strong long overdue. The question revealed, he thought to make J; awareness of what makes a fine picture uppermost in my mind was, having the book art free until he was con­ book. His use of the page is masterful: been primarily thought of as an illus­ vinced by his longtime editor Margaret images and text harmonize succinctly, trator, what was his first reaction on Frith that readers would be disappoint- and they flow from page to page with careful rhythmic escalation, bringing the story to a natural conclusion. For children, Tomie's stories have natural appeal: his humor reaches their funnybones and his pathos tugs at their hearts. From the farcical Bill and Pete to the sadness of Nana Upstairs & Nana Downstairs, from the high jinks of Strega Nona to the nostalgia of The Night Before Christmas, and from the solemnity of The Clown of God to the pranks in Tom, Tomie's wide-ranging emotions ring true. And, most impor­ tant to young readers, he ties his own vision of childhood into theirs. Last spring during the Internation­ al Reading Conference in Indianapo­ lis, I sat down and talked with Tomie. From Here We All Are

10 Winter 2000-2001 ed if the book had no illustrations. Her wise counsel results in a much stronger offering: the sketches add humor, infor­ mation, and poignancy to the inci­ dents Tomie portrays verbally. Tomie's answer to my question, pre­ ceded by his wide signature smile and infectious laugh, revealed his delight. ~ ~,.i - u.Jk..i.ft ~ ...... r. "When the call came last January, I ,_ ...... , .. _.. .AJi ...... ,. a..t._ ...... o.. couldn't believe it-I was blown away. CH-. .• _ ___.

___._ ...... ~- To have 26 Fairmount Avenue, my first ...,.-.., ... _...... long story, validated in this way is not ...... _ _...... ~_ ...... __ ...... , C..-ulH .... i... c-.... only a thrill but is also personally satis­ o..uc;._ _... _....,,..., ...... ~_ .... (...,..,, fying. It means that I am being perceived -"Gr-. ....-. ... it..~ as a writer as well as an illustrator." ...... This title is just the first in a series of chapter books about Tomie's boyhood. From Days of the Blackbird Here WeAllArewas published in spring 2000 and On My way is scheduled for The action unfolds through several Christmas, a favorite holiday of 2001. He plans to produce one book a sequential spreads where readers are Tomie's, has been important to him year, covering his life up through fifth given visual insights into the story's since childhood. And even today as grade and ending with V-J Day (the end events. Never one to resist an opportu­ December rolls around, his house fills of World War II with Japan). This date nity to jest, Tomie once more hands with Christmas folk-art pieces, votive provides, he feels, both a historical and astute readers a sly visual joke: the back candles, fragrant greens, trees sparkling a natural closure to his childhood jacket offers an amusing tribute to Bot­ with thousands of tiny lights, huge pots years. Endowed with a remarkable mem­ ticelli's The Birth of Venus. of amaryllis and poinsettia, and the ory of people and events &om his child­ Folktales have always been a staple sounds of traditional carols. Although hood, Tomie has been able to write as of Tomie's repertoire, so it is no sur­ he doesn't currently have a Christmas he remembers things, without impos­ prise to find a new Irish tale, Jamie story in the works, a new book tenta­ ing a structure until the final editing O'Rourke and the Pooka, recently off the tively titled Benedict and Scholastica, The stage. These autobiographical memoirs press. This part-ghost, part-fool tale Holy Twins greatly excites him. Written bring to life small-town America in the displays a lighter, brighter palette than by the acclaimed adult book author 1940s while maintaining their appeal many of Tomie's books and sings a Kathleen Norris (The Cloister walk and for twenty-first-century children. more farcical song than he has pro­ Dakota: A Spiritual Geography), it focuses Known for being prolific, Tamie duced in recent years. on fifth-century Italian twins who left always has projects on his drawing affluent lives to dedicate themselves to board. His new Strega Nona book, Stre­ God. Benedict was the founder of ga Nona Takes a Vacation, finds the Western monasticism. Intrigued after enduring grandmother witch leaving reading Norris's books about her expe­ Big Anthony and Bambolona behind riences as a Benedictine oblate, Tomie, while she vacations at the seashore. who for a short time in his twenties True to form, Big Anthony can't leave entered a priory in Vermont, initiated well enough alone and in scenes remi­ the collaboration. Norris, Tamie said, niscent of the original Strega Nona, was very open to the idea of their work­ where Big Anthony nearly enveloped ing together. To do her text justice, the town with pasta, this time he cre­ Tomie plans a "beautiful book" and ates havoc with bath bubbles. will convey the images in a painterly While Tamie is winning awards for style, similar to the look of Days ofthe his writing, this book again showcases Blackbird. his ability to tell a story through art. From Tomie dePaola's Mother Goose Another huge project on the horizon

11 Riverbank Review is a group of books for very young chil­ where he has bestowed many of his orig­ for a choral production of Oliver Button dren. According to Tomie, the Barker inal illustrations and manuscripts and Is a Sissy, which was repeated in Hart­ Bunch is to be designed as a "complete much of his non book art; and celebrat­ land, Kansas, shortly thereafter. publishing program" and, over several ed Tomie dePaola Day at Marquette In addition to this year's Newbery years, will include a complement of easy­ University in Milwaukee. In Decem- Honor citation, other recent accolades to-reads, board books, and accompa­ include the I Migliori in Mens et Gesta nying merchandise. The first, a picture Award, honoring an outstanding per­ book entitled Meet the Barkers, will be Tomie's stories have natural son ofltalian descent, presented to Tomie released next spring. The stories, inspired in Boston; the Colby-Sawyer College by Tomie's own Welsh terriers-Madi­ appeal for children: his humor (in New London, New Hampshire, where son, Markus, Moffat, and Morgan­ he lives) Town Award 2000; and the revolve around the antics of four dog reaches their funnybones and his Plymouth (New Hampshire) State Col­ children. The characters include a girl lege Granite State Award. and three boys (one of whom is adopt­ pathos tugs at their hearts. In August, Tomie opened his third ed), each with a distinctive personality. one-man show in Wellfleet, Massachu­ Tomie hopes to address some of the Most important, he ties his own setts. His nonbook paintings are often difficulties of young childhood in a large, sometimes four by six feet. meaningful yet humorous way. Judg­ vision of childhood into theirs. According to Tomie, "They give me the ing from preliminary pictures, the ex­ opportunity to use big brushes, work pressive faces and colorful costumes on a large plane, and use sweeping are sure to appeal. ber, he traveled to Massachusetts Bay strokes, which I can't do in my illustra­ While his drawing board is often Community College to participate in a tions. It is a whole different vehicle and the center of his attention when he is at noteworthy performance by the Welles­ helps to balance my work." home in New Hampshire, he is often ley Symphony Orchestra. One of the Ifall this isn't enough for the gregar­ on the road. In October 1999, for ex­ numbers was composed by thirteen-year­ ious Tomie, he is in the midst of nego­ ample, Tomie accepted a Living Trea­ old Julia Carey, who based her music tiating a live-action television show for sure award from the governor of New on Tomie's 1980 retelling of the Italian children, which is scheduled to air in Jan­ Hampshire; was honored in a two-day tale The Legend ef Old Befana. Last spring uary. Asked what kind of preparation event at the University of Connecticut, found him heading for Minneapolis he was doing, he smiled and said, "I'm taking tap dancing lessons again." With all these wonderful things happening in his life, I was eager to know if he had any trouble keeping his ego in control. "No," he said. "I often think about the old image of Mickey Mouse climbing a ladder and momen­ tarily standing in midair before pulling up the ladder for the next climb. All these events in my life are surely excit­ ing, but mostly I'm just glad to get the ladder pulled up fast enough to get on to the next height." What that next height will be is something Tomie's legion of fans will be eagerly anticipating; knowing Tomie, they will not be disappointed.-=-

Barbara Elleman, the creator and fo rmer editor ofBook Links, is the author o}Tomie dePaola, Frida 's Kitchen (1995), an example of Tamie dePaola's non-book art His Art & His Stories (Putnam, 1999).

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For more information, call (651) 962-4372. Subscribe online at www.riverbankreview.com. Riverbank Review • • \\ the ~oods ~ • f • • • •th ro 11 ~ Memorable journeys are made in books. ~ Explore the world of children's literature ... Subscribe to the Riverbank Review. To receive a subscription, fill out the form below and drop in the mail­ or send with a check to the address on the back of this card. Yes! I would like a D one-year subscription (4 issues): $20 D two-year subscription: $35 D Check enclosed. D Bill me later.

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... Ten ------

De Colores and Other Latin­ Rise Up Singing Go In and Out the Window American Folk Songs for Children Edited by Peter Blood & Annie Patterson Arranged and edited by Dan Fox Selected, arranged, and translated Illustrated by Kore Loy McWhirter Artwork from the

by Jose-Luis Orozco SING OUT CORPORATION, 1992 Metropolitan Museum of Art Illustrated by Elisa Kleven hardcover $39.95, spiral $17.95 HENRY HOLT, 1987, hardcover $25.95 DUTTON, 1994 ALL AGES YOUNGER I INTERMEDIATE hardcover $17.99, paperback (abridged) $6.99 Here are words and chords (but not melodies) Classic songs combine with art in delightful YOUNGER/ INTERMEDIATE to more than 1,200 songs far group singing. ways: "The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" Songs in Spanish appear with singable is illustrated by an early American painting, English translations, winning art, and notes a Japanese statuette, and Calder drawings. that include suggestions far sing-alongfun. Gonna Sing My Head Off! American Folk Songs for Children Collected and arranged by Kathleen Krull The Round Book: Sing Through the Day: Illustrated by Allen Garns Rounds Kids Love to Sing

Eighty Songs for Children KNOPF, 1992,paperback $12.00 By Margaret Read MacDonald Compiled by Marlys Swinger ALL AGES & Winifred Jaeger Illustrated by Nancy & Traditional and contemporary American Illustrated by Yvonne LeBrun Davis

Brenna McKernan folk songs are arranged alphabetically, LINNET BOOKS I SHOE STRJNG PRESS, 1999 from ':Acres of Clams" to "Yankee Doodle. " PLOUGH PUBLISHING HOUSE, 1999 hardcover $22.50, paperback $16.50 hardcover (with CD) $24.00 ALL AGES YOUNGER Instant harmony! This collection ofeighty These songs from many cultures, featuring Rafli: Children's Favorites songs-some silly, some welcoming, spirited melodies and poetic lyrics, are sung by By Raffi and some prayeiful-includes helpful children on the accompanying CD. OMNIBUS PRESS (,paperback), 1993, $21.95 suggestions far song leaders. YOUNGER This no-frills compendium presents more than Just Listen to This fifty songs written or adapted by the popular­ Singing Bee! Song I'm Singing and big-hearted-children's troubadour. A Collection of Favorite By Jerry Silverman Children's Songs

MILLBROOK PRESS , 1996, hardcover $30.90 Compiled by Jane Hart All Night, All Day INTERMEDIATE/ OLDER Illustrated by Anita Lobel Selected and illustrated by Ashley Bryan Engrossing commentary introduces LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD, 1982, hardcover $22.95

thirteen songs from the African Arranged by David Manning Thomas YOUNGER American tradition, including spirituals, ATHENEUM, 1991, hardcover$16.00 Pictures by a master illustrator bring this ragtime, jazz, and a freedom song. YOUNGER/ INTERMEDIATE collection of traditional favorites to vivid life. African American spirituals are presented with richly patterned artwork inspired by this poweiful contribution to world music.

13 Riverbank Review

Beyond Barbie

Dolls come to life in four new books for young readers. By Krystyna Poray Goddu

Rocking Horse Land and Other oys are at the heart of some of childhood's most important Classic Tales of Dolls and Toys moments, yet good books about toys are not common. Compiled by Naomi Lewis This season, however, finds a bonanza of them, including Illustrated by Angela Barrett T CANDLEWICK a small anthology of collected stories, Rocking Horse Land and Other 128 pages, Ages 8-12, $19.99 Classic Tales efDolls and Toys; an amusing novel, The Doll People; and ISB N 0-7636-0897-1 two works of nonfiction, each illustrat­ The Doll People ed with excellent photographs: Sitting By Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin Pretty: A Celebration ef Black Dolls, and Illustrated by Brian Selznick Cornhusk, Silk, and Wishbones: A Book ef HYPERION Dolls from around the World. 276 pages, Ages 7-10, $15.99 Rocking Horse Land is an elegantly ISBN 0-7868-0361-4 designed compilation of six classic stories. Angela Barrett's pencil-and­ Cornhusk, Silk, and Wishbones: watercolor illustrations are breathtak­ A Book of Dolls from ing. Precise and graceful, they surprise around the World the eye with their varying shapes and sizes and placement. Naomi Lewis, By Michelle Markel H OUGHTON MIFFLIN who previously included these stories 48pages, Ages 8-12, $15.00 in The Silent Playmate: A Collection of ISBN 0-618-05487-1 Doll Stories (Victor Gollancz, 1979), provides succinct introductions that Sitting Pretty: offer information about the author Illustration by Angela Barrett,from A Celebration of Black Dolls and illuminate the unique mood and power of each story. Rocking Horse Land by Dinah Johnson Photographs by Myles C. Pinkney The toys in these six stories are vir­ HENRY H OLT tuous: loyal, brave, and wise. Often These tales are from earlier times­ 4 8 pages, Ages 9-12, $18. 00 they are magical, and they draw good times when toys had real adventures, ISBN 0-8050-6097-9 works and generous spirits from their like being swallowed by a fish or kid­ child owners. In Ruth Ainsworth's Rag napped by a fairy child. Happy endings Bag, a human girl is revealed to have are not a given. I wonder, how will the imagination that a fairy child lacks. today's children respond to the hero in E. Nesbit's The Town in the Library Hans Christian Andersen's The Stead­ explores the intersection of play and fast Tin Soldier, and his love, a paper imagination as two children enter, and dancer, who perish together in a nursery cannot escape from, the toy town they stove fire? have built with books and blocks. The porcelain dollhouse dolls in

14 Winter 2000-2001

The Doll People have their own brand of The concise texts for each doll adventures. With its theme of the include basic well-researched secret life of toys and their fear of dis­ information, always presented covery by humans, this entertaining from a child's point of novel has its feet firmly rooted in earli­ view, and the book in­ er doll stories, such as those by Rumer cludes tips for children Godden, and also seems a cousin of who may be inspired to both Sylvia Waugh's Mennyms books begin a doll col­ and Pam Conrad's The Tub People. As in lection, as well Conrad's story, the loss of a family as a map show­ member drives the plot. In spite of ing the many their nineteenth-century dollhouse parts of the and their own ripe age, the Doll family world represent­ lives in contemporary times: their new ed, for those whose neighbors, the Funcrafts, are plastic. interest is geographical. Un­ Illustration by Brian Selznick, Annabelle Doll, perpetually eight years fortunately, the author per­ from The Doll People old, determines to find her Aunt Sarah, petuates a small piece of who wandered away from the doll­ misinformation in asserting that the Ital­ believed this, the endearing explana­ house years ago. She finds a willing ian doll company Lenci used the nick­ tion was revealed to be false nearly two partner in young Tiffany Funcraft and, name of its founder, Elena Scavini, for decades ago. In truth, Lenci stands for after numerous adventures, the clever its own name. While doll scholars once the Latin motto of the distinguished and brave heroines bring about a happy ending of recovery and reunion. The authors' mixing of old porcelain dolls with new plastic ones makes for good reading on several levels, not the least of which is its subtle message of acceptance and appreciation of differ­ ences. Cornhusk, Silk, and Wishbones: A Book ofDolls from around the World is all about differences between dolls. Alpha­ betically featuring twenty-six dolls, from precious French porcelain cre­ ations to voudou dolls from Haiti, this book gets top marks in every category. The design is simple yet sophisticated, and the photographs are stunning. In one particularly effective spread, a fright­ ening ogre kachina (who punishes chil­ dren by swallowing them whole) con­ fronts a wide-eyed felt Italian Lenci child doll. (Happily, she is safe on the opposite page.) Author Michelle Markel uncovered the best possible sources for prime ex­ amples of interesting, distinctive dolls from a wide variety of cultures. As a group, her selections pose and answer Photo by Rob Huntley, courtesy the Wenham Museum, Wenham, Massachusetts, the perennial question: What is a doll? from A Book of Dolls from around the World

15 Riverbank Review

dolls are a solid counterpoint to the book's somewhat sentimental flavor. Sitting Pretty is an act oflove on the part of its contribu­ tors, and it celebrates the power and emotion dolls evoke, even as their playmates age. Naomi Lewis writes in her introduction to Rocking Horse Land: "There comes a time when the magic two-way link between child and doll grows thin. But it does not go; it simply moves into other paths of the mind." Sitting Pretty reminds us that as adults we may still choose to take those paths. -=-

Photographs by Myles C. Pinkney,from Sitting Pretty Krystyna Paray Goddu is the author of A Celebration of Steiff: Timeless Toys for firm: Ludus Est Nobis Constanter lndustria ously challenging to shoot because they Today (Portfolio Press) and co-author of The (To Play Is Our Constant Work). soak up the light. Johnson's excellent Doll by Contemporary Artists (Abbeville Where Cornhusk, Silk, and Wish­ end notes on each of the nearly fifty Press). She lives in New liJrk City. bones is historical and anthropological, Dinah Johnson's Sitting Pretty: A Cele­ bration ef Black Dolls is a personal cele­ bration of the author's collection of Pia Toya black dolls from a variety of cultures and A Goshute eras, expressed through Johnson's inspi­ Indian Legend rational poems and Myles Pinkney's fine photographs. While it is less Retold and Illustrated by sophisticated than Markel's in approach the Children and Teachers and design, Johnson's book speaks as of lbapah Elementary much to adult collectors as to children School who love dolls. Many of the dolls fea­ tured are made of cloth; however, they Beautifully illustrated by the children of the tribe, this retelling of a are "not raggedy, but sitting pretty"­ Goshute Indian legend will delight and inform old and young alike. hence the title. The design, like John­ The children's celebration of their culture, as evidenced in this book, son's poems, seems born more of love prompted Utah Governor Michael Leavitt to declare November than of expertise: the colors are a touch American Indian History Month. too bright, the type a touch too large, and the design choices somewhat puz­ Proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit a cultural education zling. Why trap Mahari, a doll with hair foundation established in the name of the Confederated Tribes like flames, posed in a dancer's leap, in of the Goshute. an oval frame? She should fly across the page. There are questionable choices of Cloth $11.95 color and photo treatment throughout, but the photos themselves are decided­ C!m THE UNIVERSITY OF 1fta4 PRESS ly successful, for which Myles Pinkney t;iJ (800) 773-6672 www.upress.utah.edu deserves praise: black dolls are notori-

