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(2)
K-3
Translated by Elizabeth D. Crawford.
Dormouse Gus sleeps through Santa's visits; this year, he begs a squirrel to wake him when Santa arrives. Large, softly colored illustrations capture the forest animals' excitement as they watch Santa appear. Generously filling the large pages, the pictures are warm with autumn's preparations and hushed under the chill of winter. Originally titled Wake Up, Dormouse, Santa Claus Is Here.
Reviewer: Kitty Flynn
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
January, 1990
(2)
K-3
Translated by Elizabeth D. Crawford.
Illustrated by
Lisbeth Zwerger.
Illustrator Zwerger, with her delicate, instantly recognizable style, is an acknowledged master at interpreting classic tales. Although she has broadened her palette in recent years, this early work, with its acknowledged debt to Arthur Rackham, is well worth seeking out.
Reviewer: Terri Schmitz
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
June, 1980
282 pp.
| McElderry
| January, 2008
|
TradeISBN 978-0-689-87791-9$16.99
(4)
YA
Dark Reflections Trilogy series.
Translated by Elizabeth D. Crawford.
Merle and her allies (including romantic interest Serafin) take the final, fearful steps necessary to save their beloved Venice from the marauding Egyptian Empire. Dual story lines sap tension, and attempts to connect the many plot strands of the previous books can be convoluted, but Merle and Serafin's reunion reinvigorates the narrative, propelling the inventive trilogy to a bittersweet end.
375 pp.
| McElderry
| May, 2008
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4169-2476-0$16.99
(4)
YA
Wave Walkers series.
Translated by Elizabeth D. Crawford.
This third and final title in the series follows magical "polliwog" Jolly and her pirate friends as they fight against the ancient Maelstrom that has been threatening humankind. Populated with unique magical creatures, the story overflows with imagination. The fantastical elements are dulled, though, by some overly long, plot-interrupting battle sequences.
298 pp.
| McElderry
| May, 2007
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4169-2474-6$16.99
(4)
YA
Wave Walkers series.
Translated by Elizabeth D. Crawford.
This second installment reconnects with Jolly, the water-walking "polliwog" whose ancient powers now extend below the water's surface. With her new ability comes the responsibility of saving humanity from the terrifying Maelstrom--a challenge Jolly isn't necessarily ready to accept. Though the prose could be tighter, the story's fantastical elements and original characters make the book imaginative and entertaining.
(2)
K-3
Translated by Elizabeth D. Crawford.
Illustrated by
Lisbeth Zwerger.
Crawford's translation of the Grimm fairy tale, smoothly paced and with natural-sounding dialogue, adheres closely to the original story--a cautionary tale if there ever was one. Zwerger's illustrations, watercolor washes in muted earth tones, are expressive, dramatic, and humorous by turns.
350 pp.
| McElderry
| December, 2006
|
TradeISBN 0-689-87789-7$16.95
(4)
YA
Dark Reflections Trilogy series.
Translated by Elizabeth D. Crawford.
With Venice overtaken by the Egyptian empire, orphan Merle escapes with a stone lion and a disembodied goddess to seek help from the ruler of Hell. Meanwhile, Merle's best friend Serafin joins a sphinx's plot to overthrow the Pharaoh. The alternation of narratives leaches tension from the near-constant action, but Meyer's strong characters effectively ground his deeply complex plot.
266 pp.
| Delacorte
| October, 2001
|
TradeISBN 0-385-32705-6$$15.95
(2)
YA
Translated by Elizabeth D. Crawford.
This is a gritty, intense story of a highly charged relationship between Christopher Columbus and sixteen-year-old Esther, a Jewish refugee from the Inquisition who comes aboard the Santa MarÃa disguised as a Christian ship's boy named Pedro. Esther's helpless passion for the older man is convincingly nuanced; the fully realized setting, flavorful dialogue, and multiple intrigues are well executed.
Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2001
214 pp.
| Holt
| October, 1998
|
TradeISBN 0-8050-5861-3$$16.95
(1)
4-6
Translated by Elizabeth D. Crawford.
WWII has been over for seven years, but for twelve-year-old Halinka, resident of a children's home in Germany for neglected or abused girls, it's still all about survival. Unflinchingly direct and immensely involving, the first-person account is sprinkled with clues to Halinka's substantial humanity, and by the end of the book, we know that Halinka's emotional scars will fade as surely as will her physical ones.