The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books:
Sample Reviews

In a momentary lapse of judgment, a mother dove allows herself to be tricked by Jackal into tossing her two babies down into his gaping jaws. Not to worry, though--Crane devises an even better trick to retrieve the babies: convincing Jackal to learn to fl y. Gummed and feathered, Jackal plummets off Crane's back and lands "with such a jolt that the two baby doves popped, kwa-cha, right out of his mouth." Aardema relates this southwest African tale in straightforward prose peppered with onomatopoeic express ions which are easily understood in context. While the image of babies who come to harm due to a mother's gullibility is indeed disturbing, Gottlieb's crayon-bright, stylized paintings and Jackal's comical comeuppance (comedownance?) allow listeners to ma intain a comforting distance from the harsher aspects of the tale. And the reader-aloud who can play up the ideophones, included in the glossary/pronunciation guide, will leave 'em chuckling rather than shuddering. EB

Three authors write chatty autobiographies, sharing treasured childhood memories, describing their current lives, and answering that favorite question of school children: where do you get your ideas? Liberally illustrated with color photographs (as well a s drawings and other art work by Kuskin and Mahy), each book presents a vibrant portrait, with each author setting her own tone. Bunting tells about the messages she tries to convey in her books (mentioning Caldecott winner Smoky Night); Kuskin tells part of her story in poems; Mahy's personality comes through powerfully as she exuberantly describes her life and routine, with the exotic New Zealand location making this the strongest book visually as well. Child-hood photos, pictures of the authors' famili es, and maps round out the accounts of each writer. Entertaining and informal, this series (see also Martin, BCCB 9/92) is the next best thing to meeting a live author. SDL

If we mean what we say, that children deserve our best efforts, then Bierhorst should be getting more attention for his folkloristic contributions. His are not comfortably popularized Native American tales that Disney might choose to animate, but selectio ns of East Coast Indian lore "connected to the story sources as nearly as possible, accepting their strengths as well as their occasional oddities, in the hope that the reader may thereby be brought closer to . . . tradition and may gain an appreciation o f its long continuity." Context, too, is given strong respect: "Generally, the time for telling was after dark and almost always during the coldest months. That stories must be told in winter is a very old rule, widespread in native America." Beyond its u se as a research source for tribal traditions, the stories will provoke cultural comparison: "How the Big House Got Started" has a Delaware witch-burning that offers many parallels to the New England persecution of innocents. And the stylistic quirks prov ide a tonal array from stately to ironic, as in this tale about a fish monster: "So. They found out he was going to be kind of hard to handle." Students will be intrigued by the occasional alternative openings to "once upon a time"--"My story camps, calle d by name Jack." As Bierhorst explains, "the tale has a life of its own and has merely decided to camp' here for a while before traveling to another location." This is a rich collection, meticulous as to notes, bibliography, and glossary. If some of the m ore fragmentary or puzzling tales leave young readers wondering, welcome them to the maze called knowledge-- and give them a hand to help them find their way through it. BH