16 Winter 2000-2001

Story Collections from Near and Far

Whether they're shared aloud or treasured on one's own, these collections offairy tales, fables, myths, and legends are the perfect diversion for winter days and nights. Compiled by Jenny Sawyer

Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa By Verna Aardema Illustrated by Reynold Ruffins KNOPF, 1994 hardcover $19.00 Illustration by Reynold Rulfins,from Misoso YOUNGER / INTERMEDIATE Poetry and prose come together in a compilation of tales from various Afri­ that explain both natural phenomena Fairy Tales can cultures. A glossary and an after­ and human nature through the antics By Berlie Doherty word bring added meaning and cultur­ of some very unusual animals. Illustrated by Jane Ray al context to these lighthearted stories. CANDLEWICK, 2000 hardcover $19.99 D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths ALL AGES By lngri & Edgar Parin D'Aulaire The Adventures of Spider: Readers will be enchanted by this beau­ West African Folk Tales D OUBLEDAY, 1962 hardcover $29.95; paperback $18.95 tifully written and magnificently illus­ Retold by Joyce Cooper Arkhurst trated collection of twelve fairy tales. A INTERMEDIATE Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney sumptuous visual and literary feast! LITTLE, BROWN, 1964 A comprehensive look at Greek mythol­ hardcover $15.35; paperback $7.95 ogy. Detailed colored-pencil illustrations

YOUNGER / INTERMEDIATE enliven a well-written text. Paul Goble Gallery: The lively character Anansi will delight Three Native American Stories readers with his antics in these simply By Paul Goble SI MON & SCHUSTER, 1999 illustrated and humorously told West hardcover $19.95 African folktales. I NTERMEDIATE Inspired by the peoples of the Great The Boy Who Lived with the Bears Plains, Goble's artwork and prose grace­ and Other Iroquois Stories fully capture the spirit of Native Amer­ By Joseph Bruchac ican life, from the kinship between man Illustrated by Murv Jacob and nature to the deep spirituality of H ARPERCOLLINS, 1995 the culture. hardcover $15.95

YOUNGER Illustrations and text merge to evoke Illustration by Murv Jacob, from The Boy the spirit of the Iroquois in six stories Who Lived with the Bears

17 Riverbank Review

Jade and Iron: Latin American Irish Fairy Tales and Legends Uncle Remus: Tales from Two Cultures By Una Leavy The Complete Tales By Hugh Hazelton Illustrated by Susan Field By Julius Lester Illustrated by Luis Garay ROBERTS RI NEHART, 1997 Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney GROUNDWOOD, 1996 hardcover $18.95 PENGUIN PUTNAM, 1999

hardcover $18. 95 ALL AGES hardcover $30.00 INTERME DI A T E Whimsically charming paintings accom­ INTERMED I ATE/OLDE R An eclectic and eerie collection of sto­ pany an assortment offolktales rich with The invincible Brer Rabbit outwits, out­ ries told by members of Latin Ameri­ the essence of Ireland. Leprechauns, tricks, and out-wiles many characters in ca's diverse population: those native to druids, and giants abound in this poet­ this adept and comical retelling of black its countries and the Europeans who ically written collection. American folktales. settled there later. Fables By Arnold Lobel H ARPE RCOWNS, 1980 hardcover $15.95;paperback $6.95

YOUNGER Label's delightfully fanciful illustrations meld perfectly with his medley of orig­ inal and thoughtful fables.

The Troll with No Heart in His Body and Other Tales ofTrolls from Norway By Lise Lunge-Larsen Illustrated by Betsy Bowen H OUGHTON M IFFLIN, 1999 hardcover $18.00

ALL AGES The trickery of trolls in this deliciously scary collection will bewitch children and adults alike. Colorful woodcuts ex­ press the spirit of both the Norwegian landscape and its unusual characters.

Mysterious Tales ofJ apan By Rafe Martin Illustrated by Tatsuro K.iuchi PUTNAM, 1996 hardcover $19.99

INTERMEDIATE Woven with elegance and grace, these traditional tales come together with breathtaking illustrations to evoke the ghostly, the tragic, and the mysterious, all within the context of the Japanese culture and countryside.

Illustration by Tatsuro Kiuchi,from Mys terious Tales ofJapan

18 Winter 2000-2001

The Juniper Tree and Other Tales from Grimm Selected by Lore Segal and Maurice Sendak Translated by Lore Segal and Randall Jarrell Illustrated by Maurice Sendak FARRAR, STRAUS & G I ROUX, 1973 hardcover $17.95;paperback $9.95

INTERMED I ATE Some of the less well known Grimm tales come to life in this collection. Sendak's charming and detailed illustrations are an added treat.

When Shlemiel Went to Warsaw & Other Stories By Isaac Bashevis Singer Illustrated by Margot Zemach FARRAR, STRAUS & GIROUX, 1968 hardcover $16.00;paperback $4.95

Illustration by Michael McCurdy,from American Tall Tales IN T ERMED I ATE Jewish tales filled with wit and wisdom capture both the foibles and the inher­ The Bronze Cauldron: The Girl Who Dreamed ent goodness ofhuman nature. Accom­ Myths and Legends of the World Only Geese and Other Tales panying sketches endow the characters By Geraldine McCaughrean of the Far North with spirit and personality. Illustrated by Bee Willey By Howard Norman MCELDERRY, 1998 Illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon A Handful of Beans: hardcover $19.95 H ARCOURT B RACE, 1997 Six Fairy Tales OLDER hardcover $22. 00 Retold by Jeanne Steig Vibrant illustrations complement this YOUNGER/ I NTERMED I ATE Illustrated by William Steig eclectic assortment of tales from around Ten Inuit tales, some humorous, some H ARPERC OWNS, 199 8 the globe. Sister volumes include The tragic, provide a glimpse into the tradi­ hardcover $17.95 Golden Hoard and The Silver Treasure. tions of those who live in the far north. YOUNGER The illustrations, like the stories in this William Steig's humorous and homely collection, seem inspired by the art of Animal Fables from Aesop characters suggest the original tellers of the Inuit people. Adapted and illustrated these favorite fairy tales; Jeanne Steig's by Barbara McClintock graceful telling lifts the characters, along D AVJD GODINE, 199 1 American Tall Tales with the reader, into magi­ hardcover $18. 95 By Mary Pope Osborne cal, imagined worlds. YOUNGER/INTERMED I ATE Illustrated by Michael McCurdy A colorful cast of animal characters will KNOPF, 1991 delight readers with their production hardcover $22.00 of nine of Aesop's fables. The detailed ALL AGES illustrations allow emotions to play Lively wood engravings accompany a strikingly on the faces of the characters, medley of family favorites including jenny Sawyer is a former editorial intern at the bringing out the humor and meaning ''.Johnny Appleseed" and "John Henry." Riverbank Review. in the stories.

19 Riverbank Review

Leonard S. Marcus

From Goodnight Moon to Stinky Cheese: the children's literature historian refl,ects on how books for young people have changed over the years. By Nathalie op de Beeck

eonard S. Marcus joins writers as diverse as Gillian Avery, released Author Talk, a collection of interviews with prominent children's John Cech, and Pat Cummings in charting the under­ book creators like Judy Blume and Jon explored territory of children's book history. He came to Scieszka. L Marcus took time in August to offer his subject thanks to a dual interest in history and poetry. some thoughts on transformations in Marcus traces his interest in chil­ of zesty missives from this famous chil­ the modem children's book industry, dren's books to the early 1970s, when, as dren's book editor to Maurice Sendak, from midcentury to contemporary, a history major at Yale, he wrote his Ruth Krauss, and other notable authors post-baby boom America. honors thesis on children's literature in working in what has been called the the new American republic. After "golden age" of American children's NodB: As a children's book historian and receiving an M.F.A. in poetry from the books-the period from the 1930s as a critic for Parenting magazine, you University of Iowa, he moved to New through the 1960s, when creative writ­ write accessibly for both an academic audi­ York, where he worked for a time as a ers, illustrators, and editors developed ence and the general public. How do you copywriter at Dover Books. At Dover, the picture book as an art form. balance your scholarly work Marcus immersed himself in the Now working on a history with your more popular house's extraordinary list of books on of American children's book criticism? the graphic arts and facsimile editions publishing for Houghton LM: I try to min­ of early children's books. "I considered Mifflin, Marcus has also imize the distinc­ it a sort of second master's degree," he been involved in launching tion between the says, "because I learned so much about the new National Center for kinds of work art history and illustration." Then, dur­ Children's Illustrated Litera­ that I do. I be­ ing this apprenticeship in word and ture in Abilene, Texas, and lieve in writ­ image, he came upon a copy of Mar­ the Eric Carle Museum of ing clearly and garet Wise Brown's 1947 Goodnight Picture Book Art, slated to well, and I try Moon in a Greenwich Village bookstore. open in Amherst, Massachu­ to avoid jargon "I had never heard of that book or Mar­ setts in 2002, as well as in garet Wise Brown before," he remem­ planning exhibition and con­ bers, "and I read it as someone with an ference projects for Japan interest in poetry. That was the begin­ and France. He also is ning of my wanting to write about her." children's book crit­ In the years since, Marcus has pro­ ic for Parenting filed Brown and her contemporaries in magazine and the stirring biography Margaret Wise writes nonfic­ Brown: Awakened by the Moon. More tion for young recently, he compiled Dear Genius: The readers, includ­ Letters ofUrsula Nordstrom, a collection mg the just-

20 Winter 2000-2001

and ornate language. The writers Many of them came to children's Clement Hurd was a painter before admire, like E. B. White and Elizabeth literature by chance. Illustrators tend he became an illustrator. But he started Bishop, do that very admirably, and to be artists for hire, and before they out life as a social butterfly, growing up their work has always represented a make a decent amount of money, in a fashionable townhouse on Madi­ touchstone for me. they're flexible as to what they're willing son Avenue, attending fancy-dress balls What do you consider to be your mis­ to try. The three artists you've men­ as a teenager in New York. His struggle sion as a writer? tioned came along at a time when chil­ was to become his own person, inde­ I try to make connections for peo­ dren's book illustration was not an pendent of his family's social standing ple between things they know and obvious career choice for any artist. and wealth. And so he went to Paris in things they don't yet know. Most peo­ Garth Williams thought about the early 1930s to paint, after first ple experience children's literature in a becoming an architect, studying architecture private way, as books remembered from thought better of that, at Yale for a year. He childhood or read to their own children and became a sculp­ and Leonard Weisgard at home. People don't necessarily con­ tor. ... Then E. B. White got to know each other ~ sider the relationship of the children's saw his drawings for The as mutual friends and t 0 book writer and artist to the rest of lit­ New Yorker, and he be­ collaborators ofBrown, "v erature and the visual arts, or to the came the illustrator for and as early fellow col­ "~ ~ society that produces a particular book Stuart Little. When I in­ lectors of American 0 ,; for a particular generation. terviewed Williams, he folk art. Hurd's feel­ 0: c: People go to art museums, and they told me that he would ing for folk art informs 0 u look at picture books, but don't neces­ get on a bus in New York the illustrations of Margaret Wise Brown sarily connect these two experiences. City and see adults read­ Goodnight Moon, which Most people are surprised that the ing Stuart Little for their have a naive, folkloric story of Margaret Wise Brown's career own pleasure, sort of the charm that, I think, is is entwined with that of key develop­ way that people are read­ one of the secrets of ments in American progressive educa­ ing Harry Potter today. It their effectiveness as tion and in modernist art and writing. pleased him to know that picture-book art. In Awakened by the Moon, you de­ so many people, young How would you scribe Brown as a member of the experi­ and old, could take de­ compare the naive art­ mental Bank Street Writers Laboratory, as light in a children's book work in a book like an early editor at William R. Scott's pub­ -especially in one with Brown and Hurd's lishing house, and as an admirer of Ger­ his illustrations. That was Goodnight Moon to trude Stein. Like Stein, Brown turned out that: he knew from that the artistry ofa contem­ to be a sort ofliterary salon-keeper, with ex­ moment onward that illus­ porary picture book? cellent connections and a real group spirit. tration was the work for The books of that She was an impresario. She looked him. Ursula Nordstrom Ursula Nordstrom period-roughly the to make things happen for other peo­ published Stuart Little 1930s through the ple, as well as for herself. I think that on and it was probably through Ursula that 1960s-have a quality of intimacy that some level it was because she was such Williams met Margaret Wise Brown. is appropriate to the picture book as a a lonely person; like a kid on the play­ From then on, he had all the illustra­ genre to be shared with young chil­ ground, she was always trying to get tion work he could possibly handle. dren. The work ofWeisgard and some other people to join in. Leonard Weisgard was something of his contemporaries has become the She discovered or furthered the careers of a scrapper. He was one of these kids inspiration for a number of new of several illustrators who helped to define who is eager to get out of his parents' books-that sort of retro look-but children's literature at midcentury. For house as soon as possible. He had done many of the new books are too self­ instance, Garth Williams illustrated her a couple of New Yorker covers when he consciously arty. Little Fur Family, and Leonard Weisgard met Margaret Wise Brown, still quite Do contemporary books keep people at and Gement Hurd did some of their best early in his career. Both he and Brown a distance because they're so busy being art? work with her. How would you character­ were so prolific that they kept each There are exceptions, of course, but ize the key artists ofBrown's circle? other busy. that in general is the contrast between

21 Riverbank Review

that earlier period and the present time. The earlier books are dated in certain re­ spects. They're printed by means oftech­ nically cruder, less sophistocated processes. But that may matter less than the chill­ iness of some of the new books. What is essential about a picture book for young kids is that the book make an emotional connection with the child. There's also the issue ef black-and­ white versus color. Wanda Gd.g's Millions of Cats or the alternating black-and-white pages in Goodnight Moon might appear lackluster in comparison to the more vibrant books ef today. How do you think the classics stand up to books with higher production values? I didn't know many picture books when I was a child. I really came to them for the first time in my late twen­ ties, and Goodnight Moon was one of the first books I looked at. I remember being fascinated by the alternating black-and-white and color pages. I now know that one reason for this arrange­ ment was to hold down production costs, which tended to rise with the number of pages printed in color. But artists used this limitation to advan­ tage. When readers look at a color spread, then turn to a black-and-white page, they still have the memory of the colors in mind. It becomes a more involving experience to have both in combination; it adds something to the reader's experience. T LAST, His S Helen Oxenbury told me in an interview that when she was illustrating ARE REVEALED. [Michael Rosen's] We 're Going on a Bear Hunt, she had to argue for the right to use black-and-white half the time. By then, the prevailing assumption had already become: the more color the better. Whereas Oxenbury thought, having learned from Randolph Calde­ cott's picture books and other classic examples, that alternating color and black-and-white could be interesting. ~ On Sale Now Alfred A. Knopf www.theamberspyglass.com Lately, a number of people have been going back to illustrating in black-and-

22 Winter 2000-2001 white, for example, Brian Selznick [in a wise guy, but there has to be some­ almost-good book. There are more tal­ Pam Munoz Ryan's Amelia and Eleanor thing else going on, to make the wise­ ented people in the field writing and Go for a Ride] and Tohby Riddle [in The guy stuff worthwhile. I think Scieszka illustrating books than ever, but very Great Escape from City Zoo]. I'm eager to and Smith's imitators often don't have often the books they produce aren't see where that will lead. that other something-the real under- quite as good as they could have been, That said, what do you think of had there been enough time to edit Rosemary Wells's colorization of Garth them properly. Williams 's line drawings for Stuart Little Editors in general tend to have too and Charlotte's Web? 'There is a fair amount ef many projects going on and not as much I know from a letter in the Harper time to edit as they need. They are some­ files that Williams had wanted to illus­ caution in the way children are times put in the position of being expe­ trate the Little House books in color. diters, of having to keep things moving The cost of doing so made this an impos­ represented now. At the same smoothly down the line. A lot is lost sibility. So I'm not sure that he would time there's a hipness in the along the way. Then of course there has have felt bad about it. On the other been a tendency, partly because of the hand, what was wrong with Williams's portrayal ef kids, an as sump- way bookselling has changed, for cer­ black-and-white originals? I enjoy look­ tain authors to become brand names. ing at the line art and imagining the tion that children are savvy Publishers sometimes seem to assume rest and can't help but feel that chil­ that if they have a "name" that sells dren still would too, given the chance. about life and are not going to they needn't worry too much about the Beyond issues ef black-and-white and quality of the book that bears the name. color, how is the child being portrayed now? be caught being wonderstruck That sounds very cynical on their part Have we moved away from Maurice -and I think it is. Sendak's Max and Mickey to a Y2K kid? lJy anything .... My concern In children's publishing today, is there Well, you don't see too many naked room for a coloiful, personality editor like children in picture books these days; would be that kids are being Ursula Nordstrom ef Harper? there aren't many heirs to Maurice There are certainly editors who are Sendak's Mickey [from In the Night prepped lJy books for the eager to try something new-Regina Kitchen]. I would say there is a fair Hayes ofViking, for example, who dis­ amount of caution in the way children world ef advertising. " covered Scieszka and Smith. She has are represented now. At the same time published a lot of edgy picture books. there's a hipness in the portrayal of kids, -Leonard S. Marcus Phyllis Fogelman, who headed Dial for an assumption that children are savvy many years and now has her own im­ about life and are not going to be caught print at Penguin Putnam, pioneered the being wonderstruck by anything. standing, and the feeling for kids that is multicultural picture book and novel, I think of Jon Scieszka and Lane also essential. going back to the 1960s. She had worked Smith's collaborations, like The True What contemporary books have you for Ursula. Susan Hirschman of Green­ Story of the Three Little Pigs, and the seen that have that understanding? willow and formerly of Macmillan­ tendency to call such things "postmodern." More, More, More Said the Baby by who had also worked for Ursula-has It seems so inflated to invoke that Vera B. Williams. Williams's work in made her mark developing the picture term, as was done in connection with general has that quality. More recently, book for younger children and the The Stinky Cheese Man. My concern The Everything Book by Denise Fleming. concept book. You look at a Greenwil­ would be that kids are being prepped It's not so much the artsy-craftsy look of low Book and you immediately recog­ by books for the world of advertising. the work of these two artists that I find nize it as such without having to check I'm not referring specifically to The Stinky so appealing, but the strong impres­ the spine. And Walter Lorraine at Cheese Man now, because children do sion their books convey of being made Houghton Mifflin has published an find it very funny and I think it is a very by one human being for another. impressive and very coherent list over intelligent book. But it spawned so many Why so few good books? the years. He discovered Jam es Marshall mindless imitators, books not nearly so I could name others, of course. But and, twenty years later, Susan Meddaugh. well attuned to children. It's fine to be I think we're living in the time of the And of course Margaret K. McElderry

