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Wallace, Ian
6 Reviews
(4)
K-3
Stiffly written text describes the boyhood passion of self-taught naturalist Joe Purdon, who encouraged Showy Lady's Slippers--wild orchids struggling to survive in the fen of his Eastern Ontario farm--to reproduce and flourish. One might think of Purdon as a Canadian Miss Rumphius, though Wallace's watercolors are less magical than Barbara Cooney's and his shy favorite flower less showy than a lupine.
Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin
(4)
K-3
Brando's family, seeking relief from the heat, retreats to the sleeping porch. While his parents sleep, a ghostly cat takes Brando on a flying adventure to space and the Arctic. The story is jumbled and there are logic gaps (e.g., why can't they simply fly off the melting ice floe?), but the accompanying nighttime watercolors are pleasant.
Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey
(3)
K-3
Awaiting the return of their father, a family instead welcomes a hungry stranger to their remote prairie farmhouse. They share their meager Christmas meal, and the mysterious man gives them piles of salt that, scattered, turn the sky brilliant colors. Their father then returns, to the family's joy. Wallace's art is appropriately spare and clean; the story, with its folkloric resonances, is odd but haunting.
Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano
(2)
K-3
According to legend, a Yukon trapper lost his big toe, put it in a can, and left it at the Sourdough Saloon. Wallace uses the tale's grosser elements in a contemporary version: two boys beg the trapper to see his toe and watch a dog and a raven vie for eating rights. The situation and earthy language establish a rustic frontier setting. The overbold type is hard to read; with its fast-moving plot and ample dialogue, this may work best as a read-aloud.
Reviewer: Betty Carter
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
May, 2002
(3)
K-3
Tom is sent with a pie to welcome a new neighbor. The man is an artist, and the first thing Tom sees is a beautiful statue of a "naked lady." Over the following months and years, Tom begins to see the world with different eyes and think of himself as an artist. A quiet reminiscence laced with gentle humor, Wallace's story suggests the possibility of artists in all children. His watercolor and pencil illustrations reinforce and extend the story line.
Reviewer: Barbara Barstow
(4)
K-3
Duncan's fisherman father, jobless because of the depletion of the cod stock, spends his days watching TV and baking. Not wanting to leave their Newfoundland home, Duncan suggests converting their fishing boat to a floating bakery. The text is somewhat awkward and figures in the paintings sometimes seem wooden, but this quiet story deals with a family crisis realistically and respectfully.
Reviewer: Carolyn Shute
6 reviews
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