Albert
Donna Jo Napoli, , illus. by Jim LaMarche. . Harcourt/Voyager, $6 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-15-205249-2
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Reviewed on: 08/22/2005
Genre: Children's
Hardcover - 32 pages - 978-0-15-201572-5
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- ALBERTDonna Jo NapoliNapoli's (Beast) first picture book spins a beguiling tale of a recluse forced out of his shell through unlikely circumstances. Sticking his hand through Continue reading »
- HOW HUNGRY ARE YOU?Donna Jo NapoliIn this delectable combination of practical math and generosity, 13 picnickers amass a true feast. The event starts small, with a chat between a pink rabbit and a green-freckled frog. Continue reading »
- ROCKY: The Cat Who BarkedDonna Jo NapoliNapoli (How Hungry Are You?) and Kane, Napoli's sister, address the problems of aging owners and needy pets in this sympathetic story of a black-and-white Continue reading »
- DAUGHTER OF VENICEDonna Jo NapoliNapoli returns to the locale of Stones in Water and For the Love of Venice, this time for a costume drama set in the late Continue reading »
- FLAMINGO DREAMDonna Jo NapoliTold in the ingenuous voice of a girl who loses her father to cancer, this awkward story begins with a meandering account of a trip the youngster and her dad take to his childhood home in Florida. Continue reading »
- BEASTDonna Jo NapoliThe bulk of this Beauty and the Beast novel is devoted to (the beast) Orasmyn's life as a lion, everything from his probing of the complexities of his fate and his Islamic prayers to his Continue reading »
- THE GREAT GOD PANDonna Jo NapoliAs in her Sirena, Napoli populates this ambitious novel with classical literary figures, chief among them Pan, the half-goat, half-god associated with nature. While Napoli's Pan physically Continue reading »
- DAUGHTER OF VENICEDonna Jo NapoliA 14-year-old girl in the late 16th century wants to see Venice and receive the same education as her brothers. So she disguises herself as a boy and leads readers on a tour of historical Venice Continue reading »
- HOTEL JUNGLEDonna Jo Napoli, Shelagh JohnstonIn this dubious comedy about clever primates and dunderheaded tourists, baboons operate an African hotel while its owners and regular guests are away. Before the baboons take over, two Hotel Continue reading »
- BOUNDDonna Jo NapoliNapoli (The Magic Circle ) takes the Cinderella story back to its roots in China, where the search for the right foot to fit the symbolic glass slipper takes on Continue reading »
- The King of Mulberry StreetDonna Jo NapoliNapoli (Stones in Water ) carefully lays out the dramatic growth of nine-year-old narrator Beniamino, from his last day in Naples, Italy, to his premature Continue reading »
- UglyDonna Jo NapoliIn the tradition of her The Prince of the Pond and The Magic Circle , Napoli here retells Hans Christian Andersen's Continue reading »
- Hush: An Irish Princess' TaleDonna Jo NapoliClose in tone and audience to Napoli's Bound , this powerful survival story invents a backstory for Melkorka, a character in a major Icelandic work, the Continue reading »
- The SmileDonna Jo NapoliOne of the great mysteries, the secret of Mona Lisa's smile, is captivatingly addressed in this fictional history of the woman who posed for Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting. Readers Continue reading »
- Ready to DreamDonna Jo Napoli, Elena FurrowQuiet dignity marks Napoli (Stones in Water ), Furrow and Aboriginal artist Bancroft's account of a child's encounter with Australia and its indigenous Continue reading »
- Alligator BayouDonna Jo NapoliBased on the 1899 lynching of five Italian immigrants, this thought-provoking book draws its power from vivid depictions of late–19th-century Louisiana and little-known historical facts. Continue reading »
- The Earth Shook: A Persian TaleDonna Jo NapoliNapoli (Ready to Dream ) reworks folktale elements into a new and startling whole. After an earthquake, dark-haired Parisa is her town's lone survivor. Only Continue reading »
- Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of KenyaDonna Jo NapoliWhile Nobel Medalist Wangari Maathai has been the subject of two earlier picture biographies (Jeanette Winter's Wangari's Trees of Peace and Claire Continue reading »
- The WagerDonna Jo NapoliBased on the Italian fairy tale "Don Giovanni de la Fortuna," Napoli's (Alligator Bayou) sumptuously written novel is set in 12th-century Sicily. Part historical fiction, part spiritual fantasy, the Continue reading »
- The Magic CircleDonna Jo NapoliIn the words of PW's starred review, ``Napoli gives a classic fairy tale [Hansel and Gretel] an entirely new twist, at the same time incorporating absorbing details about medieval religious beliefs. Continue reading »
- ZelDonna Jo Napoli""Napoli visits her magic upon the tale of Rapunzel, creating a work of depth and beauty,"" said PW in a starred review. ""The shiveringly romantic conclusion will leave readers spellbound."" Ages Continue reading »
- Friends EverywhereDonna Jo NapoliThis strained tale launches Napoli's (Crazy Jack, reviewed below) Angelwings series, in which young angels must help a youngster with a problem in order to earn their wings. Taking a cue from It's a Continue reading »
- Stones in Water Stones in WaterDonna Jo NapoliPW's boxed review called this story of a Venetian gondolier's son and two friends, one Jewish, who are forcibly taken by Nazi soldiers, ""gripping and meticulously researched."" Ages 10-14. (Nov.) Continue reading »
- Sly the Sleuth and the Sports MysteriesDonna Jo Napoli, Robert FurrowThese mother-and-son collaborators' spry follow-up to Sly the Sleuth and the Pet Mysteries may be rather short on sports action and suspense, but its chipper narrator and her entourage will likely Continue reading »
- The Hero of BarlettaDonna Jo NapoliTeased by the other children because of his tremendous size, Nico saves the town against an invading army. Ages 6-9. Continue reading »
- When the Water Closes Over My HeadDonna Jo NapoliIts rather frightening, downbeat title aside, this is a decidedly uplifting story. The day before his family leaves to visit Grandma and Grandpa in Iowa, nine-year-old Mikey packs his clothes, taking Continue reading »
- The Bravest ThingDonna Jo NapoliLaurel, the thoughtful 10-year-old heroine of this ambitious novel, loves all her pets-snakes, rabbits, fish-and she takes good care of them, but they suffer untimely deaths. When a pet rabbit at Continue reading »
- SpinnersDonna Jo Napoli, Richard TchenNapoli and Tchen spin fairy tale into something less than gold in this attenuated retelling of ""Rumpelstiltskin."" The villain of that tale, the odd little man who helps the miller's daughter but Continue reading »
- When the Water Closes Over My HeadDonna Jo NapoliMikey learns to swim (and to think positively and act confidently) in this ""decidedly uplifting story,"" said PW, adding that ""Napoli's snappy dialogue... and Poydar's animated drawings make this a Continue reading »
- Stones in WaterDonna Jo NapoliThis gripping, meticulously researched story (loosely based on the life of an actual survivor), set in Europe during WWII, is told from the point of view of a Venetian boy forced into war against his Continue reading »
- ZelDonna Jo NapoliAs she has done for The Frog Prince and Hansel and Gretel, Napoli here visits her magic upon the tale of Rapunzel, creating a work of depth and beauty. In mid-16th-century Switzerland, Zel, on the Continue reading »
- The Song of the MagdaleneDonna Jo NapoliImagining the youth of Mary Magdalene, this novel is easily Napoli's (Zel, see p. 49) riskiest; unfortunately, it is not one of her most successful. Miriam, daughter of a wealthy Jewish widower in Continue reading »
- Song of the MagdaleneDonna Jo NapoliThis novel imagines the youth of the girl who would become Mary Magdalene and the events that shaped her into a powerful Biblical figure. ""Readers may come away with new thoughts about a different Continue reading »
