| ________________
CM . . .
. Volume IX Number 8. . . . December 13, 2002
excerpt: Long, long ago, in India, a young hare lived in a sun-dappled grove of palm and mango trees. The hare was a worrywart. She worried about food, she worried about rain, she worried about her eyes being green. She worried and fretted about everything. Jan Thornhill is well known for her intricately illustrated books including The Wildlife ABC : A Nature Alphabet (Greey de Pencier Books, c1988); A Tree in a Forest (Greey de Pencier Books, c1988); Crow and Fox and Other Animal Legends (Owl/Greey de Pencier Books, c1991) and Before & After: A Book of Nature Timescapes (Owl Books, c1997). Her work has been recognized by several prizes including the UNICEF Ezra Jack Keats Award.
All of Thornhill's books take a thoughtful look at nature and the environment, and her latest book, The Rumor, is no exception. This new version of the classic "The Sky is Falling" tale features a worrywart hare scaring all the animals when she shouts, "The world is breaking up." Thousands of animals, including the hares, boars, tigers, rhinos and deer, stampede through the marshes and forest. Then they meet lion who asks what the world breaking up looks like. Both hare and lion return to the palm and mango grove to investigate and find that a mango fell from a tree and initially scared the hare. All the animals return home, and hare falls into a sound sleep without worrying about anything! At the end of the book, the artist writes about each of the animals, and they are all endangered creatures. This delightful retelling of the story "The Timid Hare and the Flight of the Beasts" from The Jataka, edited by Cowell (Cambridge University Press, 1897), is perfectly suited for sharing with a class. Children will love the repetition plus the elegant full-colour stylized illustrations rich in detail and artistry. An attractive border which surrounds the pages is reminiscent of classic Indian page design. This beautifully executed addition to the folklore shelves will be enjoyed by listeners of all ages as they discover the moral of this ancient tale. Highly Recommended. Lorraine Douglas is Head of Youth Services for the Winnipeg Public Library system.
To comment
on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.
Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal
use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any
other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
Published by
NEXT REVIEW |TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE
- December 13, 2002.
AUTHORS
| TITLES | MEDIA REVIEWS
| PROFILES
| BACK ISSUES
| SEARCH | CMARCHIVE
| HOME |
