WITH A WHOOP AND A HOLLER: A Bushel of Lore from Way Down South
Nancy Van Laan, , illus. by Scott Cook. . S&S/ Aladdin, $10 (112pp) ISBN 978-0-689-84474-4
Details
Reviewed on: 05/28/2001
Genre: Children's
- Amazon
- Apple Books
- Barnes & Noble
- Bookshop
- Share
- Tweet
- Copy Link
More By and About this Authorchevron_right
- TEENY TINY TINGLY TALESNancy Van LaanThe three rhymed stories in this semi-scary collection vary in their effectiveness, but Chess's quirky illustrations will delight her many fans. Van Laan (When Winter Continue reading »
- SCRUBBA DUBNancy Van Laan, Nancy LaanThis tale does for bathtime what these collaborators' previous Tickle Tum! did for mealtime. The bunny baby has grown rather messy—or, as Van Laan so Continue reading »
- TICKLE TUM!Nancy Van LaanThis rhyming rap for toddlers at mealtime stars an energetic bunny ("Uppa uppa/ time for suppa!" he proclaims). PW said, "Parents may be worn down Continue reading »
- Rainbow CrowNancy Van LaanThis beguiling fable tells how the selfless crow lost his brilliant plumage when he interceded with the Great Sky Spirit on behalf of his animal friends--who were being buried in a snowstorm. Ages Continue reading »
- Possum Come A-Knockin'Nancy Van LaanBooth's signature daffy cartoon art highlights this toe-tappin', down-home verse about a mighty disruptive nocturnal caller. Ages 4-8. Continue reading »
- When Winter ComesNancy Van LaanWinter's first snowflakes have arrived, and as they dance to earth with the lingering autumn leaves, a bundled-up family and their pet Scottie head outdoors to celebrate the world being transformed. Continue reading »
- The Big Fat WormNancy Van LaanNew Yorker artist Russo's graphic designs boldly illustrate this appealing circular tale of a big fat worm who almost gets eaten by the big fat bird. The bird in turn escapes from a big fat cat, who Continue reading »
- Possum Come a KnockinNancy Van Laan, George BoothOutside, there's a full moon in the sky and a grinning possum in a top hat with mischief on his mind. Inside, Granny's knitting, Pappy's whittling and other members of a slightly eccentric family are Continue reading »
- In a Circle Long Ago: A Treasury of Native Lore from North America: Native American; ALA Notable BookNancy Van LaanThis attractive volume gathers together 25 songs and stories from Native American tribes all over North America. Taking a spiral path through the continent, Van Laan (Rainbow Crow) begins with the Continue reading »
- Little Baby BobbyNancy Van LaanVan Laan's (People, People Everywhere!) riotous, don't-try-this-at-home tale sends a ceaselessly smiling tot zipping through town in his runaway buggy, which creates merry mayhem as it crashes into a Continue reading »
- Little Fish LostNancy Van LaanWhen an orange and yellow polka-dotted fish gets separated from his mother, his search for her takes him on a tour of underwater flora and fauna. He spies fellow fish of every stripe, a scarlet Continue reading »
- So Say the Little MonkeysNancy Van LaanChildren will find much to relate to in this whimsical tale of a wild bunch of monkeys intent on having fun and easily distracted from more practical considerations. Drawn from a Brazilian folktale, Continue reading »
- Little Baby BobbyNancy Van LaanA runaway baby buggy starts this madcap tale rolling; the text is ""finger-snapping"" and the art ""ebullient,"" said PW. Ages 5-8. Continue reading »
- Moose TalesNancy Van LaanA companionable band of woodland friends welcomes readers in this endearing early chapter book. The most winning of Van Laan's (Little Fish Lost) three tales may be the last, in which Moose and Continue reading »
- Tickle Tum!Nancy Van LaanHere's a rhythmic rap for toddlers at mealtime. ""Uppa uppa/ time for suppa!"" begins Van Laan (So Say the Little Monkeys), as Pons's (Mouse Cleaning) sunny watercolor and pastel illustration shows a Continue reading »
- People, People EverywhereNancy Van LaanIn bouncy verse, Van Laan ( Rainbow Crow ; Possum Come a-Knockin' ) describes a bustling urban scene, with ``People racing round the town, / Going up! / Going down!'' These city folk dash around the Continue reading »
- The Legend of El DoradoNancy Van LaanOver the years, the name El Dorado has come to signify any place of fabulous wealth; the words also have a literal meaning--``the gilded man.'' This story relates the intriguing legend of a king Continue reading »
- This is the Hat: A Story in RhymeNancy Van LaanThis jaunty, singsong title, written with an irresistible momentum that calls to mind Margaret Mahy's 17 Kings and 42 Elephants , begs to be read and chanted aloud. Based on a familiar cumulative Continue reading »
- The Tiny, Tiny Boy and the BigNancy Van LaanVan Laan ( Possum Come a-Knockin ') dips into Scottish folklore and pulls out this plum of a tale featuring a wee lad and the cow who stubbornly resists his efforts to milk her. From sunup to Continue reading »
