*Starred Review* Jake and his pa are mining for gold, and when they finally find a nugget, some of it goes toward the pet Jake has longed for. Since there are no dogs around, he takes a pig--and names him Dog. One night Dog snuffles out a corn kernel in Pa's pocket left over from farming days, Jake carefully plants and waters the corn until it can be harvested. A troublesome goat becomes a source for milk, and soon Pa and Jake are trading corn fritters for blankets and lanterns. Pa has a habit of calling everything "lucky," but Jake knows that hard work has been a chunk of that luck--and he plans to be lucky again, planting more corn. This solid story is taken to a whole new level by Zahares' amazing artwork. Using pastels in deep and heavy hues, solid shapes, and unusual perspectives, he provides images that roll breathtakingly across the pages. One shows boy, man, and pig cast in velvety purples against a coppery sky. In another, a green goat floats surrealistically. Some of the scenes show the hard work of frontier life, but they are shrouded in colors that give the effort an almost mystic edge. An intriguing mix of old-fashioned storytelling and cutting-edge art.
Ilene CooperCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
This solid story is taken to a whole new level by Zahares's amazing artwork. Using pastels in deep and heavy hues, solid shapes, and unusual perspectives, he provides images that roll breathtakingly across the pages. . . . Some of the scenes show the hard work of frontier life, but they are shrouded in colors that give the effort an almost mystic edge. An intriguing mix of old-fashioned storytelling and cutting-edge art.
Booklist, ALA, Starred Review
The patterned cadence of the prose befits this folkloric gold-rush yarn. . . . With unusual perspectives and a strong grasp of light and shadow, the stylized spreads take a surrealistic spin that is warmed and animated by soft, sculptured forms that contrast with thick lines and repeated objects. . . . Always mesmerizing. A treasure.
Kirkus Reviews, Starred
Zahares's contemporary, stylized pastel art features electric hues and playful perspectives, lending a bold contrast to the old-time tenor of the easygoing narrative and creating an unlikely, but lucky, pairing.
Publishers Weekly
The sunny story is told in a deliberately deadpan, unruffled tone, and the thickly applied pastel illustrations with their odd perspectives and deep purple shadows catch the other side of the story, too, clearly showing that Jake and his father live a difficult, impoverished life. . . . This will be a good discussion-starter on the topic of luck, especially because wisdom is on the side of its appealingly down-to-earth child character.
Horn Book
