When readers were introduced to Stellaluna
in 1993, thousands of children and adults found themselves falling in love with an
endearing young bat. Now author/illustrator Janell Cannon has created an equally lovable
character in Verdi,
a bright yellow, spirited young snake determined not to become as staid, still, and boring
as the green adult pythons who inhabit the neighboring trees. Looping and spinning through
the air in fancy figure eights, young Verdi appeals to the adventurer in all of us. He
also discovers that growing up and turning green doesn't necessarily mean life becomes boring.
Fantastic illustrations! (ages 4-10, hc, $16.00)
The
folktale Sody
Sallyratus is a favorite of storytellers. Now we can all enjoy sharing this
hilarious Appalachian tale with Teri Sloat's fine retelling of the well-loved folk story.
The tale begins with a family's hungry pet squirrel "chippity-chitterin'" for
some fresh-baked baking soda biscuits. When she realizes that she has run out of baking
soda, the old woman sends the little boy to the store to buy some more sody sallyratus
with the warning not to stop to pick any berries on his way home. Skipping down the road,
playing sody sallyratus on his harmonica, the boy arrives at the store, buys the baking
soda, but stops to pick some delicious berries. Oops! A hungry bear is just waiting to
gobble him up! One by one the others go off to find the errant ones, each cautioned
against stopping to pick berries. But the bear is always there! Polish up your best
mountain twang, and be sure to share this hilarious mountain tale (and the recipe for
"The Old Woman's Baking Soda Biscuits") with the kids in your life! Sody
Sallyratus, by Teri Sloat (ages 4-9, hc, $15.99)
Perfect
for Mother's Day is Shirley Neitzel's delightful rhyming rebus story We're
Making Breakfast for Mother, illustrated by Nancy Winslow Parker. Despite the
children's best intentions, breakfast in bed for Mother on her special day just doesn't
turn out as it should. Luckily, Mother is both understanding and appreciative! (ages 4
and up, hc, $15.00)
Barefoot, Escape
on the Underground Railroad offers a unique perspective on a slave's perilous and
lonely journey to freedom. In the dark of night, as the slave flees for his life, the
animals of forest, field, and marsh offer their aid: the croak of the frog guides a slave
to fresh water; the cry of the heron warns of the approach of the Heavy Boots; the
twinkling of fireflies marks the safe house. Pamela Duncan Edwards's text is eloquent.
Henry Cole's darkly toned paintings create the mood so effectively that we feel the
slave's exhaustion and terror, even as we seem to be able to see the animals' quite
deliberate assistance. A marvelous addition to the literature of the Underground Railroad
for younger children. (ages 5-9, hardcover, $14.95)
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1997 Bookworm Enterprises |