- Buffalo Dance: A Blackfoot LegendNancy Van LaanA satisfying multicultural effort, like Van Laan and Vidal's first collaboration ( The Legend of El Dorado ), this retelling of a complex legend posits a mythical origin for the sacred buffalo dance Continue reading »
- Round and Round AgainNancy Van Laan, Nadine Bernard WestcottOne person's trash is another's treasure, as this tale of a resourceful recycler demonstrates. Yet the tart pinks, yellows and greens and the slightly askew rhymes here don't add up to an entirely Continue reading »
- The Big Fat WormNancy Van LaanWith their characteristic swaths of solid color, Russo's bold paintings illustrate a sprightly look at a farm's food chain. Ages 3-5. Continue reading »
- Book Pack Level One: Eight Steps to ReadingNancy Van Laan, Holly Meade, Hyperion BooksReading made easier is the goal of Hyperion's practical Book Packs, three boxes each containing eight paperback picture books and each graduated in difficulty--texts become longer and more involved, Continue reading »
- Book Pack Level TwoNancy Van Laan, Holly Meade, Hyperion BooksReading made easier is the goal of Hyperion's practical Book Packs, three boxes each containing eight paperback picture books and each graduated in difficulty--texts become longer and more involved, Continue reading »
- Book Pack Level ThreeNancy Van Laan, Holly Meade, Hyperion BooksReading made easier is the goal of Hyperion's practical Book Packs, three boxes each containing eight paperback picture books and each graduated in difficulty-texts become longer and more involved, Continue reading »
- Shingebiss: An Ojibwe LegendNancy Van LaanIn the ""way-back time"" of Ojibwe legend, Shingebiss, a merganser duck, dives for fish in Great Lake Superior. But during December's Spirit Moon, Winter Maker freezes the vast lake ""solid as Continue reading »
- Forget Me NotNancy Van LaanAs Alzheimer’s slowly robs Grandma of the ability to function, Julia and her parents struggle on both the emotional and practical fronts. Sometimes it seems like their strategies are spot on: after Continue reading »
- LAPIN PLAYS POSSUM: Trickster Tales from the Louisiana BayouSharon Arms DoucetPranks prevail on the bayou when lollygagging Compère Lapin (aka Brer Rabbit) takes on Compère Bouki (which means "hyena") in these three lively folktales from the Pelican Continue reading »
- JEAN LAFFITE AND THE BIG OL' WHALEFrank G. Fox, Scott CookFox's first children's book presents a picturesque tall tale based on the real-life character of Louisiana native Jean Laffite, a pirate and hero in the War of 1812. As Fox tells it, the Continue reading »
- Nettie Jo's FriendsPatricia C. McKissackMcKissack, known for Flossie and the Fox and the more recent Mirandy and Brother Wind , joins forces with Cook, who debuted last year with a painterly version of The Gingerbread Boy. Their combined Continue reading »
- A Net to Catch TimeSara Harrell BanksThe ""net to catch time"" of this evocative book's title would be language itself--more specifically, the dialect of the vanishing Gullah culture. A Gullah boy, Cuffy, is fast asleep while his Continue reading »
- Ling Cho and His Three FriendsV. J. PacilioForced rhyming couplets relate this overlong story of a farmer who teaches his friends the importance of asking for help in times of need. Ling Cho comes up with a plan to help three of his less Continue reading »
- Nettie Jo's FriendsPatricia C. McKissackPW noted that, despite a convoluted plot, this story-in which a girl enlists animal aid to find a sewing needle-``shows the power of a little imagination in creating solutions.'' Ages 3-8. Continue reading »
PW EDITORS’ PICKS FOR
THE BEST NEW BOOKS
PW EDITORS’ PICKS FOR THE BEST NEW BOOKS
Featured Children's Reviews
The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest
Aubrey Hartman
Clare, the undead fox of Deadwood Forest, is cast as a monster by the local children who gather each Halloween around the forest’s edge to chant about how he “waits to feast/ On Continue reading »
Knucklehead
Tony Keith Jr
Poet and educator Keith (How the Boogeyman Became a Poet) delivers a poignant, hip-hop-fueled collection of poetry that’s equal parts memoir, love letter, and rallying cry to Continue reading »
Little Sanctuary
Randy Boyagoda
Sixteen-year-old Sabel is puzzled by tonight’s family meal, which seems to be a special spread of her and her four siblings’ favorite foods. Sickness and savagery have toppled Continue reading »
When I Hear Spirituals
Cheryl Willis Hudson
Willis Hudson movingly exalts the power of African American spirituals in a lyrics showcase that pairs existing verses with feelings they can evoke. On the first page, a Black Continue reading »
chevron_right
