Veronika Martenova Charles

The Birdman is a story of a tailor in Calcutta who loses his children and then begins to save his money to buy birds and free them. It was based on a real man, and at the end of the book, there is a selection of photos and more information on the real Birdman.
The story was about a man who suffered and grieved for the loss of his children, but left you with a feeling of uplift and joy. Would I spend money just to free animals? The book left me wondering about bringing joy to those who are suffering as a way to relieve your own.… (meer)

This easy-to-read kids’ book is suitable for beginning readers and to read aloud to younger audiences.

It re-tells three folktales from different cultures all featuring children outwitting an evil character who wants to eat them. The three re-tellings are framed by a story of three modern-day American kids from three different ethnic backgrounds telling each other these tales. The American kids point out the origins and similarities of the tales to the reader. The framing device is more than a bit forced. It feels very didactic.

The folktales are illustrated by black-and-white drawings in typical kids- book style—no frills. The lack of color, unfortunately extents to the proses. Stories that have thrilled, delighted, and enchanted for centuries are here rendered in colorless, dry, minimalist text. The telling details that make the traditional stories scary and memorable (the cottage made of sweet gingerbread irresistible to the hungry siblings and the blind witch tricked into believing Hansel is too thin to cook by being offered a gnawed bone to feel, for example) are entirely lacking. Stripped to their barest bones, the action in these stories seems just rather random and inexplicable. OK, maybe the crocodile in the African tale was a bit interesting but, on the whole, the book is dull as dishwater.

Reading this book, I can just picture the lesson plan it is intended to fulfill. I suggest that anyone wishing to teach that lesson simply turn to any of the abundant primary sources for the kind of lively, memorable language and imagery that has kept kids coming back to these tales time out-of-mind.… (meer)