- Crazy JackDonna Jo NapoliRevisiting Jack and the Beanstalk, Napoli (Spinners) makes the plot bleaker but the message inspirational--an uneasy mix that reduces rather than expands the impact of the familiar story. Jack is Continue reading »
- BeastDonna Jo NapoliDespite its wonderfully imaginative premise, this refashioned Beauty and the Beast falls curiously flat--it is more cerebral than romantic in tone, more laborious than lush in its execution. Unlike Continue reading »
- The Magic CircleDonna Jo NapoliA midwife-cum-sorceress known simply as the Ugly One narrates this riveting tale of how, tricked by the devil's minions, she lost her gifts for healing and was forced to become a witch. Escaping from Continue reading »
- Jimmy, the Pickpocket of the PalaceDonna Jo NapoliNapoli picks up where she left off in The Prince of the Pond, in which a prince turned frog regains his royal corpus only after starting a large and loving frog family. The star of this new adventure Continue reading »
- Jimmy, the Pickpocket of the PalaceDonna Jo NapoliIn this sequel to The Prince of the Pond, a frog is turned into a human boy and tries to retrieve a magic ring that will save his home from destruction. ""The bittersweet undertones of the first Continue reading »
- SirenaDonna Jo NapoliLike its mermaid heroine, this uneven novel is something of a hybrid: a romantic fantasy imposed atop a classical legend. A lengthy, even laborious set-up invents a genealogy for mermaids within Continue reading »
- Changing TunesDonna Jo NapoliThe talented Napoli (Stones in Water; Zel) shifts to a decidedly minor key for this middle-grade novel. Fifth-grader Eileen feels devastated when her father moves out, but she's in for another nasty Continue reading »
- The Great God PanDonna Jo NapoliAs in her Sirena, Napoli populates this ambitious novel with classical literary figures, chief among them Pan, the half-goat, half-god associated with nature. While Napoli's Pan physically Continue reading »
- The Prince of the Pond: Otherwise Known as de Fawn PinDonna Jo NapoliThis variation on ""The Frog Prince"" is told by Jade, a watchful female frog who teaches the bewitched royal how to survive in the pond. Jade eventually becomes a frog wife and mother to a school of Continue reading »
- Gracie, the Pixie of the PuddleDonna Jo NapoliDonna Jo Napoli's Gracie: The Pixie of the Puddle brings to a close her trilogy begun with The Prince of the Pond. Though Gracie is a normal frog, she increasingly feels out of touch with her Continue reading »
- The CrossingDonna Jo NapoliThrough the eyes of baby Jean Baptiste, carried on his mother's back, Napoli (Mama Miti) tells the story of Shoshoni woman Sacagawea's 16-month voyage with pioneers Lewis and Clark from North Dakota Continue reading »
- Lights on the NileDonna Jo NapoliLiving in ancient Egypt around 2530 B.C.E., 10-year-old Kepi inhabits a world very aware of the presence and power of gods and spirits. Her father is wounded while helping build a pyramid for the Continue reading »
- Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & MonstersDonna Jo NapoliNapoli brings new life to the familiar stories of Greek mythology in this intimate compilation, telling each tale with grace, clarity, and emotion. When Demeter mourns her missing daughter, “Her Continue reading »
- A Single PearlDonna Jo Napoli, Jim Jo LamarcheInspired by a Persian poem, this resonant book from the creators of Albert follows a grain of sand’s metamorphosis into a pearl. Napoli’s lyrical narrative imbues the tiny grain with emotions. When Continue reading »
- SkinDonna Jo NapoliSixteen-year-old Sep is alarmed when her lips suddenly turn white, forcing her to pull out some long-buried pink lipstick to disguise them. Just as unexpectedly, Sep starts getting the attention of Continue reading »
- Treasury of Egyptian Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Monsters & MortalsDonna Jo NapoliIn this excellent companion volume to Treasury of Greek Mythology, Napoli and Balit introduce a panoply of Egyptian gods, goddesses, and other characters, while placing them in the context of Continue reading »
