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Tracey Goes to Fair Island
James Quartz
Price: $17.95
ISBN: 978-0-9816641-7-0 This story "Tracey goes to Fair Island" by Jane Quartz is a wit and funny poem that explores how a young girl intuitively finds a creative way to cope with resentment. Her feelings are given a realistic account but are described in child's own terms. After she eats most of the cake, draws on walls, and practices extreme cooking, Tracy gets no sympathy from parents. Her emotions receive an authentic depiction as she flees away from home rules which seem to strict to her. She seeks to find a comfort in the wide world and finds a magic Fair Island where she would enjoy her self-imposed solitude ultimately and forever, that is "till very-very late of the day". Gradually, Tracy begins feeling lonely without her siblings, parents and domestic amity full of friends, pets, and smiles. When Tracy returns home, cheered and hopeful, everybody welcomes her and readily offers to participate in family projects. She completes the perfect trio of happy children in concluding scene where she prefers to feel happy together instead of having fun alone. Last verse gives a story an unexpected twist as it shows that Tracy's journey was an imaginary one and it was inspired by her fantasies which prescribe all familiar surrounding objects with magic capacities. The palm tree blossoms and pours to her its ripe candies, a stuffed giraffe grows big and leads her to a rainbow treasure, and the paper plane carries her to distant interesting places with no specific geographical attachment. Jane Quartz and Ed Cornelyan have collaborated to truly hilarious effect. Pair this excellent story, mix-media illustrations are positively inspired and provide excellent comedic support to the story dynamics. They evocatively emulate humorously exaggerated Tracy's drama and capture the intensity of her feelings with strong colors. In his bright work, Ed once again produces a perfect visual expression of the child's emotional tempest. When Tracy wants to scare parents with a firm intention to go right into the jaws of wild predators so family appreciates her better, on the opposite page, a group of rather friendly animals adds comic verisimilitude to her claim. This story, although to a certain degree a behavior-management episode is not aimed to change anyone's behavior set, but, been concentrated on emotional side, would certainly elicit nods of recognition in both very young and older children. The illustrations are artistically designed to particularly emphasize the universal nature of children's reactions, and also the strong multicultural component of fun places and activities. All listeners will discover themselves not just in a young rebel, but also in a character who uses her vivid imagination and fantasy to cope with negative feelings and forgiving each other's flaws. Mischief readers and their parents, as well as anyone who enjoys a good laugh, will be drawn to this book which is worth adding to any collection. |
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What Would I Be?
Price: $16.95
ISBN: 978-0-9816641-2-5 In this amiable rhyming verse "What would I be?" a spunky little boy, the charming character created by Ed Cornelyan, rejects choosing one ultimate life-long career and pictures himself in different professions before it is too late and he gets too old, "like ten, perhaps eleven". There is no broad enough spectrum of occupations to match his vigorous fantasies, and every month he discovers new careers that fit his personal requirements and aptitude. The bright acrylic drawings by Amber Blitz capture the laughable array of the boy's dreams and support the reading with humor and expression. Multiethnic cast of children on the cover back symbolizes navigation through different appealing and engaging careers most little children want to aspire. The boy envisions himself a barber whose mastery can serve the world stars but also finds a pet groomer career equally attractive. As a practicing artist-to-be, he tries "few walls on neighbors' shed" and with full entourage of a serious artist draws a rather caricature picture of his sister. Another picture shows him as a firefighter rescuing a cat with yet an open option of becoming a space-traveler to which an emerging alien space ship alludes. Then the would-be millionaire reshapes grand palace to fit his teen hobbies. A subsequent scene shows his waving between an opera singer and a dentist. Then he decides to follow the family traditions and, based on his grandmother's true story about her dancing with Gagarin, he chooses to be a dancer. His fantasy works in most amazing ways and an imaginary theatre scene gets complimented with an astronaut ascending the stairs of a big stage. Renowned celebrities, his friends and pets equally grace his possible work places and youngsters will not help but laugh out loud at the little boy's imagination. This is a good choice for story hours: kids are sure to cheer as the future 5th grade teacher who tries to impress his class arriving to school on a parachute, or a photographer so focused on taking pictures of the pond lilies that he has not noticed a submarine coming by. Humor abounds in the way the boy's fantasies unfold in the pictures and the ending issues a playful exhortation to the boy's family: "I'll definitely choose tonight!" This seemingly pure fun text precludes much depth as it reveals many wonderful things about being a child. Bright cover picture shows smiling children of various ethnicities who can explore and choose their path among a broad spectrum of different occupations equally open for them to pursue. With dynamic text and glowing illustrations, this very satisfying story is sure to spark the imaginations of little barbers/dancers/architects/artists/astronauts-to-be. Children of ages 4-104. |