23 Riverbank Review

has made numerous important contri­ and art history in college, and this has 3. poem f Or 1'1inter butions, as a steadfast publisher of poet­ given us new insight into the art of ry, of innovative "modem" picture­ those so-called simple books. Maurice book art, of some of the best traditional Sendak's singular career has had the fantasy writing of the last half century, galvanizing effect of encouraging peo­ and of children's literature in transla- ple to look more closely at illustration. ,, tion from around the world. Museums have taken him seriously as Still, I'm not sure that anyone else an artist-a rare triumph, historically, has redefined children's books in quite for an illustrator-and in the wake of the way that Ursula did, pressing at the this interest in his work has come a limits of the genre, sweeping away its search for other artists who might be­ outmoded taboos. But each of these long in the same category. In the 1980s, editors has developed a distinctive there were few if any schools in Ameri­ vision and shown the savvy to main­ ca where an art student could pursue a tain a certain degree of autonomy at course in children's book illustration. their publishing houses, which is rare. That situation has certainly changed. Ursula would not have done well in And there are more and more exhibi­ the contemporary corporate publish­ tions of children's book art, and new ing world in which each of them has museums for children's book art. managed to thrive. There are Web sites offering illustra­ Ursula Nordstrom began editing for tion galleries, and children's literature Harper in 1940, and in your writings databases. It may be my own immersion about her you look back fondly at her thir­ in the subject, but there seems to be reason ty years at that company. What do you for optimism about picture books, based The Winter Tre make efyour, and others~ poweiful interest on the number ofpeople who are recogniz­ in this lost era ofAmerican children's book ing their merit. The winter tree publishing? Is it a longingfor a past that is Yes, so beyond the mere nostalgia, Is fast asleep. on its way out, or is it something more? a more genuine level of appreciation She dreams, in reams I'm sure nostalgia has some small has emerged. I think illustration has Of snow knee-deep, part in it, because the postwar period, in been undervalued. American art schools Of children climbing which my generation grew up, was so have always had a pecking order, just as Up her trunk, child-centered. Parents were so glad the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris had a Of white-tailed deer not to have the Depression and the war pecking order, with historical painting And gray chipmunk, to contend with any longer that they considered better than genre painting, Of picnics, heaped an awful lot of good-and genre painting better than still-life goods-on their children. Toys, books, painting, and so on. Hammocks, theme parks ... "fun experiences." Now Historically, illustration was always And short sleeves, that generation, me included, have at the bottom of the barrel, and within And leaves children of our own and have devel­ the illustration category, children's illus­ And leaves oped an interest in looking back. tration was at the bottom of that bot­ And leaves Nostalgia, however, does not inter­ tom. So, what we're seeing is a revalu­ And leaves. est me very much at all, certainly not as ing, at every level, of an entire field of a motive for my work. What interests art, as much from the artist's point of -Douglas Florian me more is to call attention to the qual­ view as from the audience's. -=- ity of insight and craft that went into © 1999 by Douglas Florian. books like Goodnight Moon and The Nathalie op de Beeck writes about children 's From Winter Eyes, published Carrot Seed. People are learning now to books for Publishers Weekly and other publi­ by Greenwillow, an imprint ef appreciate books such as those on a cations. She teaches at the University of HarperCollins. Reprinted with more sophisticated level. The baby­ Piusburgh, where she is working toward a doc­ permission from the publisher. boom generation studied psychology torate in the field ofchildren's literature.

24 Snow Family STARRED Written and illustrated by Daniel Kirk REVIEWS Tr. ed. 0-7868-0304-5 $14.99 Lib. ed . 0-7868-2244-9 $15.49 Emily's First 100 Days of School * "Snow children ... are Written and illustrated by fascinated by a young boy Rosemary Wells building a snow boy.. .. IThis] Tr. ed. 0- 7868-0507-2 $16.99 magical tale is a read-aloud Lib. ed. 0- 7868-2443-3 $17.49 delight.. .. Lush, vibrant, detailed .... An inventive story, * "There are many books that both gentle and loving." celebrate the 1OOth day of -ALA Book/ist school, but this one scores a perfect 100." -School Library Journal

The Doll People Written by Ann M . Martin and Laura Godwin Illustrated by Brian Selznick Tr. ed. 0-7868-0361-4 $15.99 Lib. ed . 0-7868-2372-0 $16.94 Osceola: Memories of a "Little girls are in for a * Sharecropper's Daughter marvelous treat in this delicious Collected and edited fantasy that captures many of by Alan Govenar the rituals .. .of girlhood with Illustrated by Shane W. Evans sweetness and honesty, while Barnyard Prayers Tr. ed . 0-7868-0407-6 $15.99 imparting gentle lessons about Written by Laura Godwin Lib. ed. 0-7868-2357-7 $16.49 Illustrated by Brian Selznick risk, self-fulfillment, and dealing Tr. ed. 0-7868-0355-X $14.99 with differences." -Kirkus Reviews A 2000 Boston Globe-Hom Book Award honor book "The author subtly underlines * * "Doll lovers may well for nonfiction the fact that these poems are approach their imaginative play prayers by echoing and quoting with renewed enthusiasm and a * "rReadingl this book with a familiar prayers .... lovely.... sense of wonder after reading child is like having a wise old Selznick provides ... an Eden of this fun-filled adventure." grandmother tell stories, with the imagination." -Publishers Weekly the added benefit of glowing -The Hom Book illustrations." -Kirkus Reviews ~HYPE RI 0 N 'VBOO KS for CHILDREN ********** 114 Fifth Avenue , New York, NY 10011 ********** Riverbank Review

Bridging the Age Divide

A number offine picture books explore relationships across generations. By Christine Heppermann

ot so long ago, it seems, images of the elderly in children's literature consisted mainly of fairy tale witches and their N male counterpart, the mean old man down the block whose overgrown yard the neighborhood kids dared one another to set foot in. Or they went in the opposite direction, toward the cookie-baking, Mrs. Santa Claus-style bors often don't know one another's granny, perpetually cheerful and com­ names, let alone socialize, so the don't­ forting, but just as unrealistic. talk-to-strangers rule may apply to peo­ Now varied portrayals ofolder adults ple a few houses away. Thus, a good inter­ abound in books for children. There generational picture book, as they are are the grandmothers who have turned commonly called, offers not just an enter­ off their ovens to march in demonstra­ taining story, but also an important meet­ tions or take jobs as truck drivers in the ing place. It can help children see past vibrant Our Granny, written by Mar­ appearances that might intimidate them, garet Wild and illustrated by Julie Vivas. past the wrinkles or the thick glasses or There are kind, patient, decidedly un­ the walker, to the many things that the Illustration by Barbara Cooney,.from Emma curmudgeonly grandfathers like the one old and the young have in common. in Tamie dePaola's Now One Foot, Now Older adults, like children, are often the Other, who helped his grand- not taken seriously, as the main picking up the phone to dial the nursing son learn to walk and talk; the character in Wendy Kesselman's home. What they don't realize is that grandson offers him similar Emma knows all too well. This Emma isn't senile; she's observant, not assistance after he has a stroke. seventy-two-year-old woman to mention talented. When her family Perhaps the ever growing spends most of her days with gives her a portrait of her hometown array of elderly characters only her cat, Pumpkinseed, for for a birthday gift, she thanks them, in children's books has an company, so she loves it when her but secretly thinks "That's not how I obvious explanation: the children and grandchildren come remember my village at all." So she population is aging, and to visit. Yet when she tells them paints her own portrait of the village, authors are taking note. A about the other things she loves and this is just the first of many pic­ child today encounters elder­ -seeing "the snow come right up tures to come. It seems appropriate that ly people in the supermar­ to her doorstep" in winter, dreaming the invitingly dainty, unsophisticated ket, at church, on the bus about "the little village across the illustrations for Emma's story were cre­ -although this doesn't mountains where she grew up"- ated by Barbara Cooney, an artist who necessarily mean he gets her family is condescending: "Poor also came into her own later in life by to know them. Extended Illustration by Emma. She must be getting old," depicting in her work things close to families living under one Julie Vivas,.from they say. You can almost see one her home and heart. Emma's cheerful roofare now rare, and neigh- Our Granny of her tastefully dressed daughters paintings of familiar scenes from her

26 Winter 2000-2001 past and present end up selling well but, "always someplace else"? more importantly, they adorn her walls Although some picture books with with tangible memories to chase away elderly characters give them exclusive her loneliness. Her accomplishments, star billing, most focus on relationships reportedly based on those of an artist between grandparents and grandchil­ the author knew, defy the stereotype of dren. Two companion titles for young elderly people set in their ways, unwilling children, Helen E. Buckley's Gran4fa­ or unable to change. ther and I and Grandmother and I, first Picture book authors occasionally published in the late 19 50s and reillus­ go overboard trying to endow older adult trated by Jan Ormerod in new editions, characters with vitality. The super­ provide an ingeniously concrete view dynamo grandparents who zoom of how this bond is like no other. For around in sports cars and line dance the little boy in Gran4father and I, his until dawn are caricatures just as much grandfather stands out in his mind as a as the feeble, fuddy-duddy variety are. person who takes his time. To keep It's a pleasure, then, to come upon pace with the demands of busy family Mrs. Till by in Someplace Else, written by life, mothers must frequently hurry: Carol P. Saul and illustrated by Barry They walk in a hurry Illustration by Jan Ormerod,.from Root. She isn't flashy, but she persists in and talk in a hurry. Grandfather and I her restlessness will take seeing where And they always want you to hurry. her. The book's opening spread depicts hold more warmth and verve than the a smiling Mrs. Tillby in a warmly lit Fathers, too. And brothers and sis­ one in Helen V. Griffith and illustrator apple orchard, which cascades down a ters? Well, James Stevenson's three picture books hill toward a small but charming about Grandaddy and Janetta (sched­ house. The American dream? Appar­ They go so fast uled to be released in a single volume by they often bump into you. ently not for Mrs. Tillby: "All her life HarperCollins in early 2001). Janetta And when they take you for a walk Mrs. Tillby had tended the trees and lives with her mother in an apartment in they are always apples. All her life Baltimore. Grandaddy keeps chickens picked and sold leaving you far behind. Mrs.Tillby wondered how it would be and a mule on his ramshackle spread in to live someplace else." So she climbs But when the little boy and his rural Georgia. When grandfather and into her old green pickup and goes to grandfather go for walks together, they granddaughter get together each sum­ visit her children one by one. At the never rush: mer, it's obvious from their delightfully outset she doesn't intend to visit all idiosyncratic conversations that their We walk along three of them (a fourth still lives with similarities trump their differences. and walk along her at the apple orchard) but none of They indulge in discussions practical and stop ... mother have no the places where they live-the city, and look. .. adults like Janetta's the mountains, the seashore-entice her just as long as we like. patience for, such as what might happen into staying permanently. She pushes ifJanetta gave one of the newborn kit­ onward across the country. "But every­ This lilting refrain, accompanied by tens in Grandadday's shed the same where she went, it was the same. Mrs. gentle watercolor-and-pencil portraits of name she gave his mule (Star). "I might Till by was always happy at first. After a the two stopping to examine a pinecone or set out milk for Star, and it would be the few weeks she always wanted to move point to a squirrel in a tree, echoes how mule and he'd put his big foot right in on." Her solution may elicit groans from relaxed and secure the boy feels when the bowl," Grandaddy muses in some adult readers, though it makes per­ he is with his grandfather. In Grand­ Grandaddy andJanetta. "Or I'd hitch up fect sense: a mobile home. Saul's story mother and I it is his grandma's lap-the Star to the plow, and it would be the kit­ takes a fresh look at an often ridiculed best place to be when "you're having a ten and plowing with a kitten is slow lifestyle choice of older adults. Who bad cold" or "the cat's been gone for work." Janetta knows her grandfather is wouldn't want to experience the kind two days"-that symbolizes what distin­ something of a storyteller and realizes of freedom Mrs. Tillby finds when she guishes her from the rest of the family. she can't take everything he says as the is finally able to be "always home" and For older children, no pairing could mule's honest truth. But he never con-

27 Riverbank Review

Around sunset, her mother always needs believable situation, it allows Sachiko her to look after her grandmother, who to begin to comprehend her grandmoth­ lives with them. Sachiko was named er's illness, and in tum the significance after her grandmother and used to feel of her own actions, without grown-up close to her until Grandmother changed intervention. During the walk, Grand­ so much that, Sachiko says, "Now, even mother begins to cry because she dis­ when I stand by her side, she does not covers she doesn't know the way after seem to notice me." Tomie Arai's real­ all. Sachiko says, istic illustrations, decorated with motifs from Asian art, glow with the I looked into her eyes trying to find fiery colors of the evening sky, which the Grandmother I once knew. I saw are also the colors of anger. Sachiko instead a small, lost child, frightened and alone. She did not recognize seems confused and frustrated but anyone, not even me, and she was mostly angered by her grandmother's scared .... It must be very hard, I repeated insistence that she is not thought, to suddenly discover that but a five-year-old girl Grandmother, everyone is a stranger to you. I who wants nothing more than to go blinked back tears, but they were not Illustration by James Stevenson, from home. So the granddaughter plays a Grandaddy's Stars tears of anger. dirty trick. She tells her grandmother she will take her home and shepherds A quick, creative decision by Sachiko descends to her. Their engaging back­ her out the front door into the cool puts everything right for the moment. and-forths shimmer with mutual affec­ autumn air. Not only does the text She begins to play along with her tion and respect, whether they are learn­ avoid sentimentality, forging with clear­ grandmother's version of reality: ing the fine points of "worm-talk" and eyed honesty into a cruel but utterly "'Would you stay with me tonight?' "fish-talk" while casting for she asks the frightened five­ supper or studying the night year-old. 'Surely my mother sky to see if the stars are knows your house. She will waving back to them. call your mother and tell her Then there are the inter­ you are staying with us.' " generational picture books Of course Sachiko would that take on the less pleas­ rather not have to pretend ant task of exploring how a this way. She would rather child might cope when an have her grandmother back. elderly friend or relation falls But she does what she must ill or dies. The most suc­ in order to reassure and pro­ cessful, of course, don't let tect a person she loves. Her the message supersede story; actions epitomize the kind they don't make do with of reciprocity that marks cardboard characters shuf­ many intergenerational pic­ fled around in a thinly dis­ ture books: Sachiko's grand­ guised therapy session. That's mother took special care of why Sachiko Means Happi­ her in the past, and now ness by Kimiko Sakai, for Sachiko is giving the same instance, isn't simply about in return.-=- Alzheimer's disease. It's about a girl named Sachiko and Christine Heppermann is a why she doesn't like sun­ member of the editorial commit­ sets. "Trouble always comes tee ofthe Riverbank Review and in the evening," she reports a regular contributor to the Horn grimly as the book begins. Illustration by Tamie Arai, from Sachiko Means Happiness Book magazine.