- StormDonna Jo NapoliNapoli (Skin) draws from the story of Noah's Ark in this account of a Canaanite girl, Sebah, with a big problem: rain, which sweeps away her family, home, and the ground beneath her feet. Sebah and a Continue reading »
- HiddenDonna Jo NapoliThis adventure-packed companion to Napoli’s Hush takes place in the 10th century, stretching over eight years in the life of fugitive Irish princess Brigid as she experiences four different lives. Continue reading »
- Dark ShimmerDonna Jo Napoli, Donna Jo NapoliA comparative giant on an island of dwarves, Dolce has grown up isolated and reviled. She learns the valuable work of making mirrors, but when tragedy claims her mother Dolce flees to Venice, taking Continue reading »
- Tales from the Arabian Nights: Stories of Adventure, Magic, Love, and BetrayalDonna Jo NapoliNapoli and Balit follow their collections of Egyptian, Greek, and Norse myth with a selection of the stories recounted by Scheherazade, a girl “subject to the whims of a man so deeply wounded his ego Continue reading »
- A STORY FOR BEARDennis HaseleyIn Haseley's (Kite Flier) wistful tale of a bear beguiled by a woman he befriends one summer, inconsistencies render the events more puzzling than haunting. Continue reading »
- THE RAFTJim LaMarcheNicky's summer vacation in the Wisconsin woods fills up with quiet adventures when he discovers a raft covered with drawings of wild animals. PW's Continue reading »
- THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKERJim LaMarcheThis retelling in unvarnished prose stays true to the Grimm tale; the book's strength comes from LaMarche's (The Rainbabies ) colored-pencil Continue reading »
- THE RAINBABIESLaura Krauss MelmedA childless couple finds a dozen tiny rainbabies and cares for them until their real mother arrives to claim her offspring. Calling the writing "flawless" and the paintings "equally Continue reading »
- Bear's First ChristmasRobert KinerkIn Kinerk's (Clorinda ) rhyming ode to the rewards of giving, it turns out that the bear necessities for a merry Christmas are pretty much the same as human Continue reading »
- The Sea of SleepWarren Hanson"Drifting. Floating. Lightly gliding/ On the Sea of Sleep tonight./ Rocking. Swaying. Slowly sailing/ On toward the morning light." The text of this lilting lullaby is so soothing that young readers Continue reading »
- The RainbabiesLaura Krauss MelmedAt a time when many supposedly new titles turn out to be retellings of familiar fairy tales, it's invigorating to find real creativity at work. In a stunning debut, Melmed combines standard fairy Continue reading »
- The CarouselLiz RosenbergTwo sisters must tame a group of carousel horses that have magically come to life. In a starred review, PW said, ""Rosenberg's atmospheric tale is greatly enhanced by LaMarche's singularly luminous Continue reading »
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- The Walloping Window-BlindJim LaMarche, Charles E. Echarles Edw CarrylLike the wacky crew of the ship in Carryl's classic nonsense poem, readers will ``cheerily put to sea'' in this captivating picture book. With his brush dipped in the same luminous colors that lit up Continue reading »
- The CarouselLiz RosenbergWhen two sisters take a shortcut through the park one rainy winter day at dusk, the horses on the canvas-shrouded carousel magically come to life and take them for a thrilling twilight ride, soaring Continue reading »
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- Grandmother's PigeonLouise ErdrichCalling this imaginative story ""magical from beginning to end,"" PW's starred review praised Erdrich's ""serene invocation of breathtaking imagery"" and LaMarche's ""evocative"" art. All ages. (May) Continue reading »
- The Carpenter’s Gift: A Christmas Tale About the Rockefeller Center TreeDavid RubelEver since construction workers building New York’s Rockefeller Center put up a humble Christmas tree on site in 1931, the annual tradition has become a gift that keeps on giving. Author/historian Continue reading »
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