Liz Rosenberg reviews two new picture books for the Boston Globe.
The first is Sharon Phillips Denslow' In the Snow (illustrated by Nancy Tafuri). Rosenberg finds In the Snow, "celebrates the quiet days of winter, in clear lyrics by Sharon Phillips Denslow, with equally poetic watercolors by two-time Caldecott Honor-winning artist Nancy Tafuri."
Rosenberg also reviews The Princess and the White Bear King by Tanya Robyn Batt (illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli), a picture book for older children. Rosenberg praises The Princess and the White Bear King and writes, "Tanya Robyn Batt's retelling evidences the lush adjectives and rhythms of a true storyteller. Nicoletta Ceccoli's illustrations in acrylics, pencils, and oil pastels have a distinctly Italianate flavor, with whimsical figures moving slantwise against immense landscapes. Her illustrations are dreamlike, queer, and strange, in jewel tones that gleam against the snowy backgrounds."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Philip Ardagh reviews David Almond's Clay (forthcoming in the U.S. this spring) for the Guardian. Ardagh writes, "There's a reassuringly old-fashioned feel to David Almond's latest book, Clay, that gently lulls the reader into a cosy false sense of security. There are few, if any, outside events or references fixing the story in a particular moment in time." But, as Ardagh notes, evil is just under the calm surface. And, this time, "there's no neatly tied-up ending and no redemption. The evil is still out there." I can't wait to read this one!
