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Young, Cybèle
7 Reviews
(4)
K-3
When a queen's shadow is stolen during a ball, a sharp-eyed mantis shrimp questions a disparate menagerie of suspects. Along with each creature's claim of innocence, boxed text offers some scientific information about its vision. Coupled with appropriately surrealist images, the weirdly engaging narrative may confuse some readers. Information about the physiology of vision and additional facts about the animals are appended. Glos.
Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn
(3)
K-3
For each of twelve lost items, Young provides vital statistics (e.g., "Fig. 4 / OBJECT: Umbrella / LAST SEEN: Front porch with the others") and a foldout page showing each item's multi-part transformation (the umbrella morphs into a jellyfish-like creature and flies away). A just-right message appears alongside a concluding photo of the gathered, gasp-worthy paper creations: "Anything is possible."
Reviewer: Nell Beram
(3)
PS
"Nancy knows she's forgotten something." The ensuing illustrations show elephant Nancy, a line drawing, remembering things "all in neat rows" (colorful paper-sculpture objects are arranged in rows within her outline), "in a jumbled-up mess" (objects are topsy-turvy inside her), etc. This concept-driven offering works because it's ultimately relatable: at book's end, Nancy remembers that she's forgotten to meet her friend.
Reviewer: Nell Beram
(3)
K-3
The birds (Ten Birds) are frightened by a scary monster and choose items from a pile of clothing to transform themselves into a series of ever-more-threatening creatures. Finally, one bird breaks the pattern, retrieves a glove from the other room--and vanquishes the monster (observant readers will see that it was the glove's shadow). Elegant pen-and-ink drawings accompany the whimsical story.
Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano
(3)
K-3
In this follow-up to A Few Blocks, big sister Viola prepares lunch for little Ferdie. To persuade him to eat she creates enticing, detailed stories about his veggies; in a twist ending, Ferdie uses the tactic on Viola. Young's colorful ink, watercolor, and collage illustrations of the imagined scenes pop against white backgrounds and expand across pages as the stories unfold.
Reviewer: Sophie Williamson
(2)
K-3
In a clever, handsomely illustrated counting book, ten birds, described in report-card lingo ("Brilliant"; "Highly Satisfactory") endeavor to cross a river. Happening on some odd mechanical devices, each contrives its own transport. It's "Needs Improvement" who's smart enough to simply walk over the bridge. This may suit fledgling surrealists better than budding engineers; Young's elegant pen-and-ink drawings are rife with entertaining incongruities.
Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
May, 2011
(4)
K-3
A little girl encourages her brother on their walk to school by inventing elaborate games for him to play along the way. Shades of gray become swirling colored illustrations as they enter the creative worlds Viola conjures up. The message about the power of imagination isn't new, but the siblings' relationship and the detailed illustrations are both engaging.
Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth
7 reviews
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