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Nancy Vasilakis
38 Reviews
(4)
YA
The author of Go and Come Back has written a more conventional story about a lonely girl coming to terms with her mother's impending death. As Mindy follows the downward spiral of her mother's illness, her isolation is palpable, and meaningful human connections are scant. Since the ending is a foregone conclusion, the static narrative centers on Mindy's development within a rather narrow framework.
Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 1999
(2)
4-6
When Michael stumbles upon a stranger in his yard ("He was filthy and pale and dried out and I thought he was dead"), he brings him food and medicine; later, he glimpses wings growing from the man's shoulders. After Michael's newborn sister survives a serious illness, the stranger departs, leaving us with mysteries just beyond our grasp. In his first novel for children, Almond has given them something singular to reach for.
Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
May, 1999
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Karen Barbour.
The olive tree has special significance in Greek culture, although Sophia, who lives in California, is not aware of this when she is given one by her grandfather on her seventh birthday. The illustrations have the flavor of Greek folk art, and while the story deals with the icons of a specific culture, its theme--the ties between family and place--is universal.
Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 1999
(2)
PS
All the narrator's suggestions for a pet are dismissed by her elders. A lion would snack between meals, possibly on the girl herself; an octopus would leave too many messy footprints; a wolf's howling would give Dad a headache. The characters, both human and animal, are reminiscent of Walter Lorraine's figures in line and comic expression. In the end, the pet shop lady offers a solution that's good for one last chuckle--and a hint of intrigue.
Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
May, 1999
(2)
4-6
Illustrated by
Tracey Campbell Pearson.
Edward's innocent comments about seeing a baby alligator in the lake at the local park are misconstrued and elaborated upon until the incident becomes a cause célèbre. Not all readers will get the point about the power of the word, but all will rejoice in Edward's vindication when the baby alligator is discovered. The undemanding, light read is a solid choice for second- and third-graders.
Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 1999
(2)
YA
Eleven-year-old Ben has decided to stay with his stepfather when his mother, capricious and irresponsible as always, leaves the family. Dustin, his deeply disturbed older stepbrother, soon follows Ben's mom. Griffin tells a wrenching tale of a young man struggling to find his voice in an unpredictable world where family ties are determined by personal affinity and choice rather than genes.
Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 1999
(2)
PS
Preschoolers who followed Minho around the city with his mother in One Afternoon will recognize the routine in this companion book in which the boy and his father spend the day in the city park. The pages are vibrant with color and activity, and the sense of movement is heightened by onomatopoeic words that whir, clop, rattle, and whoosh across the pages as they describe the action taking place.
Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 1999
(2)
PS
In this cheery cumulative story based on the traditional old song, a train makes several stops for baby animal riders. The train finally arrives at the children's zoo, followed by a schoolbus full of--what else?--children, and everyone disembarks for a day of play. Brightly colored mixed-media illustrations accompany this enjoyable adventure, with the music for the song on the last page.
Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 1999
(2)
4-6
Illustrated by
Christine Davenier.
That friendship is composed of thorns as well as roses, to borrow a metaphor from Betsy Hearne's "Listening," is central to this collection of two dozen poems--though most of the selections cling to the more traditional definition of the subject. The watercolors depict every possible attitude of friendship; most of the poems appear in other collections but rarely in such an appealing format.
Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 1998
(2)
PS
Illustrated by
Woodleigh Marx Hubbard.
The concepts of past and present, growth and change, are demonstrated using such examples as: "Once I was an alphabet, / now I am a book. / Once I couldn't feed myself, / now I love to cook." The rhyming text appears on pages that feature figures drawn in flat perspective against large blocks of vivid color. With its modest themes on growth and friendship, this book could serve as a good conversation starter with preschool audiences.
Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
May, 1999
(2)
4-6
Illustrated by
Jos. A. Smith.
Ben finds an unusual lizardlike animal that he is pretty certain is some sort of exotic primeval creature and talks his friends Kate and Foster into helping him find out what it is. The plot is low-key but believable, and the main characters are more fully fleshed out than they were in this book's predecessor, Starshine and Sunglow. The novel's brevity and its enticing title and jacket art are all elements that should help it reach its target audience.
Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
May, 1999
(2)
4-6
Illustrated by
Tom Pohrt.
The seven Algonquian trickster stories in this collection, printed in large type with generous leading, are funny and are related in a lively, understated manner, perfect for storytelling. The illustrations accurately capture the northern pine forest setting from which the stories spring. Along with the introduction, "story notes" at the end of the book offer detailed documentation.
Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 1999
(2)
4-6
Robbie Hewitt has a penchant for mischief but shocks even himself when he almost drowns another boy in a murderous rage. His interactions with a pair of vagrants eventually bring about retribution for his sins and rapprochement with his minister father in a narrative that, shuttling skillfully between sentiment and farce, combines moments of painful insight with uproarious action.
Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 1999
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Mark Buehner.
The essential cat, in all its haughty self-assurance, is brought to vivid life in this captivating volume that alternates haiku with longer, rhyming verses. Realistic oil and acrylic full-page paintings (striking enough that an invitation to find animals hidden in each page seems an unnecessary disraction) illustrate a book that holds its own int he cat-poetry category.
Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 1999
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Andrew Glass.
In this Appalachian recasting of a Japanese folktale, Willie sets off to participate in a contest of feats of strength. On the way he meets a girl and her granny who are both stronger than he is, but the gals take a liking to the big brute and decide to strengthen him up. The outrageousness of the situations and the corn-pone dialect are reflected in Glass's robust illustrations.
Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 1999
(2)
4-6
Illustrated by
Brian Pinkney.
Off the coast of Georgia, slaves leave a ship, then turn and walk into the water, led by an Ibo conjure woman, chanting "the water can take us home." Siegelson adapts this tale, changing the death, or "slave's freedom," into an actual ability to walk beneath water. Rhythmic dialect in the text is deftly balanced by the narrative's slow, dignified cadences. The art reflects the allegorical nature of the tale, revealing both the real and the imagined, sorrow and joy.
Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
May, 1999
(2)
YA
Distracted and ever more reckless, Jason dreams of being a championship rollerblader but is afraid of being caught for his accidental killing of a young boy. His girlfriend, Cat, has joined his band of skaters but is becoming increasingly disturbed by their violent activities. The narrative shifts back and forth between Jason's and Cat's voices but reads smoothly and, at times, eloquently. A promising first novel.
Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 1999
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Erik Blegvad.
This second volume of riddle poems by the team that produced With One White Wing is just as entertaining as the first. The riddles on each page are accompanied by small, anecdotal watercolors that hold clues to the answer, some of them purposely misleading. Several are written in rhyme, but rhyming or not, they all benefit from reading aloud and they all tweak the imagination.
Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
May, 1999
(2)
K-3
Stevenson's unpretentious blending of whimsy and wisdom continues to surprise in this companion book to Sweet Corn and Popcor3044
Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 1999
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Steve Johnson
&
Lou Fancher.
This original tale about a boy repaid for his kindness to a rattlesnake and a scorpion employs familiar folkloric motifs. Patterned after American Indian art, the illustrations feature the deep earth tones of the Southwestern desert. The narrative tone is succinct and direct, with touches of humor and occasional rhetorical flourishes, all of which make this a good candidate for the storyteller's repertoire.
Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
May, 1999
38 reviews
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