PHILIPOK
Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy, , retold by Ann Keay Beneduce, illus. by Gennady Spirin. . Puffin, $6.99 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-698-11966-6
With artwork that
Details
Reviewed on: 08/12/2002
Genre: Children's
- Amazon
- Apple Books
- Barnes & Noble
- Bookshop
- Share
- Tweet
- Copy Link
More By and About this Authorchevron_right
- The Death of Ivan IlyichLeo Nikolayevich TolstoyIn the lovely, low tones of a fine storyteller, Oliver Fox Davies guides us through the stages of Tolstoy's mini masterpiece. Davies's skill with inflection, even within words, heightens Continue reading »
- Android KareninaBen H. Winters, Leo Nikolayevich TolstoyThe next installment in Quirk's much-heralded sci-fi/classics mashup series, this steampunk take on Anna Karenina discards tsarist Russia for an alternate reality where a miracle metal, gronzium, has Continue reading »
- The Gospel in Brief: The Life of JesusLeo Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy's no-frills, just-the-facts-ma'am version of the life of Jesus Christ and his teachings makes a readable account out of the four Gospels that begin the New Testament, but it bears little Continue reading »
- Divine and Human: And Other Stories by Leo TolstoyLeo Nikolayevich TolstoyThese 16 selections from Tolstoy's final eclectic collection of tales titled The Sunday Reading Stories represent the Russian novelist's turn away from the troubling human condition in Anna Karenina Continue reading »
- Divine and Human: An Other StoriesLeo Nikolayevich TolstoyThese 16 selections from Tolstoy's final eclectic collection of tales titled The Sunday Reading Stories represent the Russian novelist's turn away from the troubling human condition in Anna Karenina Continue reading »
- War and PeaceLeo Nikolayevich TolstoyBritish scholar Briggs unveils his lucid new translation of Tolstoy's masterpiece-the first in almost 40 years-to a slightly anxious audience, from first-timers who, balking at the amount of time Continue reading »
- Lion and the Puppy and Other Stories forLeo Nikolayevich TolstoyTaken from Tolstoy's Azbuka , or ``primer,'' these are the stories he created for the village children who came to the ``school'' in his garden, the same children who would soon be old enough to work Continue reading »
- The Death of Ivan Ilyich & ConfessionLeo Nikolayevich TolstoyThis wonderful modern edition of Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich appears side by side with the autobiographical Confession in a new translation by Peter Carson—perhaps even more remarkable for Continue reading »
- THE CRANE WIFEMedieval Japan provides the backdrop for the classic tale of a sail maker who nurses a wounded crane to health. "Bodkin's finely tuned version abounds with drama and emotion in its rich Continue reading »
- THE LITTLE BLACK HENAntony PogorelskyInfusing his paintings with the detail and patina of a centuries-old tapestry, Spirin (The Tale of the Firebird) again brings soulful Russian artistry to a Continue reading »
- SIMEON'S GIFTJulie Andrews Edwards, Emma Walton HamiltonWhile celebrity power and the packaged CD of the famed entertainer reading the text may spur sales for this book, it is Spirin's (The Tale of the Firebird ) Continue reading »
- MOSES: The Long Road to FreedomAs his many admirers will anticipate, Spirin's extraordinary art is the raison d'être of this stately looking volume. Although Beneduce (previously paired with Spirin for
Continue reading » - THE STORY OF NOAH AND THE ARKWith characteristically graceful watercolor-and-pencil illustrations in dusty earth tones, Spirin (Moses: The Long Road to Freedom , Children's Religion Continue reading »
- A Apple PieGennady SpirinA 17th-century English alphabet rhyme inspires Spirin's illustrations, which take on a distinctly Victorian tone. Set inside or outside English country houses, the full-bleed paintings and Continue reading »
- The Night Before ChristmasClement Clarke MooreSpirin's (The Tale of the Firebird ) luxurious watercolor-and-colored pencil compositions whisk readers to what looks like a snowy New England village in the Continue reading »
- We Three KingsOpulence befitting royalty characterizes Spirin's (The Tale of the Firebird ) lush, jewel-hued watercolor-and-colored-pencil interpretation of the beloved Continue reading »
- The Twelve Days of ChristmasGennady SpirinDelicate, ornamental images in colored pencil and watercolors, set in egg-shaped frames, accompany the lyrics to the holiday carol. The scenes are cumulative: French hens and turtle doves join the Continue reading »
- Jesus: His Life in Verses from the King James BibleIn an unusual project, a tempera painting by Spirin has been digitally dissected to create individual images for this picture book that portrays 13 events from the life of Jesus. A note about the Continue reading »
- The Year Without a Santa ClausPhyllis McGinleyMcGinley's 1956 Christmas story gets a refresh with gouache illustrations by Manders that suggest cartoons of the era. When Santa decides he's due for his "first vacation in a thousand years," a boy Continue reading »
- Goldilocks and the Three BearsGennady SpirinIn his adaptation of the Goldilocks story, Spirin's (The Lord Is My Shepherd) lush colored pencil and watercolor spreads are as elaborate as the text is simple. Against white backdrops, Goldilocks Continue reading »
