The Acrobat and the Angel

The brothers Shannon (Gawain and the Green Knight) return with an adept and poignant interpretation of the medieval French folktale ""The Acrobat of God (or of Our Lady)."" Orphaned P quel possesses only one memento of his mother: an angel she fashioned from twigs and dried flowers. On the verge of starvation, P quel , a gifted acrobat, is taken in by the friars at a monastery on the condition that he ""leave [his] carnival ways behind forever."" The boy agrees and takes comfort in the friendship of a kind friar and the abbey's angel statue, which reminds him of his mother's parting gift. But one day, P quel breaks his promise in order to cheer a small child stricken with the plague. The abbot banishes P quel for his disobedience. The boy begs to see the angel statue one last time--with dramatic results. A sense of wonder permeates Mark Shannon's polished and understated retelling, making the tale's miraculous elements seem credible and nearly logical. In a return to his traditional style, dramatically different from his David Goes to School (reviewed above), David Shannon here presents luminous acrylics framed by stone-window-like arches, some modest and some ornate, resembling the look of medieval masonry. The artist's brilliant characterization of P quel reveals a boy at once humble and larger than life. These heroic traits culminate in the volume's only full-bleed spread, a spectacular portrait of P quel launching into flight with his angel. A moving story that leaves a lingering impression of joy. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)