28 + Kirkus Reviews * Booklist * Publishers Weekly + Kirkus Reviews + Kirkus Reviews * * School Library Journal * + Kirkus Reviews * Booklist * School Library Journal * r · 1-~ If You 1i( ~'l Finda r~ Rock ~ '~...... ~ "'N ··-... N * ~ ~ ~ ~ .. J, J, ;;; ....______, 6 .______, * * Booklist * School Library Journal * Publishers Weekly + Kirkus Reviews + Kirkus Reviews * Publishers Weekly * Publishers Weekly * School Library Journal * School Library Journal

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525 B Street, Suite 1900, San Diego, California 92101 For complete ordering information, contact your sa les re presentat ive or ~Harcourt 15 East 26th St reet, New York, New York 1001 O ca ll to ll-free 1-800-543-1918. Availability subject to change without notice. Riverbank Review

Picture Books ground of a landscape, adding to the Boo and Baa in the Woods haiku's spare intensity. To Basho's dis­ Boo and Baa Get Wet ~ may, the fox dismisses these breathtak­ Written and illustrated by Olof and ing poems as ordinary human efforts. Basho and the Fox Lena Landstrom Basho, his confidence shaken, strug­ By Tim Myers Translated by Joan Sandin gles for months to write a perfect haiku Illustrated by Oki S. Han R & S BOOKS I FARRAR, STRAUS & GIROUX and almost gives up. But eventually MARSHALL CAVENDISH he Board books, Ages 2-6, $7.95 each 32 pages, Ages 4-8, $15.95 confronts the fox and recites, off the ISBNS : 91-29-64754-1; 91-29-64752-5 top of his head, his third ISBN 0-7614-5068-8 effort: If you want to engage a preschooler Summer moon Basho and the Fox, an imaginary episode over with a picture book, it doesn't hurt to mountains is white as the tip in the life of the seventeenth-century have characters whose names are fun to of a fox's tail. Japanese poet Basho, is also a subtle say. The droll cartoon sheep stars of fable about creative integrity. Author To Basho's amazement the fox pro­ this Swedish series certainly have that Tim Myers begins the book with a brief nounces this haiku perfect. When going for them. But Boo and Baa's pri­ preface that explains both Basho's lit­ Basho asks him to explain, the fox mary appeal rests in their creative, child­ erary stature and the traditional haiku replies, "This one has a fox in it!" Real­ like approach to life, which can tum form. Then his fable begins, with the izing that the fox was seeking a poem even a mundane task like getting a cab­ promise that three haiku will be part of to affirm his ego, Basho makes a bage home from the grocery store into the action. promise to himself never again to a grand adventure. Basho, who lives, hermitlike, on write poetry to please or impress oth­ The two latest predicaments our in­ the outskirts of the village of Fuka­ ers. The fable ends on this note of trepid duo find themselves in involve gawa, meets a troupe of foxes who have humor and resolve. ants and rain, respectively. With the come to the river in search of ripe cher­ Han's illustrations, with their tradi­ economy of words typical of all six ries. Basho introduces himself as a tional, serene representation of Japan­ poet, and the leader of the foxes tells ese landscapes-including cherry blos­ him that foxes are the real source of soms, lily pads, and the moonlit poetry in the universe. "Some of the river-are highly appropriate for this best poems humans know," he ex­ tale. The fox-poet, garbed in a bright plains, "were actually whispered to kimono and waving a finger as he pon­ them as they slept, by foxes." Thus tificates about haiku, adds a sly note of begins a contest wherein Basho strug­ comedy. The fable is quiet but richly gles to write a haiku so perfect that the meaningful, and would be a great vehi­ poet-fox will be impressed. He goes cle for introducing children to the back to his house and writes two haiku, combined power and fragility of the which Korean illustrator Oki S. Han haiku form. Illustration by Olof and Lena Landstrom, sets off in bordered boxes at the fore- - Margaret Willey from Boo and Baa Get Wet

30 Winter 2000-2001 small, square volumes in the series, Boo the sopping robes can stay outside?) her name. Not, it seems, because she is and Baa in the Woods begins with In the end, Boo and Baa always afraid of her two sisters-bullies though straightforward aplomb: "Boo and Baa remain comfortably themselves. Boo they are-but because she exists in a are going to the woods to pick berries." "still thinks ants are nasty." Baa re­ state of awe. Yet immediately thereafter, a hint of marks how happy she is that the lights She inspires it, too. Three times trouble wafts onto the tranquil scene. have come back on as she turns off her this woman rides a horse to church, The single line accompanying the next lamp to go to sleep. They are young dressed in extraordinary clothes. Three illustration, which shows the knapsack­ children in sheep's clothing, predictable times she stands outside the door; toting boy and girl sheep striding in their unpredictability. three times she gallops away. As her sis­ toward the pines on their matchstick -Renie Victor ters admit, "She is the most beautiful legs, reads, " 'I hope there won't be any ants,' says Boo." It's not hard, then, to guess what will happen when the pair interrupts their literally fruitless search to spread out a picnic lunch. What is that suspicious-looking mound, cov­ ered in black dots, behind the tree? This brings up another preschooler­ friendly feature of the Boo and Baa books: the problems they depict are never too scary or overwhelming. The comical antics in Boo and Baa in the Woods defuse the common childhood fear of bugs without belittling it. After an ant appears on a visibly shaken Boo's sandwich, then another on his juice glass, he and Baa decide with their usual quirky logic that their only Illustration by Jude Daly, from Fair, Brown & Trembling means of escape is to pole-vault across a knee-high creek. The same humorous overreaction Fair, Brown & Trembling: woman ever seen in Erin." is triggered by a storm in Boo and Baa An Irish Cinderella Story Every figure, beast, and tree stands Get Ulet. While Boo and Baa recline in By Jude Daly out against the gently textured back­ their bunk beds, reading what appear FARRAR, STRAUS & GIROUX grounds ofJude Daly's art. There's an air to be spooky stories (Boo's book has a 32 pages, Ages 5-8, $16. 00 of isolation, of protection, from a noisi­ ghost on the cover, Baa's a dead tree), ISBN 0·374-32247-3 er, busier, less coherent world-the the electricity goes off. A blue light­ world beyond the hills that frame this ning flash illuminates the two, whose This retelling of the Cinderella tale is as landscape. Everything belongs here, and eyes are even wider than usual. "'It's fresh as the dawn, and as lovely, too. everything relates to everything else. nice to be inside," says Baa. Their com­ Based on an Irish variant, it restores an Each spoon and plate in Trem­ fort is short-lived, because, inexplica­ air of mystery and delight to this famil­ bling's house is set apart from others. bly, they decide they must go outside iar story. We notice the cat, the chicks, the bel­ and bring in their croquet set before it Perhaps the most significant differ­ lows, and the broom because we also gets too wet. The Laurel and Hardy­ ence in this version of the tale is that see the eloquent space around them. esque routine that follows lands the Cinderella goes to church instead of to There's hardly any furniture, but what two in their wading pool after they a royal ball. Once she is there, as a con­ there is-a low, carved chest and an have been spooked by "ghosts," in real­ dition of her enchantment, she is kept enormous, empty cupboard-looks ity their bathrobes, hanging on a from stepping inside. All the people important. Sure enough, when the clothesline. (Who's to say why the cro­ turn around to see the trembling prince arrives in search of his love, the quet set needs to be brought in, while woman at the door. And Trembling is sisters lock her in the cupboard. When

31 Riverbank Review she is freed to wear the shoe that is hers Turn the page and a pig-shaped con­ young protagonist, being driven out of alone, its doors open wide. stellation smiles down from the im­ the city to stay with his grandmother. -Mary Lou Burket mense sky. He is not eager to go: "She doesn't even Relativity is a big thing to tackle in a have a TV!" Nicky says. When his father's book for small children, but Florian makes car pulls away, Nicky and his grand­ A Pig Is Big a game of these questions and maintains mother are left alone at her cottage in By Douglas Florian GREENWILLOW a sharp playfulness throughout. His water­ the woods. He enters her living room 20 pages, Age 3 and up, $15.95 color washes are loose and dreamy; daubs (which doubles as an art studio) and

ISBN 0-688-17125-7 of saturated color brighten his tele­ finds himself in front of a half-finished scoping landscapes, while light scratch­ wood carving of a bear. As he admires Douglas Florian revels in possibilities. ings of colored pencil add humorous the bear, his grandmother brings him On the first page of this poem in pic­ detail: a white dog looks over the edge back to reality with a thud: "The real ture-book form, he poses a deliciously of a hot-air balloon's basket as it rises in one hangs out at the dump." Soon, simple question-"What's big?"-and the sky (on the page before we couldn't however, the story twists and Grandma starts ordinarily enough by answering: quite see what was in the basket-Flo­ offers Nicky some lessons in exercising rian's illustrations satisfyingly move us his imagination. A pig is big. through time and space). A dog on a That evening, she sends him down A pig is fat. A pig is bigger than my hat. bicycle wears a bright red helmet, a to the river to catch fish for dinner. bear pilots an airplane, and everything Perched unhappily on the dock, he has A huge pink pig's head, wearing a gets smaller and smaller as the universe his glasses sitting beside him, so he jaunty orange baseball cap and a satis­ opens up on the page. Kids can read can't see the birds and dragonflies in fied smile, is pictured. A rich blue back­ Being and Nothingness when they're in the reeds nearby. Indeed, this illustra­ ground electrifies the two-page spread, college. A Pig Is Big is perfect for now. tion expresses Nicky's initial inability and we are cheerfully launched on a quest -Christine Alfano to see the natural world around him. for ever larger entities with the inevitable The next day, when he goes down to challenge: "What's bigger than a pig?" the dock again, he promptly falls The Raft Successive pages feature bigger and asleep. He is awakened by a flock of By Jim LaMarche bigger things-the pig meets a cow, birds, chirping and hovering over a raft HARPERCOWNS they climb in a car, get towed by a truck, 40 pages, Ages 4- 8, $15. 95 drifting downstream. The raft bumps and ride down the street-until at last against the dock, and when Nicky ISBN 0·688· 13 977-9 Florian takes us to the outer reaches of brushes away branches and leaves he the universe, that biggest thing of all. Jim LaMarche's The Raft is rich in the sees that it is covered with drawings of The book's last pages are awash in a vast, saturated, golden-brown hues of sum­ local wildlife, "like those ancient cave deep blue sprinkled with the white of mer. The story opens with Nicky, the paintings I'd seen in books-just out- stars, the earth and sun shown as small, round objects afloat in space. All along we've been considering what's big and what is bigger, and here, in a surprising way, the idea of the poem suddenly re­ tracts. The poem's last line condenses into tiny type, and the words fall into a tight, clipped rhythm to accentuate the feeling we all get when we ponder our own place in the universe:

Compared to it all things seem small. Illustration by Jim laMarche,from The Raft

32 Winter 2000-2001 lines, but wild and fast and free." Wemberly Worried resented in larger text, dwarfing the young The following day, Nicky's grand­ By Kevin Henkes mouse characters and signifying terror. mother joins him on the bank and to­ GREENWILLOW But once she's at school, Wemberly gether they push the raft into the river's 32 pages, Ages 4-8, $15.95 finds something she hadn't expected­ current. At this point it's obvious that ISBN 0-688-17027-7 another worrier, with her own stuffed Grandma has sent the raft Nicky's way. animal (a cat!), standing apart from the She gives him drawing materials to take Doesn't everyone know a child like rowdier children. A friendship blooms on his journeys of exploration. Grand­ Wemberly? All children worry about instantly, making both girls forget their ma sometimes comes along, and she and something, and author/illustrator Kevin fears enough to play, albeit fretfully. Nicky get to know each other better on Henkes has catalogued a host of things The book ends with a promise of more their relaxing outdoor excursions. any child might fret about, large and play, more friendship, less worrying. From the time the raft appears, the small, realistic and bizarre, plausible Many children will see themselves story takes on a magical tinge, demand­ and implausible. The cover art shows in Wemberly's struggle to be brave. ing suspension of disbelief as Nicky's Henkes's newest girl/ mouse staring out Henkes understands that there is a spe­ forays along the river attract a variety cial kind of bravery in fearful children of shy creatures (raccoons, foxes, otters, u -the everyday adventures of childhood rabbits, cranes) that Nicky draws in his require so much more stamina and deter­ sketch pad. It's as if the raft has a mys­ \' LL WAIT mination for them, and Henkes imparts F•~ Yov, terious power to overcome the animals' PE.TAL. this determination to little Wemberly. natural caution. The defining moment I He doesn't mock her anxiousness, nor is Nicky's rescuing a fawn stuck in mud does he make it disappear. Still, the and returning it to its mother on the book's comic-strip progression, its wild shore. He records this achievement by typographic changes, and its funny char­ drawing a picture of the fawn on the acters-Wemberly's groovy grandma boards of the raft, experiencing for the and her "alternative" nursery school first time the rush of pleasure and satis­ teacher-keep the book fun, despite all faction that comes from artistic accom­ the worrying. plishment. "When I had finished, I -Margaret Willey knew it was just right," he says. Grand­ Illustration by Kevin Henkes, ma helps Nicky outline his drawing in from Wemberly Worried When Winter Comes oil paint, to make it a permanent part of By Nancy Van Laan the raft. "Now you'll always be part of at us from a vibrating cave of her own Illustrated by Susan Gaber she tells him. anxiety, cringing and clutching her the river," A THENEUM The magical events in The Raft con­ bunny for dear life. 32 pages, Ages 2- 7, $16. 00 tone in a We learn on the first page that Wem­ trast with its initial realistic ISBN 0-689-81778-9 way that may be jarring to adult readers, berly worries about everything, and but it is unlikely to raise the eyebrows of Henkes uses his signature comic-strip Wben Winter Comes reminded me of a young children, to whom enchantment style to depict her qualms, which will book by Syd Hoff that I used to read is a common ingredient in picture books. emerge as familiar territory for young to my daughter: When Will It Snow? In an author's note, Jim LaMarche readers-fear of the dark, the car, the (Harper, 1971). Both books are part of acknowledges the autobiographical ori­ bathtub. Wemberly soothes herself by a picture-book tradition illustrating gins of The Raft. Like Nicky, he spent rubbing the ears of her stuffed rabbit, how the first snow affects everything in summers in the woods with his artist Petal, but even this small comfort is nature. These winter paeans often include grandmother; found a raft; and learned treacherous: Petal could always get lost, a refrain of questions that the child asks that to draw something is to see it in a or worse-her ears could wear out from about seasonal changes. Author Nancy new, deeper way. The Raft may inspire so much rubbing. Van Laan's rhyming stanzas begin: Wbere other young "river rats" to follow in his Midway through the book, Wem­ oh where do the leaves all go when winter footsteps, opening their eyes to the berly faces the greatest challenge yet to comes and the cold winds blow? A winter­ natural wonders around them. her shaky security: her first day at nurs­ bundled child extends the question, seek­ -Antonia Gray ery school. A new level of anxiety is rep- ing the winter whereabouts of flowers,

33 Riverbank Review deer, and caterpillars as the snow falls thicker and deeper. The final question is about the child herself-where will she go after a long nature walk with her par­ ents? The answer: In a warm, warm bed when winter comes round, listening to the wind with its gusting sound, watching the snow as it falls to the ground. Van Laan's poetry is simple but not predictable; it is lovely to read aloud. Books about the arrival of winter often hold a hint of melancholy, and both Van Laan's poetry-with the slight lament in the child's refrain-and Susan Gaber's illustrations have this quality. Against the darkening sky of a winter Illustration by Susan Gaber,from When Winter Comes walk, Gaber intersperses images of plants and animals put to res t for the winter­ many military bases and factories locat­ bums the shed in which he has stored his fading flowers, a caterpillar's cocoon, fish ed on the coast, in 1942 Rhode Island paintings. Crazed by what he has moving under the ice. The renderings of is in the thick of the war. Thirteen-year­ endured, Hoffman runs into the the family's walk through the woods in old Robert can't understand why his flames, burning along with his art. The their brightly colored coats, striped hats, mother left their beloved Ohio farm, parallel between events in Nazi Ger­ and waving scarves are especially won­ bringing him and his younger sister to many and those in this Rhode Island derful, as are Gaber's expressive faces, live with their father's parents in this in­ community is striking. sometimes filling the entire page, always hospitable place. Up till now, he hadn't Mindless cruelty is also present in full of awe at the changes the snow has met his grandparents or had any con­ the house that Robert and Elliot share. brought. There is awe and a faint, appro­ tact with them, and his grandfather turns A bully and a tyrant, their grandfather priate sadness, but the effect is finally out to be a mean and difficult man. dictates how everyone lives, what they reassuring: the book ends with a cozy Worse yet, Robert is sure his father discuss, how they behave. He criticizes picture ofa sleepy child being tucked into doesn't know where they are; his moth­ everyone and everything. Consequent­ bed, all questions answered for now, er acts strangely about the letters she ly, many things are unspoken in this while outside the snow falls harder and writes to him, and those she receives house. Vulnerable because ofhis artistic harder. The final pages are rendered in are all forwarded from Ohio. The unex­ talent, which Grandfather does not swirling white. pected friendship that develops between approve of, Elliot makes himself almost -Margaret Willey Robert and his cousin Elliot offers a spot invisible. Robert, watching this, begins of happiness in an otherwise bleak time. to wonder why his own father is never Ships are being torpedoed off the mentioned (there are no pictures of Fiction coast, and reports of Nazi U-boats land­ him in the house), and why his grand­ ing spies are frequent. Paranoia is a part parents have been largely absent from ~ of community life, as is hatred of all his life. When, with Elliot's help, Robert The Art of Keeping Cool things German, including Abel Hoff­ discovers the truth of what happened man, he is aghast, By Janet Taylor Lisle man, an artist who escaped from Ger­ to his father as a young ATHENEUM many. Elliot, himself a gifted artist, be­ but he, too, has learned not to speak up 207 pages, Ages 10- 14, $1 7. 00 friends Hoffman, and as Hoffman recog­ against his powerful grandfather. ISBN 0-689-83787-9 nizes Elliot's talent, a respectful relation­ Although the story has a happy ship grows between them. This makes it ending (we are given a brief glimpse of Although the eastern United States is all the more horrifying when a mob, each boy's young adulthood), it remains removed from the immediate action of fueled by mindless hate, attacks Hoff­ profoundly disturbing. The rise of Hitler, World War II, it has its own share of man, severely injuring him. Once it is the conspiracy of Germans that sup­ wartime threats and dangers. With the unleashed, the hate grows, and a mob ported him, the mob mentality in cer-

34 Winter 2000-2001 tain American communities, and the plished boxer. Not wanting to be arrested returns to fighting at Brodie's until, when silence of a family tyrannized by a hate­ again, he tries to get a job as a munici­ he's asked to throw a match, he quits. ful man create mirror images that play pal worker, but he has no political con­ Deliverance finally comes when Johnny off one another. Although it is firmly set nections, and he finds that other jobs receives an invitation from the Perfessor in life during World War II, The Art of are closed to him because he has no to work at the prestigious New York Keeping Cool reminds us that cruelty can education. Convinced that boxing is, Athletic Club. Suddenly he has the take root anytime, anywhere, distort­ indeed, his only way out of poverty, he opportunity to earn more money than ing the face of a family or community. -Lee Galda

