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32 pp.
| North-South
| January, 2008
|
TradeISBN 978-0-7358-2152-1$15.95
(4)
K-3
Translated by Sibylle Kazeroid.
Illustrated by
Catherine Louis
&
Wang Fei.
"They called this fabulous animal--which could fly in the air, swim in the ocean and walk on land--DRAGON." This original tale tells how children created the dragon to bring peace to the warring tribes of ancient China. The text lacks a strong voice, but the art is striking: the dramatic block prints and the book's tall, narrow shape recall Chinese brush painting.
32 pp.
| North-South/Neugebauer
| April, 2004
|
TradeISBN 0-7358-1879-7$$15.95
|
LibraryISBN 0-7358-1880-0$$16.50
(4)
K-3
Translated by Sibylle Kazeroid.
Illustrated by
Jakob Kirchmayr.
Mole tunnels around the world, coming up to view the North Pole, the desert, the mountains, and the jungle. As he heads home, he wakes up and realizes it was all a dream; he's had a fever, and his friends have been taking care of him. The paintings of the various locations and their inhabitants are enjoyable; the story, however, seems artificial.
(3)
K-3
Translated by Sibylle Kazeroid.
Illustrated by
Alessandra Roberti.
The miracle of the Nativity is seen through the eyes of Miriam, an innkeeper's daughter in Bethlehem. Desperate to be bigger and do more important things, Miriam finally gets her chance when she gives her blanket to the newborn baby in the stable. Roberti's illustrations lend a soft, heavenly aura to the quiet Christmas tale, whose child perspective never wavers.
(4)
K-3
Translated by Sibylle Kazeroid.
Sasha is embarrassed to be the only mouse with a black circle around his eye. He obsesses about this problem until a bigger one comes up: a cat threatens his large mouse family. Sasha bravely slips a collar and bell around the cat's neck and is hailed as a hero (and black eye circles become all the rage). Slightly garish illustrations accompany this cat-and-mouse tale, which ends abruptly.
(3)
K-3
Translated by Sibylle Kazeroid.
Illustrated by
Wolfgang Slawski.
When Max the bear sneezes, his animal friends ply him with all sorts of unpleasant remedies. Finally, Max manages to call a halt and tell them he isn't actually sick. Young audiences will enjoy the silliness that ends with giggles and the reminder that "laughter is the best medicine--whether you're sick or not!" The illustrations aptly portray Max's discomfort as well as his friends' goofy eagerness.
(3)
K-3
Translated by Sibylle Kazeroid.
Illustrated by
Pef.
Greg is a painfully shy boy. First-person narration allows Greg to describe effectively his own insecurities about speaking to others; readers will applaud the satisfying if somewhat sudden conclusion, in which Greg conquers the dreaded class presentation and loses his shyness. Quirky, cartoonlike pastel illustrations make good use of distorted perspectives.
(4)
PS
Translated by Sibylle Kazeroid.
When the animals take the sun's gift of the moon for granted, the sun becomes angry and makes the moon disappear from the night sky. After accepting the animals' apology, the sun brings back the moon, making it wax and wane to keep the animals grateful. Though the artfully rendered torn-paper illustrations don't always match the slight text, their simplicity has lots of appeal.
(4)
K-3
Translated by Sibylle Kazeroid.
Illustrated by
Anne Möller.
Too poor for Christmas gifts, Oliver attaches a letter for Santa to a balloon. When it travels south instead, a grumpy old man named Nicholas finds the wish list and has a change of heart, not only bringing Oliver and his mother gifts, but inviting them to live with him. While the artwork is attractive, young readers may be confused as to why Nicholas is "really and truly Santa Claus" on one page and "Grandfather" on the next.