- The Children of LirSheila Macgill-CallahanThe craggy coast of Ireland provides a brooding backdrop for this stirring folktale, reputed to be the genesis of Shakespeare's Lear. After the death of his wife, Aobh, King Lir marries her sister Continue reading »
- KashtankaAnton Pavlovich ChekhovSpirin brings his lush, luminous art to the Russian master's strange tale of a lost dog. Rescued by a stranger, Kashtanka is brought to a new home, which she shares with a goose, white cat and Continue reading »
- NoseNikolai Vasil'evich GogolSpirin's ( Snow White and Rose Red ; Boots and the Glass Mountain ) painstakingly detailed, gilt-flecked artwork has earned him a reputation for elegance, a quality that permeates his sumptuous Continue reading »
- The Frog PrincessJ. Patrick LewisSpirin's ( The Children of Lir ) sumptuous art is reason alone to celebrate this volume, but the text is every bit as rich. Working from a Russian folktale, Lewis ( A Hippopotomusn't ) fashions a Continue reading »
- The Tale of Tsar SaltanAlexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, Aleksandr Sergeevich PushkinThough born into different centuries, these two prodigious Russian talents cast the same spell over their audience. Pushkin's fairy tale gleams with magic and wonder, and Spirin (The Frog Princess) Continue reading »
- The Sea King's Daughter: A Russian LegendAaron ShepardEmotionally authentic prose and jewel-like illustrations that emulate pre-Raphaelite texture and ornament make this retelling of a Russian folktale an exquisite volume. In the medieval city of Continue reading »
- Snow White and Red RoseJacob Ludwig Carl Grimm, Brothers GrimmThe well-known fairy tale about two lovely sisters and a friendly bear contains ""superbly executed paintings [that] enhance the story's grandeur,"" said PW. ""The book's handsome design adds to its Continue reading »
- The Crane WifeOdds BodkinBodkin (The Banshee Train) and Spirin (The Sea King's Daughter) turn to medieval Japan for this vivid retelling of a Japanese folktale. Osamu, a lonely sail maker, nurses an injured crane back to Continue reading »
- Easter Story, Old Ed Do Not Sell X-Ref to 0805063331Spirin (The Christmas Story) weaves together the major biblical accounts of Jesus' passion and resurrection and adorns them with stunning tempera-and-watercolor paintings in this sensitively rendered Continue reading »
- Mysterious Tale GentGeorge SandLoving and kind, Gentle Jack is scorned by his family; knowing this, the mysterious Lord Bumblebee tries to tempt Jack into living with him. His plans for the boy include convincing him to discard Continue reading »
- Enchanter's SpellGennady SpirinExquisite paintings by the Soviet artist of Once There Was a Tree decorate and expand the texts of George MacDonald's Little Daylight, Alexander Pushkin's The Princess and the Seven Brothers, E.T.A. Continue reading »
- Sorotchintzy FairNikolai Vasil'evich GogolWith this tale by Gogol, Soviet artist Spirin ( Once There Was a Tree ; The White Cat ) turns his masterful eye on swarming scenes of Russian peasants carousing at a summer fair. Broad-faced, ruddy Continue reading »
- The Fool and the FishGennady Spirin, Alexander Nikolayevi AfanasyevRussia is the origin of yet another traditional folktale illustrated by Spirin, though this one does not achieve the charm of The White Cat , reviewed above. Its protagonist, lazy young Ivan, is Continue reading »
- The White Cat: An Old French Fairy TaleGennady Spirin, Robert D. San SouciWith this collaboration, San Souci and Spirin prove that gifted and loving hands can make old tales gloriously new again. Credited to Madame d'Aulnoy and first published in 1698, The White Cat Continue reading »
- Boots and the Glass MountainClaire MartinStately prose and majestic artwork grace the pages of this Norwegian fairy tale, which may be read as a male Cinderella story. Forced by his brothers to guard the crops on Midsummer's Night (when the Continue reading »
- Gulliver's Adventures in LilliputAnn Keay Beneduce, Jonathan SwiftSwift's classic novel provides excellent fodder for this intelligent picture book, rendered as Gulliver's account of his time in Lilliput. Without sacrificing Swift's leonine wit, Beneduce minimizes Continue reading »
- PhilipokAnn Keay BeneduceWith their subtle coloring and lush detail, Spirin's watercolors add luster to the old-world charm of one of the Russian-born artist's own boyhood favorites, a children's story by Tolstoy. Philipok Continue reading »
- Frog SongBrenda Z. GuibersonThe team behind Life in the Boreal Forest focuses on a single animal: frogs. The magnificently gifted Spirin paints larger-than-life portraits of 11 frog species from every corner of the world, Continue reading »
- The Most Amazing Creature in the SeaBrenda Z. GuibersonIn their fourth collaboration, Guiberson and Spirin echo the format of 2013’s The Greatest Dinosaur Ever as a dozen aquatic creatures take turns claiming to be the “most amazing creature in the sea!” Continue reading »
- The Deadliest Creature in the WorldBrenda Z. GuibersonGuiberson and Spirin return to the setup of The Most Amazing Creature in the Sea and The Greatest Dinosaur Ever as 14 animals make the case for why they deserve the honor described 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
