Broadly echoing the story of Adam and Eve, Kimmel retells the Aztec legend of Ixcocauqui, son of the sun god, and
Coyolxauhqui, daughter of the goddess of the moon. Temptation has prompted Ixcocauqui to disobey his father's command never to leave the precincts of the jade palace. During his foray beyond the walls, he meets Coyolxauhqui and they fall helplessly in love. Ixcocauqui admits his trespass to his father, who, while mightily displeased, consents to their wedding—as long as they vow never to visit the Earth below, on pain of death. Not surprisingly, the Earth proves too seductive and the two of them are caught and turned into mortals, and Coyolxauhqui dies young. They do remain inseparable, the Aztec story goes, and can be seen today as twin mountains in the Valley of Mexico. No punches pulled here: the workings of fate lay heavily on the page, and the consequences attending defiance are neither small nor laughing matters, visiting Ixcocauqui and Coyolxauhqui with speedy doom. Adding to the air of otherworldliness, Fisher's shimmering artwork gives the gods an elusive, incorporeal quality. Distinguished storytelling by the team that produced The
Three Princes (1994). (Picture book/folkore. 5-9)Pub Date: March 15, 2000
ISBN: 0-8234-1504-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2000
Categories: CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL SCIENCES
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Who is next in the ocean food chain? Pallotta has a surprising answer in this picture book glimpse of one curious boy. Danny, fascinated by plankton, takes his dory and rows out into the ocean, where he sees shrimp eating those plankton, fish sand eels eating shrimp, mackerel eating fish sand eels, bluefish chasing mackerel, tuna after bluefish, and killer whales after tuna. When an enormous humpbacked whale arrives on the scene, Danny’s dory tips over and he has to swim for a large rock or become—he worries’someone’s lunch. Surreal acrylic illustrations in vivid blues and red extend the story of a small boy, a small boat, and a vast ocean, in which the laws of the food chain are paramount. That the boy has been bathtub-bound during this entire imaginative foray doesn’t diminish the suspense, and the facts Pallotta presents are solidly researched. A charming fish tale about the one—the boy—that got away. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-88106-075-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2000
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The Pumpkin Book (32 pp.; $16.95; Sept. 15; 0-8234-1465-5): From seed to vine and blossom to table, Gibbons traces the growth cycle of everyone’s favorite autumn symbol—the pumpkin. Meticulous drawings detail the transformation of tiny seeds to the colorful gourds that appear at roadside stands and stores in the fall. Directions for planting a pumpkin patch, carving a jack-o’-lantern, and drying the seeds give young gardeners the instructions they need to grow and enjoy their own golden globes. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1999
ISBN: 0-8234-1465-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
Categories: CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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