Review by New York Times Review
At a time when everyone obsesses over boosting self-esteem, a book about too much ego should have its place. Van Dusen ("The Circus Ship") tells the humorous tale, with boisterous, eye-popping illustrations, of a tiny king with an oversize ego, hoist with his own petard. But it's Tessa, a put-upon wench who also happens to be a sorceress, who steals the story, and eventually the king's (also sizable) heart. She probably deserves better. THE BOY FROM THE DRAGON PALACE A Folktale From Japan. Retold by Margaret Read MacDonald. Illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa. 32 pp. Albert Whitman & Company. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 7) This cautionary Japanese folktale offers an evergreen lesson: Be careful what you wish for. In this case, Aladdin's genie is the son of the Dragon King, a boy with "the snottiest nose you ever did see!" As long as he is fed shrimp soup, he grants his keeper's every wish. Children, predictably, will enjoy the boy's snuffling of nose and slurping of soup. Parents will like the parable against greed. And despite the tale's ick factor, Yoshikawa's drawings are lovely and adorable. KING JACK AND THE DRAGON By Peter Bently. Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. 32 pp. Dial. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) Oh, the glorious art of childhood fort building! At once contemporary and classic, this book will appeal to any child who believes in dragons, beasts and the swords that slay them. And, as affectionately described by Bently ("A Lark in the Ark") and Oxenbury ("We're Going on a Bear Hunt"), no E-Z Fort kit is required. Even the baby with a Binky is allowed to play. Eventually, the giants (parents) invade, bravery fades and the parental beasts are entirely welcome. THE ORPHAN A Cinderella Story From Greece. By Anthony L. Manna and Soula Mitakidou. Illustrated by Giselle Potter. 40 pp. Schwartz & Wade. $37.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) The most striking thing about this "Cinderella" is its palette of cool olive greens and Aegean blues, and - breathe easy, parents of brunettes - its dark-haired, brown-eyed heroine. The story also holds interesting departures. The fairy godmother is actually Cinderella 's mother, speaking from the grave: "Go, my child, go to good,/ With all my blessings, go!" she urges. "Your sorrow weighs upon my heart,/ Your pain, it wounds me so." The tale becomes one not just of maternal absence but of eternal motherly love. The slipper remains the same. HOW THE LEOPARD GOT HIS CLAWS By Chinua Achebe with John Iroaganachi. Illustrated by Mary Grandpré. 38 pp. Candlewick Press. $16.99. (Picture book/middle grade; ages 7 to 11) In this powerful illustrated fable for older picture book readers, Achebe, the celebrated Nigerian writer, offers a parable about how power corrupts. The story follows a vainglorious dog - Scar to the Leopard King - who thwarts the animal kingdom's interspecies peace and deposes its king. This is anticolonialist fiction for middle graders, with a touch of Orwell's "Animal Farm," and is as much a critique of those who blindly follow power as of those who wrongly assume it. There's a lesson to be learned, but no happy ending. THE FAIRY TALES OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM Edited by Noel Daniel. Translated by Matthew P. Price with Noel Daniel. Illustrated. 320 pp. Taschen. $39.99. (All ages) This gloriously illustrated collection, Taschen's first children's book, includes lesser-known tales like "Little Brother and Little Sister" and "The Devil With the Three Golden Hairs" along with the favorites. Best are the timeless illustrations, mostly European, gleaned from previously published work from the 1820s to the 1950s. The stories, if not all their characters, live happily ever after. PAMELA PAUL ONLINE A slide show of this week's illustrated books at nytimes.com/books.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [September 11, 2011]
Review by Booklist Review
First published in the 1970s, this political fable still makes provocative reading. GrandPre's new Lion King-style illustrations both capture the tale's intensity and provide a needed contemporary look. Leopard, clawless and with small teeth, reigns over a peaceful kingdom until surly Dog, mocked and marginalized for his sharp teeth, takes over the communally built rain shelter and viciously drives Leopard away. Enraged when the other animals fearfully declare Dog their king, Leopard outfits himself with bronze claws and teeth and returns to send Dog off bleeding to a new alliance with the human hunter. From that day on, strong animals attack the weak, and with help from the dog, the hunter kills them all. Though the story sometimes shows its age particularly in the single reference to the animals' wives and their children the stately prose will make a profound impression on readers, as will the large, dimly lit close-ups of snarling jaws and strong animal bodies. A great discussion starter, but think before sharing it with younger audiences. Despite similar titles, it's nothing like Kipling's How the Leopard Got His Spots. --Peters, John Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Despite the innocuous title, Achebe's (Things Fall Apart) explanations for three interwoven mysteries-why animals are enemies, why dogs live among humans, and why the leopard is so fearsomely armed-are grim and sometimes bloody. King Leopard has no claws at first, ruling with kindness, but when the malcontent dog takes over the hall the animals have built together, the animals switch sides without a second thought. "We love his head, we love his jaws,/ We love his feet and all his claws," the toad sings in praise of the dog. King Leopard defeats him in the end, but only with violence. First published in the '70s, this is a child's version of Animal Farm, a closely observed account of the way the manipulation of fear can poison civil society. The characterizations are disturbingly true to life, deriving in all likelihood from Achebe's experience of political upheaval in Nigeria. In GrandPre's warmly lit acrylic paintings, new to this edition, the animals burst forth from the pages; their anguish would be heartbreaking if not for their comically exaggerated features. Used with skill, the story could form the centerpiece of a substantive discussion. Ages. 7-11. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 6-9-Written in 1976, this story has been released with new bold, deep-toned illustrations that aptly fit the dark message. Seemingly more for adults than children, the narrative reveals how a dog's lust for power and the animals' cowardice eventually drive the formerly benevolent leopard, with the help of a blacksmith and Thunder, to revenge and bring havoc to a once peaceful existence in the forest. The end of the story, in which the now-fearful dog makes a vile alliance with a hunter (portrayed as a human), leaves little hope for change. Upper-grade teachers may find that this picture book offers takeoff points to discuss violence, political power, and vindictiveness in today's world, but it is doubtful that young readers will pick it up on their own.-Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
With John Iroaganachi. Achebe tells how the dog's greedy behavior sowed discord among the animals of the jungle, forever destroying their blissful existence and resulting in the leopard sprouting claws and the dog allying with Man. The tale, with its elements of fable, allegory, and just-so story, is unfocused. Luminous acrylic illustrations in jungle hues are eye-pleasing. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
When the dog's coup deposed King Leopard, the former ruler of the animal world exiled himself, returning with claws and sharp teeth of his own to govern by terror instead of with his previous gentle kindness.This literary fable by the internationally eminent Achebe (based on a story by Iroaganachi and including a poem by Christopher Okigbo, killed in Nigeria's civil war), reflects the secession and return of Biafra in the late 1960s. First published here in 1972, it has been beautifully re-illustrated by GrandPr, famed for her Harry Potter covers. These lush acrylic paintings have both texture and depth. Presented full-bleed across two pages or in rough rectangles set on white space, with bits extending beyond the edges, they tend to be dark and crowded with animals, whose expressive faces and bodies support the action. Each spread includes a decorative band of sharp triangles, a tooth-and-claw motif. Halfway through the story, the dog and not-yet-armed King fight fiercely, each glowing with orange battle heat. The conclusion explains the harshness of the jungle and the bond between dog and man, a satisfying ending for young readers unlikely to know or be ready for the political background.Whether read as a fable with African roots or as an allegory, this is a handsome treatment of a memorable tale. (Picture book. 7-14)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
