As a digital subscriber, you’ll receive unlimited access to Horn Book web exclusives and extensive archives, as well as access to our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database.
To access other site content, visit The Horn Book homepage.
To continue you need an active subscription to hbook.com.
Subscribe now to gain immediate access to everything hbook.com has to offer, as well as our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database, which contains tens of thousands of short, critical reviews of books published in the United States for young people.
Thank you for registering. To have the latest stories delivered to your inbox, select as many free newsletters as you like below.
No thanks. Return to article
(1)
K-3
Illustrated by
David Wisniewski.
Shepard recounts the exploits of a boastful he-man named Shadusa who meets his match--and then some. The superhero stature of the characters translates to the deftly executed comic-book form. The frame-by-frame progression underlines the comic timing of the story as well as the supense. This fresh, funny, and perfectly paced narrative screams story hour, while the hugely appealing comic-book design will win reluctant readers.
Reviewer: Lauren Adams
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
January, 2001
40 pp.
| Harcourt/Gulliver
| August, 2001
|
TradeISBN 0-15-201774-7$$16.00
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Steve Johnson
&
Lou Fancher.
In this Nigerian folktale, Sun invites Ocean to visit him and Moon in their bamboo house on earth, but although Sun makes the house much bigger, Ocean still overflows everything, forcing Sun and Moon to jump up and live in the sky. The tale is well paced and well told, and the dreamy, muted oil illustrations show intriguing details.
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Ann Grifalconi.
On a rainfield in Africa, Wind, Fire, and Rain hold a contest to determine who is greatest. When Fire gets carried away burning things and Wind is unable to stop him, queenly Rain saves the day and proves that "the gentlest is the greatest." Against surreal backgrounds of marbled-paper-and-photo collage, Wind, Fire, and Rain are portrayed as regal Africans in this pourquoi tale.
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
E. B. Lewis.
Mbi, an orphan who is mistreated by everyone, plants a magic tree that responds only to his wishes. When a boy climbs up to steal the fruit, Mbi asks the tree to grow, sending the thief high into the sky; to get him back, the chastened villagers promise to reform. Echewa tells his tale with feeling, and Lewis's watercolors offer some sensitive portraits of Mbi.