The Boxer By Kathleen Karr FARRAR, STRAUS & GIROUX 144 pages, Age 12 and up, $16. 00

ISBN 0-374-30921-3

Boxing, illegal in New York in the late nineteenth century, is fifteen-year-old John Aloysius Xavier Woods's way to get his family out of the tenements, into the light and fresh air ofBrooklyn and a better life. His job in a sweatshop provides no more than rent money, with a little left for cabbage and potato soup for his mother and five younger siblings. His father's rare appearances usually have negative consequences. So when Johnny passes Brodie's Saloon and sees a sign advertising an opportu­ nity to be paid for boxing, he talks and pushes his way into the ring, only to be arrested in the middle of his first fight. Being thrown into New York City's "Tombs" prison turns out to be good fortune, because he is noticed and befriended by Michael O'Shaunnessey, a "perfessor" of boxing who teaches him techniques and strategies, nutrition and physical conditioning. In only a day, Johnny goes from being just another boxing bum in the stinking common space of the crowded prison to the priv­ ileged occupant of a "semi-private" cell, with steak, eggs, and bacon to eat. But Johnny doesn't let his new status go to his head: first thing, he arranges for the Perfessor to send his family some money. By the time Johnny's six-month prison sentence is up, he's an accom-

35 Riverbank Review he ever dreamed of. Johnny's learned connection to a good, satisfying job. engaging, and emotionally satisfying his lesson, though, and he continues Even readers with a distaste for box­ from beginning to end. The great Amer­ with the high school classes he has ing may find themselves fascinated with ican dream is alive and well, played to a begun to take. By the story's end we the details of the sport that Karr pro­ successful conclusion between the cov­ know he's creating his own future-a vides. Replete with historical detail, full ers of this book. The cheers Johnny house with a yard, his sweetheart, and of engaging character types, and with heard in the ring dim in comparison to the education that will be his reliable an admirable hero, The Boxer is fast paced, the satisfaction he will find in his life. As good as he is with his fists, he's even better with his heart and his mind. ~ School Library Journal stars -Lee Galda

Calling the Swan By Jean Thesman VIKI NG 147 pages, Age 12 and up, $15.99 ISBN 0-670-88874-5

Fifteen-year-old Skylar has had to strug­ gle to get her parents to let her take the bus to her summer school class. Her mother is just short of hysterical at the thought, and her father is very reluc­ tant, but her grandmother and older sister, Alexandra, support her. Although she wants to do it, Skylar herself is Dic:tI\.G £QJf iGlJ Mc:t~~iG afraid-she can't help but absorb her mother's anxieties. She often goes to PICTURES BY stGVGI\. I\.Gllogg Alexandra's room to talk, sometimes ~\I/~ finding comfort, sometimes becoming ~~ "First published in 1963 and long out of upset. She seems to have no friends; no print, this delightful story has been reborn in a one calls or comes over-a strange cir­ newly illustrated [full-color] edition. The beebee bird is cumstance for a teenage girl. The other new to the zoo and sings his song [beebeebobbibobbi] kids at summer school approach her, all night long, keeping the other animals awake. but she is reluctant to get close. Clear­ [The next day] they concoct a plan to ly, something is amiss. ensure nighttime quiet so they can sleep. Slowly, we begin to understand that The recasting of the original book into this the older sister Skylar talks with isn't outsized, raucous rendering retains the appeal and really there, even though their little magnifies the playfulness. Kellogg 's familiar style is a brother seems to see her, too. As Skylar perfect foil for the frolicking turnabout tale. Welcome comes to accept friendship from a small back, beebee bird! " -Starred review I School Library Journal group of classmates, we learn that her previous friends deserted her three years "Young listeners will find the invitation to chime in on earlier when her sister disappeared; they the beebee bird's irritating continua utterly blamed her family for the disappearance. irresistible. " - Kirkus Reviews But the family can't move away: they're Ages 3-6. $15.95 Tr (0-06-028083-2) $15.89 Lb (0-06-028084-0) holding out hope for Alexandra's return. As Skylar talks to the priest who counsels her, we listen to her argue and bargain with God, gradually coming to accept the fact that her sister is gone. It is a fam- Winter 2000-2001 ily's worst nightmare. Trapped in Sky­ She even steals a notepad from her older Fiddle Fever lar's consciousness by the first-person brother, meaning to write only a few By Sharon Arms Doucet narrative, we live the nightmare with her. pages, but when she stops writing, she C LARION The end of the summer marks the finds she has used the whole pad. 176 pages, Ages 10-14, $15.00 third anniversary of the day that Alexan­ Her family forgives her theft. With ISBN 0-61 8-043 24-1 dra vanished while she was feeding swans her mother's encouragement, Ana Rosa at a neighborhood lake-three years of writes an entertaining story about a sea Fiddle Fever is dedicated to the memory waiting, hoping, and, for Skylar, des­ creature. Both her neighbors and her of the Creole fiddler Canray Fontenot, perately believing that her sister is safe family are pleased when she reads her who, as a child, made a fiddle from a at home. Skylar is reluctant to live a fif­ story aloud. Ana Rosa feels she has cigar box and taught himself to play it, teen-year-old life filled with friends proved her worth as a writer and she and then went on to perform all over and adventure because her sister, as real continues to write. North America and Europe. In homage to her as a spirit can be, might feel left When the government threatens to to Fontenot, Sharon Arms Doucet's main out. After all, Alexandra disappeared take the villagers' land for tourist hotels character, Felix, also makes a fiddle from when she was fifteen. Through the per­ and shops, the village people speak out a cigar box and teaches himself to play it. sistence of her new friends and the help in rebellion. As Ana Rosa's beloved But there the similarity between Felix of her counselor and her grandmother, older brother protests, he is killed in an and Fontenot ends. Felix's mother is Skylar is finally able to accept the reali­ ensuing riot and Ana Rosa learns just dead-set against his learning to play. ty that Alexandra is gone, and to let her how dangerous words can be in her Stung by the fact that her fiddle-playing spirit go as well. country. She realizes how little control brother deserted the family farm to This is a multilayered, beautifully she has over what will happen next. take to the road as a musician, she sees crafted novel. As is usual in Jean Thes­ Ana Rosa struggles to find her own the fiddle as a destroyer of good sense man's books, graceful writing and rich voice, and little by little she learns that and family life and traditional values. characterization carry a quietly moving her words have power. By writing, she And at the end, she gets her wish-to story to a fitting conclusion. Even as we can celebrate the beauty of her island the extent, at least, that Felix chooses watch Skylar's family disintegrate, we, and transcend the ugliness around her. not to follow Canray and his uncle in along with Skylar, learn that loss can be At the novel's end, Ana Rosa receives a the traveling musician's life. Instead, borne with the help of loving support typewriter as a birthday gift and she he remains on the farm, playing the from others. realizes that its keys are, literally, the fiddle in the evening. -Lee Galda keys to her future-and perhaps to a It is intriguing that Doucet should better future for her village. admire Fontenot enough to dedicate a book to him, and then have the book's The Color of My Words Author Lynn Joseph is primarily quality main character make a choice opposite By Lynn Joseph known as a poet, and a lyrical HARPERC OW NS permeates her debut novel. She has lived to Fontenot's in order to achieve what 138 pages, Ages 8-12, $14.95 in Trinidad as well as in the Dominican is clearly meant to be a happy ending. ISBN 0-06-028232-0 Republic, and her vivid use of sensory This seems somehow insulting to the details effectively pulls the reader into memory of Fontenot. Yet, in setting up It is hard for young American readers the landscape and the culture of the an opposition between artistic desires to imagine a country where people can't Caribbean islands she knows well. More­ and family values, and having the main speak their minds and write what is in over, her characters come to life on the character realize that true happiness their hearts. But for twelve-year-old Ana page. The reader sees and understands lies in choosing to remain at home Rosa Hernandez, this is a fact of life. Ana Rosa's patient, circumspect Marni, with his parents, Fiddle Fever follows a Ana Rosa lives in the Dominican Repub­ her outspoken older brother, Guario, long-standing convention in fiction for lic, where only the president is allowed and her drunken Papi, who turns out young readers. As a spirited character to express himself freely. not to be her true father after all. The who, in the end, is happily constrained Ana Rosa climbs to the top of a grigri reader also sees an insecure Ana Rosa by the demands of domesticity, Felix tree and dreams of being a writer, but develop into both a writer and a young joins the company of]o in Louisa May she has no writing paper. She scribbles woman brave enough to face her Alcott's Little WOmen and Anne in L. M. on the bags her Papi brings his rum uncertain future. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. home in. She writes on paper napkins. -Dorothy Francis (It's a bit of surprise to find a male in

37 Riverbank Review this role-a case of contemporary equal­ now lives with his dad. She perhaps did of her novel. For Memphis, the protag­ opportunity conformity?) the best she knew how while she was Joey's onist of the story, during three swelter­ Doucet does a fine job of evoking guardian, but her childrearing methods ing days in July 1973, that place is any­ the traditional Creole lifestyle and des­ included tying pieces of broom handle where but her grandmother Naomi's cribes Felix's tasks in the crafting of his to his legs in an effort to curtail his hyper­ house and the small town of Blue Par­ fiddle so clearly that handy young read­ activity. On this visit, Joey finds her more rot, South Carolina, where, much to ers could use the book as a guide for pathetic than intimidating; she is con­ Naomi's chagrin, Memphis was dumped making their own instruments. But in stantly hacking from emphysema, her by her father, John Riley, five years ear­ its celebration of duty to family over life reduced to sucking alternately on lier. following one's own dreams, Fiddle Fever cigarettes and an oxygen tank. Memphis's already tenuous relation­ seems like an old-fashioned children's Another author might overwhelm ship with her grandmother is further jeop­ novel indeed, one whose values may readers with the grimness of all this. ardized by the girl's volatile relation­ distress some contemporary readers. Gantos instead fortifies Joey with the ship with her mentally handicapped -Perry Node/man resilience, humor, and naivete he needs twenty-nine-year-old aunt, Clover. Naomi, to endure his reasonably well intentioned, heartbroken over the loss of her firstborn inarguably flawed family members. Joey Pigza Loses Control It daughter, Rosie (Memphis's mother), and also helps to know that Joey is his terrified of losing By Jack Gantos Clover, can find no FARRAR, STRAUS & GIROUX mother's "reason for living, breathing, love in her heart for a lost and desper­ 208 pages, Age JO and up, $16. 00 and grinding [her] teeth." She instructs ately lonely child whom she sees only as ISBN 0-374-39989-1 him to call her to retrieve him the a troublemaker and a burden. When minute things start to feel wrong at his Clover disappears after a particularly Despite all that Joey Pigza had gained by dad's. Like any kid who wants a situa­ explosive fight with Memphis, events the end of joey Pigza Swallowed the tion to be good when it isn't, he waits spiral out of control as Naomi searches Key-the right medicine to control his too long. The chapters after Joey's father for someone to blame and Memphis tries attention-deficit disorder and the fierce flushes his medicinal patches down the to sort out her conflicting emotions. devotion of his formerly wayward mom toilet (he says Joey doesn't need them to In dealing with her aunt's disappear­ - his life still held one whopping ques­ be "a winner") form a tense spiral: "I ance, Memphis must face Clover's pain tion mark. Now, in this second novel lay in bed and all I could imagine was as well as her own. Slowly, tentatively, told from his by turns funny, sweet, exas­ the worst part of me getting on a train a she begins to acknowledge the feelings perating, and searingly poignant per­ long ways off. ... Day by day he would of others, finally asking, in a demonstra­ spective, he is able to get answers-and get closer." No matter how much Joey tion ofher growing maturity, "Who de­ then some-from the guy his mother has wants to believe his dad, he knows he cides what life we get anyway? Swirling said is "wired like you, only he's bigger." needs the patches to be the kind of per­ in over the threadbare sorrow inside At first, Joey's summer-long stay son he wants to be. He knows, too, that my head came a sound, plaintive as the with his father seems headed in a promis­ his dad hasn't succeeded in conquer­ call of a mourning dove. But it wasn't ing, if not picture-perfect, direction. ing his own demons the way he boasts my pain I heard. It was Clover's." Jack Gantos deftly sketches the elder he has. And finally, safe in his mother's Matthews's artistic prose captures Pigza as a man with a past so checkered car, Joey knows he isn't just a small ver­ the emotion-ridden atmosphere and the you can practically see red and black sion of his dad, after all. unique, sometimes eerie landscape of squares creeping above his shirt collar; - Renie Victor rural South Carolina. From the murky but he appears to be committed to waters of the shadowy swamp to the keeping his life in order and forging a darkest, most private comers of Mem­ John Riley's Daughter bond with his son. At least he talks­ phis's mind, the text is alive with color By Kezi Matthews and talks and talks-about his reformed FRONT STREET and sensitivity. Matthews's use of simi­ self, until Joey wonders if the mono­ 122 pages, Age 12 and up, $15.95 les is noteworthy, and the story, though logue will ever stop so they can con­ ISBN 0-8126-2775-X full of poetic flourishes, is never over­ verse "back and forth like people who whelmed by them. want to know about each other." Anoth­ "And where is the place of understand­ john Riley's Daughter deals with er anxiety hovering over Joey's summer ing?" asks Kezi Matthews, quoting heartache, loss, and the pain associated is his reunion with his grandmother, who from the book ofJob at the beginning with growing up; it is also a story about

38 ''Memorable''* .JOEY PIGZA LOSES CONTROL .Jack Gantos * "Tremendously poignant ... Gantos has created a remarkably vivid and human personality in Joey Pigza ... Skilled pacing, sly humor, and in-depth characterization make it a truly memorable read." -*Starred, Booklist * "Gripping ... at once hilarious, harrowing, and ultimately heartening." - Starred, School Library Journal *'This high-voltage, honest novel mixes humor, pain, fear and courage with deceptive ease." -Starred, Publishers Weekly $16.00 I 0 -374-39989-1IAges10 up "Engaging*'·

ATTHESIGN OF THE STAR Katherine Sturtevant "1677 comes alive through the eyes of 12-year-old Meg Moore, the motherless only child of a bookseller ... Sturtevant paints a lively picture ... Good historical fiction with a strong female heroine set in a time and place not often portrayed in books for this audience." - School Library Journal * "Vivid . . . Readers will end the book hoping for a sequel to this engaging story." -*Starred, Booklist $16.00 I 0-374-30449-1IAges10 up ''Remarl

friendship and the love that permeates talents in this collaborative effort. Artist even the smallest acts of kindness. Par­ Loren Long has illustrated many greet­ ticularly tender is the affection between ing cards, magazines, and book jackets, Memphis and her faithful sidekick, Sam­ but My Dog, My Hero is his first com­ son, as well as her relationship with her plete book. His paintings add drama kindhearted Aunt Birdie. When Mem­ and dignity to each dog's story. phis moves in with Aunt Birdie at the In the end, the judges honor each end of the story, the reader can at last dog with an individual award, but to breathe a sigh of relief: it seems the rough learn which dog wins the gold medal, edges of her life may be smoothed out you'll have to read the book. after all. -Dorothy Francis While Memphis still has some grow­ ing to do, the embracing atmosphere Night Flying of her aunt's home enables her to study By Rita Murphy her life "with a steadier eye." What she D ELACORTE finds, as she puts it, is that "life is sure 130 pages, Age 12 and up, $14.95 enough tough. But sometimes, ifyou're ISBN 0-385-32748-X lucky, there's a rainbow thread or two running through it," and, just as im­ Like all the Hansen women, Georgia portantly, that "home isn't brick or has been flying since the day she was board. It's a feeling of belonging, of born. But unlike the other members of being at peace right where you are." For Illustration by Loren long, her family, Georgia is not prepared to Memphis, it's a peace that finally comes from My Dog, My Hero resign herself to the domination of her with a life of her own and, at last, a place tyrannical grandmother, which comes of understanding. with both human characters and their with Georgia's acceptance of the gift of -Jenny Sawyer pets coming to life on the pages as they solo flight on her rapidly approaching unfold. sixteenth birthday. Smiley suffered serious injury as he Georgia's life is far from ordinary, My Dog, My Hero fought to save himself and his owner flying ability aside. She lives with her By Betsy Byars, Betsy Duffey, from an enraged bull. Big, lumbering mother, grandmother, and two aunts & Laurie Myers Bear braved icy waters and risked his in a fairy-tale-style house in rural Ver­ Illustrated by Loren Long own life to save a not-so-smart canine H ENRY H OLT mont. The catch: not only are there no 4 8pages, Ages 9- 12, $16. 00 friend from drowning. Munchkin, Buster, men in the family, no men are allowed. Blue, and Dopey No men, ISBN 0-800-6327-7 barked lifesaving warn­ no meat, no flying during the ings to their masters. Little Bit shyly day-tough rules for an almost sixteen­ Philosopher Elbert Hubbard once wrote helped an older woman conquer depres­ year-old, especially one who craves that so much of our admiration is direct­ sion and take an interest in life again. bacon and longs to be curvy ("so if a ed toward martyrs, we have little time Old Dog, so frightened of thunder that boy grabs me one day, he'll have some­ for living heroes. In their book My Dog, he hid under beds during storms, ral­ thing to hold on to"). My Hero, Betsy Byars, Betsy Duffey, lied to sniff out the living after a torna­ Georgia is a likable protagonist whose and Laurie Myers offer their take on the do demolished their trailer-park home. voice reveals an emerging independent idea of heroes, pointing out that they The dog owners tell their stories spirit. She explains the strange conven­ needn't always be dead--or even human. with honesty and without excess senti­ tions of her family ("The history of the When the fictional Daily Chronicle ment. It isn't needed: the stories are mov­ Hansen fliers is full of ridiculous rules") announces news of the competition ing and offer readers much to think and confides: "Maybe if I stay around for the coveted "My Hero" medal, eight about- bravery, the handicaps of old long enough, I'll make up a rule of my proud dog owners appear before a panel age, the joy ofliving and being oneself. own and it will be 'No more rules.' " of judges to tell the stories of their Newbery Award- winner Betsy Byars Her observations of the people and sit­ dogs' bravery. The stories are unique, and her two daughters (also published uations surrounding her are, at times, powerful, and sometimes humorous, authors) have productively linked their suffused with a gentle humor, and at

