Children's Book Reviews
City of the Beasts by Isabel Allende
HarperCollins, Oct., 2002Hardcover, 416 pages
ISBN: 006050918X
Ages Young Adult
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
Alexander Cold, feels that he is a typical fifteen
year old teenager, but he is actually about to
embark on the greatest adventure and discovery
of his young life: finding his own spiritual center.
Through testing himself to his psychological and
physical limit, Alexander finds that he can then save others.
Due to his mother's illness, Alexander and his two sisters must be parceled out to family members. While his sisters get to go to the grandmother who can cook, Alex is sent to live with his tough, adventurous grandmother who writes for the International Geographic. Alexander finds that he will be going to the Amazon jungle to verify the existence of a giant man-like creature that emits a terrible smell before eviscerating its victims. Before he goes, his grandmother gives him his grandfather's flute, a fine instrument that his musician grandfather had played.
A party of assorted personalities assembles in Manaus, the largest city in the Amazon region. There was Omayra Torres, a beautiful young doctor who is determined to vaccinate the Indian tribes against certain diseases from the civilized world which would have exterminated them. Ludovic LeBlanc, an internationally acclaimed anthropologist and author, is a short, wiry, nervous man who is constantly reminding the others of his importance in the world. Cesar Santos, a tall sharp featured guide, his daughter, Nadia, a honey-colored girl of about thirteen and most endearing of all, her little black monkey, Boroba, who is a very strong character in the story. Controlling, yet hidden to most is the ancient shaman, Walimai who actually leads the two young adventurers with his wisdom and spiritualism.
Ms.Allende has written a powerful and exciting adventure story that fascinates and entertains the reader on every page. Add to this a totally unexpected ending, and the reader cannot abandon this exciting tale. It is easy to understand why Ms. Allende has been so popular with her readers. We are indebted to Ms. Peden for her graceful and sensitive translation of City of the Beasts from the original Spanish.
-Sarah Reaves White
Dog Days by Amanda Harvey
Doubleday, January, 2003Picture Book, 32 pages
ISBN: 0385746210
Ages 3-6
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
Those children who have already met Otis will be
delighted to enjoy his new set of problems. Told from
a dog's view of the world, Dog Days explores the emotions
that Otis feels one morning when he discovers that Lucy
and her little sister have brought home a meowing
fluffball of a kitten.
Any child who has felt neglected and ignored when a new sibling is added to the family will identify with the problems of this now neglected family dog. Otis is puzzled because he sees no need to add a kitten to the household when they already have a good dog. Not only is Otis' breakfast forgotten, but his bead is not fluffed and his fur is not brushed. Otis is left with only one recourse: run away from home and taste freedom.
Like many a child growing up Otis contemplates what life might be like living with other families. In the park he fantasizes about the lives and families of the other dogs he sees. Do they have to put up with a kitten? As he wanders through the town, Otis passes Max's house and unfortunately is tempted to steal some of the family's barbecue and is banished to the laundry room to spend the night.
At last, Otis must make a decision. He kisses Max goodnight and runs home to Lucy where he is welcomed as a best friend. Otis is so happy, he decides to show the kitten one of his favorite tricks.
The illustrations in Dog Days are as intuitive as the story. The expressions on Otis' face show great understanding of the emotions, as well as of people. Colored in soft pastels, this gentle story will be understood on several levels by any child lucky enough to read it.
--Sarah Reaves White
Last Night I Dreamed of a Circus by Maya Gottfried, Paintings by Robert Rahway Zakanitch
Knopf, January, 2003Picture Book, 32 pages
ISBN: 0375823883
Ages 4-8
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
"Last night I dreamed a circus. I spun circles
round the stars. And juggled a rose garden."
So begins Maya Gottfried's lyrical poem in which
the narrator dreams of her trip to the circus.
Illustrated by noted watercolorist Robert Zakanitch,
the story follows a dreamscape that is
exotic, but not scary. The watercolor paintings of
the circus performers are executed with vibrant colors against
a black background, making the images really pop.
The trapeze artists seem as if they are really flying,
as the text continues "And I fell through the air. And
flew." The clowns are more funny than frightening
and the animals, from dogs jumping through hoops to
an elephant in full regalia, are all full of life.
This is a beautifully rendered book which will delight
any child.
Return to Book Reviews Index
More from Writers Write