Details
Synopsis
Her grandfather finds a clever way to help an impatient young Ethiopian girl get to know her father's new wife.
| Size | | Height: | 10.5 in | | Width: | 10.5 in | | Thickness: | 0.5 in | | Weight: | 17.6 oz |
Industry Reviews
Gr 2-4 A retelling of the Ethiopian folktale ``The Lion's Whiskers.'' In the traditional story, a new stepmother learns to be patient in drawing her stepson into accepting her. Kurtz's version has a female child as the central character, emphasizing her persistent attempts to reach out to her father's new wife after her mother's death. The details of mourning and her daily life make the forlorn Almaz seem real, and the respectful warmth of her relationship with her wise grandfather is sensitively portrayed. The author's note may help American children to appreciate the stepmother, who appears to reject all of the girl's initiatives. Kurtz's language has a tender lyricism further emphasized by Cooper's oil paintings. A brown wash mutes the background colors, creating a timeless sense of story. At the same time, the illustrations, including the appearance of the child and the use of hot colors in the background, give a much less authentic sense of Ethiopia than E.B. Lewis's illustrations for Kurtz's Fire on the Mountain (S.&S., 1994). Pulling the Lion's Tale is a good story that may be especially helpful to American children in blended families. Like so many picture books with African settings, it is less than entirely successful in projecting ideas about Africa. Loretta Kreider Andrews, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, MD
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