A spirited animal tale from the premier reteller of African folktales, this book, with jeweled-toned, color illustrations, captures all the energy of this delightful animal story that shows that even the biggest brute can be undone.
| ||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
With this graceful, musical retelling of a tale from the Khoikhoi people, Aardema (Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears; Traveling to Tondo) secures her well-deserved reputation for imaginatively preserving-perhaps even strengthening-the folklore of Africa. Here, a hungry jackal tricks a loving mother dove into throwing down from her nest her two "fat babies," which the animal swallows whole. A wise blue crane, touched by the mother's mourning, decides to play a reciprocal trick on the jackal. The crane's scheme succeeds, the baby doves are recovered, alive, and the jackal faces the laughter of other animals before the crane delivers the tale's sage moral: "Whoever sows evil will see it come forth in his own garden." Accentuated by a sparkling palette of greens and blues, Gottlieb's (Seeing Eye Willie) charming, primitive illustrations echo Aardema's wry narration with arresting angular compositions. Full-page art alternates with panels bordered with geometric motifs, so that the visual rhythms keep pace with the swift story. Ages 3-8.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2?This disappointing offering from a well-respected teller of tales lacks the rhythmic language and engaging story line of many of her earlier works. The plot centers around a hungry jackal who tricks a mother dove into sacrificing her two babies. Heartbroken at the loss of her children (although she throws them down to the beast with alarming alacrity), she is aided and comforted by a blue crane who plots revenge. After convincing the jackal that she can teach him to fly, the bird coats his fur with gooey gum and feathers and carries him into the sky. When she drops him abruptly, the wind is knocked out of him, as are the two little doves. They are miraculously unharmed. The jackal, stunned and embarrassed by the sticky mess on his fur, vows never to hunt baby birds again, while the dove promises her youngsters that she will protect them in the future. Gottlieb's simple, flat paintings have a charmingly childlike appeal, but are too static to energize or extend the text. While the art is attractive and Aardema's retelling of this story from the Khoikhoi people is no doubt authentic, the book ultimately fails to engage readers. Skip this offering in favor of her previous works or any of the many more interesting and effectively illustrated folktales currently flooding the market.?Lisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
|
There are no customer reviews yet.
|
|||
|
Video reviews
|
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
