Kate Coombs, illus. by John Nickle. S&S/Atheneum, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4169-1533-1
In a feat that may astound fairy tale cognoscenti, Coombs (The Runaway Dragon) and Nickle (Never Take a Shark to the Dentist) transform a once-prickly story into something witty and warm. The Grimms’ half-boy/half-hedgehog Hans is a shrewd bagpipe...
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Kate Coombs, Author . FSG $17 (279p) ISBN 978-0-374-35546-3
In this parody of traditional fairy tale motifs, first-time novelist Coombs introduces a host of comical heroes, heroines, villains and buffoons. Meg, the only daughter of King Stomgard and Queen Istilda, is not your ordinary princess. She detests...
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Kate Coombs, illus. by Meilo So. Chronicle, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8118-7284-3
Coombs punctuates her sweeping, lullaby-like poems about the ocean with surprising personification and unexpected imagery. “My name’s Frank Hermit,” says a hermit crab, a seaside real estate agent. “I have listings for periwinkles,/ whelks, and...
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Kate Coombs, illus. by Lee Gatlin. Chronicle, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4521-2938-9
Coombs (Water Sings Blue) conjures up a school full of spooks using snappy rhymes, a variety of verse forms, and plenty of imagination. Amusing doggerel about the school cafeteria food (“old shoe stew and ankle cake”) mixes with a dirge by a ghost...
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Kate Coombs, illus. by Anna Emilia Laitinen. Sounds True, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-68364-982-3
Positing that “I can be anything/ everything,” meditative first-person lines offer readers a chance to experience nature through the lens of varied subjects—from wind and rain to a snake and a spider. “Heart happy,/ bright/ as a yellow bird,”...
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Kate Coombs, Author, Heather M. Solomon, Illustrator , illus. by Heather M. Solomon. S&S/Atheneum $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-689-83963-4
In an intriguing premise from newcomer Coombs,Kalli is the village's secret-keeper. "I sell loaves weighing less than full measure," the village baker confesses to Kalli. "I've made a bad match," the marriage-maker confides....
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