The Walking Stick (Hardcover)

by Maxine Trottier (Author), Annouchka Gravel Galouchko (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 3 A simple, well-crafted tale. Van, a young Vietnamese boy, finds a teak stick near a Buddhist temple where his uncle, a monk, lives. The man fashions the wood into a brass-tipped walking stick for his nephew and says that now the Buddha "will watch over you no matter where you go, and bring you safely home." Van carries the stick with him always, even when he and his family flee their war-torn country and cross the ocean. On long walks years later, he tells his granddaughter stories of his homeland. When she decides to go there, he gives her the walking stick; which she leaves as an offering at the foot of a Buddha during her travels. The expressionist-style paintings vibrate with dots, sinuous lines, and bold colors on a flat plane. Intriguing faces peer from trees, mountains, and sky. The walking stick, however, seems to change appearance, while the oceangoing "rusty vessel" resembles a luxury liner. Overall, though, the story satisfies and the illustrations are striking. Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VA

Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"The Walking Stick explores the immigrant experience with broad, expansive strokes."
-- The London Free Press

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 22 pages
• Publisher: Fitzhenry and Whiteside; 1 edition (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0773731016
• ISBN-13: 978-0773731011
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,765,306 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)