40 Winter 2000-2001 others, necessarily serious. In both cases, Year's Day, Richard Jennings's young save him if she can. She carries him into they are simultaneously apt and reveal­ protagonist (none of the human char­ her house, begins nursing him back to ing. In English class, she complains acters are named) discovers an injured health, and names him Oiwell. briefly about a C on her Emily Bronte wild rabbit in the front yard, "sprawled The girl's habitual interest in her essay, remarking, "I think teachers want unhappily atop the fat, plastic-wrapped horoscope intensifies when the predic­ history to be more exciting than it actu­ holiday paper." His chances for survival tions in her family's newspaper appear ally was. They don't want to know that look slim, but the girl is determined to to become coded messages sent to her Emily Bronte probably spent her after­ noons baking and dusting. They want intrigue, adventure." Faced with a deci­ "A book not to be missed. "* sion that will change her life, Georgia * makes a careful and serious observation that leads to divulgence ofa sixteen-year­ old secret and a coup d'etat that displaces the domineering family matriarch. ]iddle Tever Murphy's use of Vermont as the set­ ting flavors the story with northern beauty and enables her to draw on the migration of Canadian geese to expand Georgia's notion of what it means to be part of a family of fliers. The sight of the geese comforts Georgia on her solo flight, and she better understands the weeping of her estranged Aunt Carmen when she likens it to the sounds ofone with whom she shares the sky: "It is a deep wailing like the wind, like the sound of a goose falling out of the sky. Alone." Night Flying is the story of a girl who must deal with the suffocation imposed by-and the blessings associated with -her family's unusual tradition. Inevi­ tably, Georgia chooses freedom over fam­ ily privilege, truth over lies. The result bv S HARO N ARM S DOU CET is a solo flight that is a gift rather than a burden, a gift that extends even beyond the vast expanse of night sky beckon­ * "A superb story of a boy's coming-of-age in ing to all the Hansen fliers. the bayous of South Louisiana in the early days of -Jenny Sawyer World War I. In a first-person narrative, Felix Octave LeBlanc tells about the first time he heard his long absent uncle, 'None Adolphe, play the fiddle at a get­ Orwell's Luck together.... An excellent novel of a boy's growing up, By Richard Jennings offering a comprehensive historical picture of Cajun H OUGHTON MIFFLIN life and values, and, most of all, a compelling depic­ es, Ages 9-12, $1 5. 00 146 pag tion of the power of music in people's lives." ISBN 0-6 18-03628-8 -School Library Journal, starred Orwell's Luck is the story of a lonely Ages l 0 -14 0-6 18-04324 - 1 $15.00 twelve-year-old girl whose friendship CLAR I0 N B 0 0 KS a Houghton Mifflin Company imprint with a magical rabbit sets her on a ~ ~ 2 15 Park Avenue South, New York, N.Y. l 0003 • Schoo/Library Journal path of philosophical inquiry. On New

41 Riverbank Review by Orwell. Most of the messages offer magical paper instead.) Orwell also -God, destiny, fate, chance, luck-and her tips for better understanding human speaks French and composes poetry, the ways in which even events that ini­ nature, but once the rabbit predicts the and halfway through the book he even tially seem unlucky may prove to be day's winning lottery numbers. (Unfor­ "speaks" to the girl in a dream. just the opposite if you try to see them tunately, this is the day that the girl's Jennings uses this whimsical and another way. The characters, insofar as family stops having their paper deliv­ highly original story to set his readers they are developed, are likable, though ered, and their neighbors receive the thinking about big abstract concepts the language the girl uses sometimes reads more like the voice of a middle­ aged author than that of a young girl. The consistency of inconsistency in our lives is a theme, and the weather is used Looking for great reviews as a metaphor for it throughout. Differ­ ing notions about luck and destiny are of great books for children skillfully interwoven in all aspects of the story. Even the seeming bad luck of the girl's neighbors winning the lot­ and young adults? tery is turned to the good when they move away and the family of a certain Tum to The Horn Book "tousle-haired boy" whom she likes Magazine. moves into the newly vacated house. This story is set in a very real world, which may cause readers to wonder over We cover the best new books available. the fact that the girl, her family, and the tousle-haired boy so readily accept You'll also find thought-provoking a magical rabbit in their midst. Why Orwell has magical powers, how he is articles on topics you care about, able to transmit them into the newspa­ including censorship, multicultural per horoscope, and why he enters this particular girl's life are never explained, books and international publishing, paperback and series beyond the fact that the girl helps books, and a whole lot more! Orwell to recuperate, for which he is grateful. Still, the girl's family dynam­ ics are well realized, as is the develop­ Visit www.hbook.com for an updated ment of her friendship with the tou­ version of the Horn Book's Children's sle-haired boy. The ways in which each person in the story helps Orwell, either Classics, our parents' and creator's pages, by acting or not acting to affect his recovery, are also interesting. Orwell's and other helpful information. Luck is an intriguing story that raises more questions than it answers. A new subscription to The Horn Book -Antonia Gray Mngnzine (6 issues) is just $29.95. To subscribe, visit www.hbook.com, call 1-800-325-1170, or contact the Silent to the Bone address below. By E. L. Konigsburg A THENEUM 261 pages, Age 12 and up, $16.00 The Horn ISBN 0-689-83601-5 56 Roland St., Suite 200 • Boston MA 02129 BOOK 1nc. fax : 617-628-0882 What happened to Branwell Zambor­ ska's infant half-sister, Nikki ? And why

42 Winter 2000-2001 has Branwell been unable (or unwill­ nor's knowledge of Branwell-and his is over. Though every detail in Hi<;yil­ ing) to speak ever since the 911 opera­ recollection of the story of a man who maz's writing is tied securely to the tor answered his call? These are the wrote an entire book by blinking one central plot, her prose makes for chal­ questions that begin Silent to the Bone, eye-allows him to slowly root out the lenging reading. Nina's chaotic wartime questions that thirteen-year-old Connor, truth. As comic relief, "the Ancestors," existence has made her a person with Branwell's best friend, tries to answer Branwell's dead mother's parents, are assumptions and instincts that most read­ over the next four weeks while Bran well perfectly drawn; it's too bad that we all ers will have to work to understand. When sits in the county juvenile facility, mute. know people like them! violence erupts and Nina must flee her Nikki is in intensive care because of a Like most good mysteries, the story home, the reader accompanies her into head injury. Vivian, the au pair, has told builds to a suspenseful climax and ends a time of terror and deep confusion. everyone that Branwell must have shak­ with a happy denouement. Along the In the middle of the novel, Nina en her. Branwell says nothing. Eager to way, despite questions that hover, read­ stows away on a truck in an aid convoy get to the bottom of things (not only to ers become involved with Connor, Bran­ that takes her to Italy. She makes her solve the mystery of Nikki's injury, but well, and their families. This quirky, way to England, where she must escape also to uncover the reason for the intriguing novel goes well beyond its from one of her "rescuers," and even­ recent drift in Connor's and Branwell's dramatic scenario and twists of plot to tually seeks out an address in Sussex friendship), Connor creates a set of explore the intricacies of human per­ that she'd found in an old letter in her flashcards bearing the names of people sonalities and relationships. In this, it grandfather's attic and carried with her Branwell might send him to in order to is vintage Konigsburg. on her journey. All along the way, Nina's find answers. As Connor learns what - Lee Galda past unfolds as she recalls moments has happened to his friend, pursuing with loved ones she has lost-her par­ leads Branwell silently encourages him ents, her cousin Anya, her beloved broth­ Smiling for Strangers to follow, the picture of a vulnerable, er Alexander. Her recollections create a By Gaye Hiuilmaz sensitive young man on the brink of picture of comfort and its disruption. FARRAR, STRAUS & GIROUX sexuality starts to develop. Connor 152 pages, Age 13 and up, $16. 00 She remembers the jacket her father wore when he read to her, and then how he begins to realize the part that Vivian ISBN 0-374-37081 -8 -and the feelings of guilt she has in­ put on that same jacket when uniformed duced in Branwell-play in the mystery. One of the pleasures of reading Gaye men broke into the house and took As is usual in Konigsburg novels, the Hi<;yilmaz is to be enveloped in the par­ him away. main characters in Silent to the Bone are ticular sounds, scents, sights, flavors, and At the same time, her new life un­ clever and imaginative, and the sup­ textures of the worlds of her characters. folds in ways she never expected. Smil­ porting cast includes some memorable, You can easily forget that you have a ingfor Strangers combines elements from idiosyncratic personalities. O!lestions book in your hands. As in earlier nov­ different kinds of fiction: coming-of-age arise, however, in regard to character els by Hi<;yilmaz (Against the Storm, The story, stream-of-consciousness narrative, motivation. Branwell is portrayed as an Frozen Wateifall), the protagonist of problem novel, and suspenseful page­ extremely intelligent, thoughtful young Smilingfor Strangers is uprooted from turner. The result is compelling. adolescent. Why does he allow himself all that she knows and must find her -Susan Marie Swanson to be manipulated by the sleazy Vivian? bearings in an unfamiliar place. Is he so struck by his crush on her that We meet fourteen-year-old Nina in The Transformation he loses all power to make good deci­ the middle of the night, in her grandfa­ By Mette Newth sions? And why does he fall mute? Guilt ther's house on a mountainside in war­ FARRAR, STRAUS & GIROUX over his obsession is an answer, but not torn Yugoslavia. The opening sequence 208 pages, Age 12 and up, $16.00 a sufficiently convincing one. He seems is a stream-of-consciousness narrative that ISBN: 0-374-37752-9 too self-possessed to let a first passion so begins with the sound of her grandfa­ overwhelm him. ther's snoring, moves on to Nina's mem­ Mette Newth's fiction examines the un­ Connor, on the other hand, is an ory of a hot summer morning long ago derbelly of history: her research draws intriguing and remarkable character; he with her brothers, then becomes an out the whispers of the silenced and the is loyal, devoted, and clever enough to account of the recent landslide on the stories that haven't been told. In The figure out an ingenious way to commu­ mountain before turning to Nina's Transformation, her third novel for young nicate with his troubled friend. Con- scheme to bleach her hair when the war adults, Newth returns to the history and

43 Riverbank Review

culture of the Greenland Inuit to ex­ • plore the impact of the Christian Euro­ Destiny peans who sought to establish outposts De s t 1 n y in that arctic region. by Vicki Grove Set in the mid-1400s, the novel opens 0-399-23449-7/$16.99 during a treacherous time: for several grades 5-8 years running, the Inuit have endured 4 . . almost endless winter. Hunting has been "Grove's page-turning 'girl conquers all' V1

44 Go In and Out the Window Dan Fox I Metropolitan Museum of Art HENRY H OLT, 1987, hardctnJeT $25.95 YOUNGER / INTERMEDIATE Classic songs combine with art in delightful ways: "The Old lady Who Swallowed a Fly" is illustrated by an early American painting, a Japanese statuette, and Calder drawings.

Just Listen to This Song I'm Singing Jerry Silverman MIWlROOK PRESS, 1996, hardcover SJ0.90 INTERMEDIATE/ OLDER Engrossing commentary introduces thirteen songs from the African American tradition, including spirituals, ragtime,jazz, and a.freedom song.

Rise Up Singing Peter Blood, Annie Patterson, Kore Loy McWhirter SING OUT CORPORATION, 1992 hardcover $39.95, spiral ll Z95 All AGES Here are words and chords (but not melodies) lo more than 1,200 songs far group singing.

Gonna Sing My Head Off! Kathleen Kru ll , Allen Garns KNOPF, 1992, paprrback S 12. 00 ALL AGES Traditional and contemporary American folk songs are arranged alphabetically, from '/1cm ef Clams" to "Yankee Doodle."

Rafli: Children's Favorites OMNIBUS PRESS (paprrbadr.), 1993, $21.95 YOUNGER This no:frills compendium presents more than frfi.y songs written or adapted by the popular -and big-hearted-children's troubadour. Singing Bee! Jane H art, Anita Lobel loTHROP, L EE & SHEPARD, 1982, hardcover $22.95 YOUNGER Pictures by a master illustrator bring this collection oftraditional favorites to vivid life.

Sing Through the Day Marlys Swinger, Nancy & Brenna McKernan

PLOUG H PUBLIS HING H OUSE, 1999 hardcovtr (with CD) $24.00 YOUNGER These songs from many cultures,faaturing spirited melodies and poetic {yrics, are sung by children on the accompanying CD.

All Night, All Day Ashley Bryan, David Manning Thomas ATHENEUM, 1991 , hardcOV

The Round Book Margaret Read MacDonald, Winifred Jaeger, Yvonne LeBrun Davis

LINNET BOOKS I SHOE STRING PRESS, 1999 hardr011tr $22.50, pa/"'badt $16.50 ALL AGES Instant harmony! This collection of eighty songs-some silly, some welcoming, and some prayerful- includes helpful suggestions for song leaders.

De Colores and Other Latin-American Folk Songs for Children Jose-Luis Orozco, Elisa Kleven

DUTTON, 1994 hmdcOV

traits of the three main characters. Even Unfortunately for Shayla, life quick­ particular to Shayla, in whom the read­ the shaman's mystical wisdom proves ly gets worse, not better. Her story is er may find a bit of Williams herself. to be human and practical: as the three rejected in a writing contest. Tia disap­ -Jenny Sawyer set out on their brutal journey to "the pears after Mama lays down the law re­ gently garding her romantic entanglements: edge of the world," the Old One The Year of Miss Agnes that it would be "You make up your mind, Miss Tia. convinces Brendan By Kirkpatrick Hill but unwise to burden themselves with his You can either be a girl or a woman, MCELDERRY BOOKS heavy wooden crucifix. When Brendan I only got room for girls under my roof." 115 pages, Ages 8-12, $16.00 finally relents, the Old One tells his And Kambia, whose absences from school ISBN 0-689-82933-7 people: "I expect you to spare Bren­ become more and more frequent, and dan's idol as long as possible .... I also whose emaciated state worsens as the Fred, the ten-year-old Athabascan girl know how bitterly you need dry, fine days progress, seems genuinely fright­ who narrates this wonderful novel, is wood like this. If the spirits are the ened of the mysterious wallpaper wolves. naive, but she is also wide-awake and right sort, you will be forgiven." Williams's poetic prose is filled with full of insight. A new teacher comes to Though the blossoming love between power, and her characters are strikingly her village in the Alaskan interior, bring­ Brendan and Navarana at the tale's end real. While some elements of the novel ing boxes of art supplies: colored pen­ seems implausible, we are pulled into may be overdrawn, the story's intensity cils, tubes of paint, "big paper, bigger their emotional and intellectual strug­ carries the reader along to its inevitable than we ever saw before." The children gles. Firmly set on the sled of Newth's moment of grimly emotional revela­ laugh when Miss Agnes reads the names story, readers are carried along on an tion. Though the reader realizes long of the crayons, like periwinkle and flesh. engrossing trek into the dreamworld before Shayla does that Kambia's elab­ 'We all put that flesh crayon by our and myth of the Inuit. orate fantasy world is a desperate attempt hands and laughed because our skin and -Christine A!fano to escape sexual abuse at home, the man­ that crayon weren't anything like the same ner in which Williams eventually spells color. Even when we put it by Miss out this harsh reality for Shayla is mem­ Agnes's hand it wasn't the same color." When Kambia Elaine orable in its honesty and sensitivity. Descriptions of life on the Koyukuk Flew in from Neptune When Kambia Elaine Flew in from River in 1948 are woven deftly into By Lori Aurelia Williams N eptune is a heart-wrenching and pro­ Fred's narrative about the year that life SIMON & SCHUSTER story that forces readers to grap­ was made new by a veteran teacher who 246 pages, Age 12 and up, $JZOO found ple with difficult issues. Sexuality in brought a big map of the world, a con­ ISBN 0-6 89-82468-8 some form (from promiscuity to sexual certina, a microscope-and an abiding "Silence is clinging to our house like abuse) is a focal point; each character respect for children. When Miss Agnes vines on a fence. Mama and Tia don't must deal with its repercussions. For discovers that Fred's deaf sister, Bokko, talk anymore. They have carved out lit­ all, it means loss of innocence and call­ hasn't been coming to school, she amazes tle spaces in the house for themselves, ing into question something they once the children by beginning to teach like birds on an overcrowded telephone valued: for Shayla's mother, Tia's naivete; Bakko right away. Charlie-Boy, a six­ line." When Shayla isn't writing in her for Shayla, Kambia's secretive friend­ year-old who "wasn't really good at any­ notebook, trying to understand the anger ship; and for Tia, her rebellious inde­ thing you sat still for," learns sign lan­ between her mother and her older sis­ pendence. Ultimately, this questioning guage "faster than anybody." Miss Agnes ter, she's attempting to deal with the sparks a series of events that lead to sal­ says, "I wish I had a six-year-old brain." antics ofher imaginatively eccentric next­ vation or redemption for all. The end­ Life changes for the entire commu­ door neighbor, Kambia Elaine. It's a ing is both satisfying and uncontrived. nity. Bakko makes up names in sign lan­ tough life, growing up in the poor sec­ While Kambia Elaine is for the most guage for everyone in the village. When tion of Houston, and Shayla doesn't part tragic, it also speaks of love, com­ Fred makes an illustrated time line for ask for much. She'd like people to see passion, and the strength offamily ties. her grandfather, he fills in the year he her writing as more than a foolish hobby; Williams's purpose was, in her own was born and shares the treasured gift she'd like her family to get along; and words, "to tell the stories that the chil­ with his friends. When Little Pete leaves she'd like Kambia to stop talking about dren were never allowed to tell." This in November to work his family's trapline memory beetles and wallpaper wolves, she does. More memorably, she gives in the woods, he takes a notebook along at least some of the time. voice to a family of strong women, in to practice his writing.

45 Riverbank Review

In Fred's telling, Miss and waistcoat holding a bell Agnes's presence signifies on one of the last pages- are something different for each tremendously appealing, and individual. Learning, in this each is a unique individual. story, is a process of becom­ Aesop's tales do not ing more oneself. Fred's no­ promise readers a happy end­ nonsense mother enters into ing every time; instead, they a new relationship with her retain the often brutal char­ daughters when she starts acter of fairy tales, folklore, learning sign language: "She and myths. For instance, in would ask me how to say King Log and King Stork, things like be careful and frogs who make a foolish hurry up and bossy things like choice of ruler live to regret Illustration by j erry that, but me and Bakko didn't Pinkney,Jrom Aesop's Fables their decision. And in The care, we were just happy she Horse and the Stag, a horse was learning and not mad about it any­ like many of the stories passed down who puts her trust in a man is rewarded more." Even though Miss Agnes wishes through the oral tradition, fables have by "suffering under the bit and spur" that Marie could spend less time taking the power to bring us to our moral senses for the rest of her life. As in most edi­ care of her siblings, she helps her learn just as they did in Aesop's day, some tions of Aesop, the moral is summa­ to read by writing her a story "about 2,600 years ago. Now, however, the old rized in one line at the end of each tale. how she'd grow up and get married and stories have to work harder to make While this is a long-standing conven­ have a whole bunch of kids .... When themselves heard above the clamor of tion, some may feel that the practice [Marie] read it, she'd get sort of pink in new books and television shows, all precludes the opportunity for children her cheeks, and you could see that Miss vying for a reader's attention. to consider the inherent worth of a Agnes had written for her a life she In this attractive new edition, four­ fable for themselves. Perhaps in future wanted to have." time Caldecott Honor recipient Jerry editions the maxims could be moved Miss Agnes has plans of her own­ Pinkney's gift for rendering animals is to the rear of the volume; this would to return to Cambridge, England, after shown to great effect as he revitalizes allow the reader easy access to the tra­ one year in Koyukuk and many years sixty of the fables attributed to Aesop, ditional wisdom, and a little more of teaching in Alaska- but the "year of a Greek slave who, we learn, was "grant­ room to think independently. That Miss Agnes" has changed her, too. ed his freedom as a reward for his learn­ said, this is a lively and engaging col­ -Susan Marie Swanson ing and wit." Pinkney's trademark water­ lection-the perfect introduction to a colors-clear, energetic, with loose, children's classic. flowing pencil lines showing through -Antonia Gray Nonfiction - draw the reader into Aesop's world and Traditional of boys who cry "Wolf!," lions with Give Me Liberty! thorns in their paws, bears that advise Literature The Story of the Declaration travelers to choose their friends more of Independence ~ wisely, and geese that lay golden eggs. By Russell Freedman Most of the illustrations are stun­ H OLIDAY HOUSE ning in their vitality, Aesop's Fables though one or two 90 pages, Age 12 and up, $24.95 Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney may be a little out ofproportion in places. ISBN 0-8234-1448-5 SEASTARINORTH-SOUTH Some of the animals are completely 89 pages, Ages 9-12, $19.95 naturalistic, while others are anthropo­ Russell Freedman's readers have come ISBN 1-587 17-000-0 morphized. The inconsistency adds to, to expect certain things of his biogra­ rather than detracting from, the overall phies and histories: flowing, clear, and Fables, like fairy tales, myths, and leg­ experience for the reader, as it allows unaffected prose; discerning use of ends, are concerned with essential human for an element of surprise each time the sources; and a carefully modulated tone. experiences, how we react to them, and page is turned. Pinkney's characters­ In all of these respects, as well as in its the consequences of our reactions. Thus, like the round little mouse in a top hat beautiful design, Give Me Liberty! The

46 Winter 2000-2001

Story of the Declaration of Independence a mob, usually by hanging." Lynchings Nonetheless, lynching in the United runs true to form. Freedman's explana­ -primarily of black Americans­ States was nearly wiped out by the time of tions of the tax disputes that sparked occurred throughout the 1890s and be­ her death in 1931, a major advance that the American Revolution are as easy to yond, often with the collusion would not have occurred without understand as his descriptions of the ofauthorities . Most lynchings her fierce tenacity, her energy, skirmishes at Lexington and Concord. took place in the South and and her clarity of purpose. And he knows when to get to the heart were never investigated, Included in the book of things, as he does when he remarks let alone condemned. are accounts of lynch­ that it was easier in Thomas Jefferson's This began to change ings, along with photo­ time to talk about the moral cost of in 1892, when Ida B. graphs of victims. It's slavery than to end it. Wells picked up her powerful reading, and Freedman also shows the welcome pen. She was a young would have been even traces of a smile. Of course the colonists black resident of Mem­ stronger if the Fradins had an independent spirit! They crossed phis, teaching school had been a little more an ocean and cleared the land: "Having and writing articles that specific about their done all that, they meant to stand up candidly discussed racial sources. for their rights." issues, holding blacks as Wells seems overdue Young readers may wish for an added well as whites responsible for for rediscovery. One can't explanation here and there: What was behavior that impeded racial help wondering how she the House of Burgesses? Who were the justice. More than seventy would have been received "titled nobility"? Is it plausible that years before Rosa Parks re­ Courtesy A!freda Barnett in the far more vocal civil men who burst from Old South Church fused to go to the back of the Duster Family, rights era of the 1960s. Yet, from Ida B. Wells exclaiming, "Boston Harbor a teapot bus, Wells was thrown from even in her own time, she tonight!" could have been so self-con­ a train for refusing to give was a powerful force for trolled on British ships, destroying noth­ up her seat in a whites-only car. Faced change, shaking this country, as a ing but the tea? with the news that a friend had been friend remarked, "like an earthquake." To the young, the story of how the lynched for defending his store, she -Mary Lou Burket American colonies came to rebel should opened fire with editorials in the Free or unimportant. Silly­ Speech, a newspaper that she co-owned not seem tired The Longitude Prize looking wigs aside, it was a time when and edited. She also began to investi­ By Joan Dash sober men made radical choices. Q!ii­ gate lynchings outside of Memphis, Illustrated by Dufan Petricic . etly conveying admiration for these which made her the target of violence FARRAR, STRAUS & GIROUX men is one of the things that Freedman Out of town on a day when her office 208 pages, Ages 9- 12, $16. 00 does unusually well. was destroyed and her life was threat­ ISBN 0-374-34636-4 -Mary Lou Burket ened, she never returned to the city. Publishing her findings, traveling In the eighteenth century, when thou­ widely, Wells became "the pioneer of sands of sailors perished at sea because Ida B. Wells: the anti-lynching crusade," in the words there was no way of knowing their east­ Mother of the Civil Rights ofW E. B. Du Bois. But this was not her west location, the British Parliament Movement only cause. After settling in Chicago, appointed a Board of Longitude and By Dennis Brindell Fradin Wells continued to write articles and offered a prize of 20,000 pounds to and Judith Bloom Fradin pamphlets, ran a settlement house for whoever could invent a device to deter­ CLARION blacks, campaigned for black women's mine longitude at sea. 178 pages, Age 12 and up, $18. 00 suffiage, married a lawyer, and raised a News of the prize excited young ISBN 0-395 -89898-6 family. Her outspokenness drove away John Harrison of Barrow, a village far Most children today don't know what potential allies, but Wells was also "re­ from London, who had a passion for lynching is, and that's a testament to sented for another reason," according to building clocks. Harrison had already Ida B. Wells, in the eyes of biographers the Fradins. "Most black activists were built a pendulum clock, and now he Dennis and Judith Fradin. They define men, and like other men of the time, they began working on a longitude clock that lynching as "the murder of a person by did not want to be led by a woman." could determine local times at two points

47 Riverbank Review

won the prize. Perhaps more than the and sailing ships in eighteenth-century money, Harrison wanted to win acknowl­ England. edgment for his invention. Finally, in - Dorothy Francis 1765, the Longitude Board awarded him half of the prize but withheld the My Secret Camera: second half until he disclosed his clock­ Life in the Lodz Ghetto making secrets to the world. At that Photographs by Mendel Grossman point, Harrison went directly to King Text by Frank Dabba Smith George III with his clocks and his com­ H ARCOURT plaints, and the king interceded on Har­ 4 0 pages, Age 6 and up, $16. 00 rison's behalf. ISBN 0-15-202306-2 At long last the Longitude Board awarded John Harrison the second half Books about the Holocaust continue of the prize. He was then eighty years to appear. Most are by survivors-adults old and had worked toward this goal who were children or teens at the time for sixty years. He died three years later, of the war-and are written for a fairly having won not only the prize, but also mature audience (middle school age or a place in history. older). Now we have a picture book, a Illustration by Dufan Petriti{, Joan Dash's writing shows careful photographic essay, that children can from The Longitude Prize research and organization. She pre­ read by themselves (or with an adult) to sents her facts well, and when the learn in a limited way what this enor­ absence of facts requires speculation mous evil was about. on the earth and use the difference be­ she lets the reader know. She gives an in­ The photographs in My Secret Cam­ tween them to calculate how far apart depth picture ofJohn Harrison's strug­ era were taken between 1940 and 1944 those places were in longitude. Rather gle, of the age of sailing ships, and of the by Mendel Grossman, an artist born in than rush for the prize, he continued political climate of the day. Dufan Lodz, Poland, who was a prisoner in to improve his clocks. After many years, PetriciC's pictures do an excellent job of the ghetto. As a printer of identifica­ nobody had claimed the prize, so Har­ pulling the reader into the world ofclocks tion photos for involuntary workers, rison went to London with his inven­ tion-the first accurate and portable sea clock ever made. The Royal Society tried out John Harrison's clock at sea. The results of this trial aren't known to historians, but for Harrison it was the first of many tri­ als in the decades to come, as the judges demanded ever greater accuracy in time­ keeping. The Board of Longitude members were aristocrats, and John Harrison was a common man. His manners were crude and his speech blunt, hindering his pre­ sentation of his clocks and his ideas to the board, whose members considered him less than a gentleman. Harrison grew angry at the way the board treated him, but clocks were his passion and he con­ tinued to make new ones, each one an improvement over the last. Decades passed, and still nobody Photograph by Mendel Grossman,from My Secret Camera

48 Winter 2000-2001

Grossman was allowed to use a dark­ Rockwell sums up Sojourner Truth's brilliant activist. room and supplies. Under this official response to the tragic circumstances of Rockwell offers the heart of Isabel­ cover, he took pictures of the harsh life her life and times. In this eloquent la's story in a series of potent vignettes. in the ghetto as a way to leave a record biography, Rockwell and illustrator At the outset she describes a slave auc­ of his people for the world. Gregory Christie lay out the events that tion with disquieting calm, conveying His photographs show fellow pris­ led a young slave girl named Isabella to the very ordinary nature ofsuch an event oners, young and old, working, eating, transform herselfinto a free woman and in 1806. Rockwell refrains from using talking, and waiting. Grossman took the pictures secretly with a camera that he carried beneath his coat, by pushing his hand through a hole in the pocket. "I open my coat just enough for the lens to peek out," he explains in a text constructed by Rabbi Frank Dabba Smith, in Grossman's voice. Grossman himself did not survive the war. From an endnote we learn that he died in a forced march to Germany, and that Smith has had access to some form of documentation from those who knew the photographer. The text, therefore, is fictionalized (and some­ what overwritten), yet photographs of Grossman reinforce the fact that this is, indeed, a book about a man who actu­ ally lived. Before his death, Grossman distrib­ uted photographs to friends and hid the negatives in cans inside a wall of "Stanley weaves all the major elements the ghetto. Not all of his photographs of Michelangelo's life into a compelling anecdote-rich still exist, but those included in this narrative ... [and] ably integrates computer-manipulated of his masterpieces into her carefully rendered [full-color] book are works of grace. A few are un­ reproductions illustrations. This handsome, affordable, lavishly illustrated and forgettable. A child's uncertain gaze, a wonderfully readable book ... deserves heavy representation in home, loaf of bread tossed from a truck, a school, and public library collections." -Starred review I Kirkus Reviews woman's hand against her brow-these ~II/~ moments outlive time. ~~ "As Michelangelo breathed life into stone, Stanley chisels three- -Mary Lou Burket dimensionality out of documents ... . Readers will be dazzled by the master's ability, while at the same time pulled into his daily life and Only Passing Through: struggles." -Starred review I School Library Journal The Story of Sojourner Truth ~11/;z ~~ "One of the most pleasing things about Stanley's books is the By Anne Rockwell way her sturdy texts stand up to her strong artwork. Here she tells the Illustrated by Gregory Christie story of Michelangelo's turbulent life in a style so readable that even KNOPF children not usually interested in the subject will be drawn in." 32pages, Ages 7-10, $16.95 -Starred review I ALA Booklist ISBN: 0-679-89186-2 Ages 7 up. $15.95 Tr (0-688-15085-3); $15.89 Lb (0-688-15086-1) "When evil rules a time and place, cer­ tain good people are called upon to tell =: HarperCollinsChildren 'sBooks 1350 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019 www.harperchildrens.com the truth to those who don't want to hear it." With disarming simplicity, Anne

49 Riverbank Review

Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned By Judd Winick HENRY H OLT 187 pages, Age 14 and up, $15. 00 ISBN 0-8050-6403-6

Between February and June of 1994, Pedro Zamora, a young, gay, HIV-pos­ itive AIDS educator, lived with six oth­ ers in a house in San Francisco, being filmed around the clock for MTV's series The Real World. During this time, he met and then took part in a commitment ceremony with his partner, Sean. A few months later, at the age of twenty-two, Pedro died ofAIDS-re lated causes. Pedro and Me is a graphic novel chronicling the events of Zamora's life in words and pictures by Judd Winick, who was Illustration by Gregory Christie,from Only Passing Through his roommate in the Real World house. Unfortunately, while Winick displays emotionally charged language and resists ried with her a white silk banner bearing a firm grasp of the storytelling and story­ directing the reader's response. Instead, the words "Proclaim Liberty." shaping possibilities of the cartoon nar­ she consistently offers details that strike Gregory Christie's boldly expres­ rative, his visual images of people are at the heart: by the end of the auction, sionistic illustrations carry an emotion­ rather uniform and characterless. His when no one had yet made a bid for al force that is rare in children's books. verbal descriptions of people are equal­ the strong and tall nine-year-old Isabel­ In one memorable image, he pictures ly bland. The magnificently self-indul­ la , "the auctioneer offered to throw in a Isabella in her cabin at night, holding a gent Puck, the most eccentric (and for flock of sheep if someone would just child to her breast while four others many viewers, the most complex and buy the girl so he could call it a day and sleep nearby; an orange-pink glow intriguing member of the Real World go home for supper." emanates from the background, clash­ cast) appears here in a distinctly minor We learn that at the age of sixteen ing with the wide swaths of black that role, and as a purely vile and uninterest­ Isabella was given to an older slave, define the cabin's interior. Isabella's ing character. Meanwhile, just about and eventually had five children by gaze holds us in its grip-two white everyone else is soft and sweet and good him; that she was promised her free­ eyes that seethe with fear and rage as and gentle-especially Pedro. He is dom from one master, and when he she remembers the day her sister and "carefree," "charmed," "intellectual," reneged on that promise, she walked brother were stolen away from their "one of the most popular kids in school," away from him and found work with a family. Christie makes palpable the "a remarkable young man," a person couple who thought it was wrong to intensity of the scenes that Rockwell so who "left this world a better place than own slaves. When her son was illegally aptly describes. he found it." The fact that Pedro be­ sold out of state, Isabella brought a Based on Sojourner Truth's autobi­ came HIV positive as a result of exten­ white man to court and won her case ography, Only Passing Through is a pow­ sive sexual experience with many dif­ against him. "Slaves didn't do such erful picture-book biography. It may ferent partners in his early teenage years things. Women didn't do such things. inspire as well as inform, ultimately lead­ represents no weakness of character­ But Isabella did." Inspired by the ing young readers to a keener under­ he was, Winick tells us, "looking for the Bible, and answering what she believed standing of character and courage. The love he missed so much after his moth­ was God's calling, Isabella finally made story of an extraordinary woman is er's death," and he "was taken advan­ herself into Sojourner and walked out told here in a most extraordinary way. tage of by older men." The inability of into the world to tell her story. She car- -Christine Alfano Winick's Pedro to do or say anything

50 Winter 2000-2001 even remotely flawed sets him up as a ly in America). After that, the book's an account of the 1991 discovery of the firm (and more than mildly obnox­ real subject becomes apparent-not so Ice Man, a mummified shepherd from ious) candidate for sainthood. much what happened in 1918, but how the Copper Age, in the Italian Alps, The book's subtitle refers to "friend­ scientists and others in the years since and Frozen Girl, about an Incan mummy ship, loss," and what Winick learned. 1918 have been trying to track down found frozen in the mountains of Peru Much of this, as recounted in the narra­ the 1918 virus and learn more about it. in 1990. A further manifestaton ofGetz's tive, is shallow pop psychobabble about David Getz has also written Frozen Man, obvious fascination with bodies pre- getting through and getting along and helping each other to be strong. The text often slides into mawkish senti­ A Teeny Tiny Baby is now mentality, thinly disguised by a veneer of clever teasing and good fun. a very wide-awake toddler. And yet-Pedro and Me eventually got to me, just as I suspect Winick want­ ed it to. It made me care, even for this outrageously perfect version of Pedro, Some Babies and it made me respond, even to by Amy Schwartz Winick's overwrought display of emo­ tionalism over Pedro's death. It made "The infant star of Amy me look carefully at the list of gay-pos­ Schwartz's A Teeny Tiny Baby itive organizations at the end of the has reached toddlerhood still book and think about what I myself knowing how to get exactly might do to help increase AIDS aware­ what he wants.... Sure to engage ness. In many ways Pedro and Me is an both the sippy-cup set and the awful book-and also, I'm surprised to adults reading to them." say, an awfully effective one. - The Hom Book -Perry Node/man "A wry and winsome reality infuses Purple Death: this anti-bedtime story, which The Mysterious Flu of 1918 sounds as though it could have By David Getz Il been transcribed from life, only Illustrated by Peter McCarty r better." - Kirku.s Reviews HENRY H OLT 86pages, Ages 7-12, $16.00

ISBN 0-8050-5751-X Ages2-5 TR $15.95 0-531-30287-3 Purple Death is a prime example ofa book RLB $16.99 0-531-33287-X that you can't judge by its cover. Its subtitle-The Mysterious Flu of 1918- implies that the book's focus will be Now in paperback! the dramatic events surrounding the virus that attacked nearly 2 billion peo­ A New York Times Book Review I ple around the world in 1918-19 and Best illustrated Book killed from 20 to 40 million of them. A Booklist Editors' Choice The back cover copy confirms that ex­ I PB $6.95 0-531-07177-4 pectation: "This isn't science fiction," TR $16.95 0-531-06818-8 it says. "This is U.S. history." RLB $17.99 0-531-08668-2 The first third of Purple Death does I Orchard Books l describe the events of 1919, albeit in An Imprint of Scholastic Inc. \ fairly general terms (and not exclusive- I- 51 Riverbank Review seived in ice, Purple Death focuses exten­ It's a pity that Getz says so little ed that people refrain from kissing until sively on efforts to find evidence of the about those events, for he has a gift for the crisis had passed. His focus on indi­ 1918 virus in bodies buried in the perma­ discovering revealing details. He tells viduals in telling moments effectively frost of Alaska and Scandinavia. This is us, for instance, how some people sug­ conveys what it must have felt like to interesting, but it is a different subject gested placing shotguns under the beds be alive and frightened in 1918 when from the intensely human drama of the of flu victims to suck out the fever, and the flu struck. events of 1918. how an official in Nashville recommend- Purple Death does a good job of accomplishing what it eventually sets out to do. It offers admirably lucid de­ scriptions of what we might learn from knowledge of the 1918 virus, how viruses work in general, and how scientists try to control infections and epidemics. This isn't science fiction, nor is it really U.S. history. But it's pretty good science. -Perry Node/man

So You Want to Be President? By Judith St. George Illustrated by David Small PHILOMEL 52 pages, Ages 6-10, $17.99

ISBN 0-399-23407-1

"There are good things about being Pres­ ident and there are bad things about being President." Now that's a wonder­ ful opening line. First, because it tells the reader that this is a book of compar­ isons and contrasts. Second, because it's the kind of obseivation that an eight­ year-old might make about the nation's companion highest office. e y acclaimed Judith St. George has humanized , which School Library the presidents by listing their traits­ rnal calls, "a must-have titlC:' from musical ability to height-and has t Poogee and Hope Ieturn for a given a flurry of examples, quips, and family dinner. Hope brings a relevant quotes, with an eye toward help­ rise dessert that blends ttaditions from ing readers match themselves against the sides of her family in a unique and presidential mold. Abraham Lincoln, ·cious way, but discovers the most for instance, was the tallest, and James Madison was one foot shorter. What ortant ingredient is love. does this suggest? That ifyou want to be llustndloiis • Jacketed • Redpes . 8x10 . 32 Pagas president, "your size doesn't matter." 111ar11mver: 1-S7505-48S-X, Sl¥ David Small brings a gift for carica­ ture to the book, playfully extending l(CAROLRHODA BOOKS the content in numerous ways. An ex­ A division of Lerner Publish ing Group ample is his witty illustration on the Order toll-free 800-328-4929 • FAX 800-332-1132 • www.lernerbooks.com theme that "Almost any job can lead to the White House." Small creates a scene

52 Winter 2000-2001 J\

Illustration by David Small,from So You Want to Be President?

in an imaginary clothing store where Uncommon Traveler: reports, it was as ifshe had finally found Harry Truman (haberdasher) mans the Mary Kingsley in Africa her true passion. ties while Andrew Johnson (tailor) sol­ By Don Brown Brown comments in an afterword emnly pins the hem of (movie actor) H OUGHTON MIFFLIN that his narrative "distills Mary's adven­ Ronald Reagan's pants. 32 pages, Ages 4-8, $16.00 tures during her two trips to West Africa Children will love the crane that ISBN 0-618-00273-1 in 1893 and 1894," a formidable under­ lowers roly-poly William Howard Taft taking, given that Kingsley's own Trav­ into his customized bathtub; Richard The opening spread of this artful pic­ els in Wfst Africa runs over seven hun­ Nixon's patriotic bowling shoes; the ture-book biography shows a dreary dred pages. The choice details he plucks spectacle of nine log cabins (voters love house looming behind a ghostly little from her travelogue amply convey her 'em) on a hill. Much of this is trivial, girl like a monster ready to devour her. doggedness and self-deprecating wit. In but all of it is interesting. Who knew that Odds were that it would do just that. what could be seen as a vivid symbol of Woodrow Wilson danced the jig? According to Don Brown, here contin­ oblivious colonialism, Mary traipsed So much striving to be funny and uing his engaging series of profiles of through the jungle "in a high-necked, concise leads to occasional grammati­ lesser-known extraordinary women of long-sleeved shirt, long heavy skirt, and cal offenses. Try to find the subject in the nineteenth and early twentieth cen­ proper Victorian boots." Yet by Brown's this sentence: "In his very first battle, turies, young Mary Kingsley rarely left Franklin Pierce's horse bucked, he was her suburban London home. Until she thrown against his saddle and fainted, was thirty, she cared for her invalid his horse fell, broke its leg, and Pierce mother and did research in the house­ hurt his knee." hold library for her father, a physician Inevitably, there's an earnest mes­ and amateur naturalist who toured the sage here: "Every President was differ­ world without his family. All obliga­ ent from every other and yet no tions lifted when her parents died in woman has been President. No person 1892, leaving her free to journey to a of color has been President. No person place she had previously visited only in who wasn't a Protestant or a Roman books: West Africa. Such a dramatic Catholic has been President. But if you and dangerous change of venue would care enough, anything is possible." have given pause to even the most well­ Illustration by Don Brown,from -Mary Lou Burket traveled Victorian. But for Mary, Brown Uncommon Traveler

53 Riverbank R eview account she voiced more respect for the natives, particularly for the Fang tribe, than many flora- and fauna-scav­ enging European explorers of her day. When she slipped down a steep hill on a climb and went through the roof of a villager's hut, she paid for the damage she had done. Brown's ethereal watercolor illus­ trations accentuate both Mary's vul­ nerability in and her affinity for the environment. One scene depicts four indistinct figures flung precariously against their elongated canoe, which lies caught on a boulder in raging rapids (Mary and her guides apparently cap­ sized frequently on their way up the Illustration by Christine Davenier,.from In Every Grain of Sand Ogooue River). Another illustration, in which Mary's shimmering head sur­ lure, choosing pieces rich in rhythm, the holy. Rabbits, snails, ferns, and soil faces from a starlit lake where hippos are metaphor, and sensory detail. seem to share the mind of the poet Tu feeding, exudes tranquility despite the The quartet of artists who illustrat­ Fu: "The good rain knows when to fall." perilous circumstances. She is shown ed Lindbergh's selections have answers Identifying the sources of the prayers walking through "sun-cooked swamps of their own. Bob Graham, illustrator and poems posed a vexing problem for of ink-black slime" with a faint smile, as of the section titled "For the Day," the creators of this book. Some texts are if to indicate that she is in her element. associates prayer with joy and play. An attributed to individuals (Gerard Man­ This may not be everyone's idea of earthy Celtic blessing ("May the blessed ley Hopkins, Black Elk), others to reli­ heaven, but Brown quotes Mary as say­ sunlight I shine upon you and warm gions (Hinduism, Islam), others to lit­ ing it was hers. your heart till it glows I like a great peat erary sources (Psalm 23, the Chandogya -Renie Victor fire") is paired with a picture of bright­ Upanishad), and still others to cultures ly dressed children romping on a tram­ (Algerian, Inuit). This mixture can be poline. Elisa Kleven's artwork for the confusing: texts from the Jewish tradi­ Poetry second section, "For the Home," tion, for example, are identified vari­ emphasizes the bonds oflove between ously as "Jewish," "from Psalm 118," ~ generations. Strong visual patterns in "from the Talmud," or as a verse by In Every Tiny Grain of Sand: her pictures complement the word pat­ Hannah Senesh. Budger Davison, author A Child's Book of Prayers terns of the texts, including a Navajo of one lovely poem in the collection, is and Praise chant that begins "May it be delightful an Australian Aborigine, but that infor­ Collected by Reeve Lindbergh my house; I From my head may it be mation is buried in the fine print at the Illustrated by Christine Davenier et al. delightful; I to my feet may it be delight­ back of the book. CANDLEWICK ful." Christine Davenier's watercolors In Every Tiny Grain ofSand is a book 77 pages, Ages 4-10, $21.99 in "For the Earth" create a mood ofsweet to celebrate. Taken together, Lindbergh's ISBN 0·7636-0 I 76-4 contentment, as in a picture of a girl selections go to the heart of what prayer stretched out in the shade of a tree that is-an expression of the human desire What is the best way to outfit a collec­ props up her bicycle- to illustrate a two­ to connect with the sacred. Remarkably, tion of prayers for a trek into the bustling page spread that includes a piece by the the overall effect is both reverent and children's book marketplace? Reeve Lind­ Christian mystic Hildegard of Bingen. lighthearted, like a Dinka prayer that bergh's answer is to emphasize the uni­ In paintings of animals for the fourth ends, "Let my nose stop sneezing, I Let versality of prayer, presenting examples section, "For the Night," Anita Jeram my head stop thinking. I Let me sleep from many times, places, and systems evokes a magical night world where all in your arms." of belief. And she treats prayer as litera- creation participates in a meditation on -Susan Marie Swanson

54 Winter 2000-2001

Just Us Two: them. Sidman throws a delightful curve Poems about Animal Dads in the middle of the poem, where she Reviewers in This Issue breaks the pattern to convey the pup's By Joyce Sidman ~ Illustrated by Susan Swan irrepressible playfulness: MILLBROOK Respect your elders. Christine Alfano lives in Minneapolis 32 pages, Ages 4-7, $22.90 (library) with her family. A former bookseller, she has Respect my elders. ISBN 0-7613-1563-2 written about children's books for the Hungry No biting my tail. Mind Review and other publications. No biting your-chomp! The idea that fathers take care of their I said no biting! Mary Lou Burket is a longtime reader children feels almost fresh to us humans But, Dad, it's twitching! ofchi ldren 's literature whose reviews have -it's only recently become an issue Respect your elders! appeared in Publishers Weekly, The Five that dads do their fair share of diaper But, Dad, it's fun! Owls, and other publications. changing, or that getting up at two a.m. for a bottle feeding might be a good Susan Swan uses bright paint and Dorothy Francis is the author ofmany thing for dad and baby. This adds an bold cut-paper shapes for her illustra­ children's books. A retired teacherfor the interesting twist to Joyce Sidman's col­ tions, layering them for a charming Institute of Children's Literature, she is now a freelance writer working.from her lection of poems about animal dads. In three-dimensional effect. What fun to home studios in Iowa and Florida. just Us Two, each of the eleven light­ peek beneath a bush's leaves and into hearted poems is about an animal dad the night-dark grass to see a clump of Lee Galda, co-author a/Literature and that nurtures its young, a phenomenon tiny blind pink mice. Their watchful the Child, is professor of children's literature not quite so rare as we tend to believe. father lies on top and at the University of Minnesota . She lives in The best poems here stick closely to Minneapolis with her husband and children. warms this fragile thimbleful observable animal behavior. "Egg Busi­ of fluttering hearts. Antonia Gray is a graduate student ness" gives voice to the frantically busy of children 's literature at the University giant water bug whose mate has stuck At the end of the book a series of ofReading, England. about a hundred eggs onto his back. It's photos and notes entice readers to learn for up to him to make sure they hatch safe­ more about the these varied and dis­ Perry Nodelman 's most recent novel young adults is A Meeting of Minds, ly. The poem's staccato rhythm mimics tinctive animal families. fourth in a series offantasies written in the hectic pace of the water bug's daily -Christine Alfano collaboration with Carol Matas. tasks: Jenny Sawyer is a former editorial intern Busy, busy: at the Riverbank Review. She currently I've got eggs. lives in Boston, where she is interning at Real tight schedule: the Hom Book Guide and in the children 's I've got eggs. book division at Houghton Mifflin. Up at dawn to clean the eggs. Susan Marie Swanson is the author of two Lake and Deep-knee bends books for children, Letter to the Getting Used to the Dark (both DK Ink). to rinse the eggs. She reads and writes poems with children in her work as a visiting poet in schools. At poem's end, when the eggs have hatched, the insect's imperative to pro­ Renee Victor is a freelance writer based create is neatly expressed: in Minnesota. A former teacher, she writes about children's literature for a Empty eggs. variety ofpublications. What to do? Margaret Willey is the author of six young Need more eggs. adult novels-most recently, Facing the Music-and a picture book, Thanksgiving In "Rules of the Pack," a lesson is with Me (HarperCollins, 1998). She lives taking place as a father wolf states a Illustration by Susan Swan, in Grand Haven, Michigan. litany of rules and his frisky cub repeats from Just Us Two

55 Riverbank Review

'one for the she\f

The Hundred Dresses The Hundred Dresses is about three class­ By Eleanor Estes her name," Peggy points out), Wanda's mates-Maddie and her popular Illustrated by Louis Slobodkin poverty and awkwardness have every­ friend Peggy and solitary Wanda. Mad­ BO pages, Ages 7-12 thing to do with the fact that she is for­ die and Peggy are standing outside of H ARCOURT BRACE, 1944 eign-born. school one day, part of a group of girls hardcover: $ l 6.00 I paperback: $6.00 In a broader sense, the book reveals admiring a crimson dress that one of a child's developing sense of conscience, them is wearing, when Wanda comes along and tries to join a theme not easily depicted in children's books. It's Maddie, them-tries so quietly that only Maddie notices-and the girl in the middle, who worries that she could be reject­ declares: "I got a h undred dresses home." ed from the group for speaking up, who feels ashamed. That's the day the teasing begins, "so suddenly and She's the one we suffer with, and she's the one who grows. unexpectedly, with everybody falling right in,'' that even if Maddie comes to realize that Wanda, who lives in a shabby it makes Maddie feel uneasy, there doesn't seem to be any house and walks to school alone, has generosity, imagination, way to stop it. Everyone knows that Wanda wears the same honesty, and hope. And as it turns out, she has the dresses, faded dress every day. too, in the form ofdraw­ She couldn't possibly ings she has made that have a hundred dresses. win a coveted prize at Maddie remembers school. In a dramatic two­ that day when she sees page spread, Slobodkin Wanda's empty seat at shows Wanda's classmates the back of the class­ entering the classroom room-and later, when where the drawings cover she learns that Wanda's \ every inch of space. It's I -./ family has left their town I an extravagant sight that for good. ("No more \ v impresses them all and r I holler Polack," Wanda's ( / deepens Maddie's desire father explains in a let­ \ to make amends. ter. "No more ask why Published in 1944, the funny name.") Maddie story is clearly the work regrets saying nothing / of an earlier time, yet is while Peggy led the teas- ) powerfully affecting. An ing: "She had stood by interesting topic for read­ silently, and that was just as bad as what Peggy had done." ing groups might be the social gulfbetween the boys and the Although, in a way, Peggy and Maddie are to blame for girls at Maddie's school-how different are things today? Wanda's flight, the fuller explanation is at once more elusive Of much greater importance is the author's belief that life and more striking, which is why 77Je Hundred Dresses, by begins in innocence and beauty, and that children them­ Eleanor Estes, with its delicate illustrations by Louis Slo­ selves can take these gifts away. It was a beautiful day when bodkin, is such a memorable book. Among its charms are Peggy and Maddie walked to school and "everything brevity-eighty pages bundled into easy-to-read cliapters­ sparkled"; when Wanda came along, Maddie thought, "She a direct and simple style, and paradoxically rich complexities must feel happy too because everybody must feel happy on of character and theme. Many critics have admired it as a such a day." Harmony in groups and individuals is easily strong indictment of prejudice. Despite the fact that disturbed, but it can also be restored. And that is the time­ Wanda's Polish heritage per se is never an issue with her less theme of The Hundred Dresses. classmates ("I never did call her a foreigner or make fun of -Mary Lou Burket

56 * "A LYRICAL ... ROBUST NOVEL"*

I I E s p e r a n a R i s i n g

~ "Ryan uses the experiences of her own Mexican grandmother as the basis for this compelling story of immigration and assimilation .... Set against the multi-ethnic labor-organizing era of the Depression, the story of Esperanza remaking herself is satisfyingly complete .... Easy to booktalk, useful in classroom discussions, and accessible as pleasure reading, this well-written novel belongs in all collections." -School Library journal, starred review

* "Told in a lyrical, fairy tale-like style, Ryan's robust novel fluidly ...juxtaposes world events ... with one family's will to survive .. . Ryan delivers subtle metaphors via Abuelita's pearls of wisdom, and not until story's end will readers recognize how carefully they have been strung." -Publishers Weekly, starred review*

y PAM u No z RYAN

Ages 9·14 • 0·439·12041·1 • $15.95

www.scholastlc.com a .. i... .. Scholastic Press ••SCHOLASTIC Bulk Rate stf86MAS U.S. Postage c:::;;:,). PAID •• RIVERBANK REVIEW University of ,, MOH-217 St. Thomas 1000 LaSalle Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55403-2009