Gillian McClureReseñas

A willful and proud little donkey, Arod was a trial to his owner, who had twice unsuccessfully attempted to sell him to travelers heading to Bethlehem. Then a poor carpenter and his pregnant wife arrived at the door, and although Arod felt he was destined to carry a king, he found himself sold to this humble couple. Attempting mischief a few times on the journey, Arod inadvertently saved his humans from danger—alerting them to a lion and then a snake, and preventing a fall off a cliff—finding to his surprise that each time his burden grew less, and the world around more beautiful. By the time he and his humans had arrived at Bethlehem, and found refuge in a stable (all the inns being full), he had realized he was indeed carrying a king...

From Barbara Helen Berger's beautiful The Donkey's Dream to T. William Taylor's The Christmas Donkey (a Little Golden Book), stories about the donkey who bore Mary on her journey to Bethlehem are not uncommon, in the world of picture books. English author/illustrator Gillian McClure's The Christmas Donkey offers an interesting variant on the tale, depicting an asinine hero unwilling to play his role, until a series of wonders (perhaps even miracles) alters his perspective. Although the reader knows where the story is headed, it is still a pleasure to watch it (and the eponymous donkey) get there in the end. This pleasure is greatly enhanced by McClure's gorgeous artwork! I'm not sure what media was used, but these illustrations are vivid—detailed and expressive, with a true painterly quality. Recommended to anyone seeking Nativity stories for younger children, that focus on the experiences of the donkey that bore Mary and the unborn Jesus.

An enjoyable collection of nine traditional Korean folktales, retold and illustrated by British author/artist Gillian McClure, and suitable for young picture book lovers and beginning readers. I'm not sure that McClure's rather pastel artwork is to my taste, but the stories themselves make The Land of the Dragon King worthy of the reader's attention, and the source notes included at the rear are (as always) quite welcome. Stories include:

The Herdsman and the Weaver, a mythological love story meant to explain the existence of the twin stars Altair and Vega. This tale, which can also be found in the Chinese and Japanese traditions, has also been retold as A Song of Stars: An Asian Legend.

Clever Rabbit, in which a man learns not to help a tiger, but only after being saved by a very clever rabbit...

Why the Sea is Salty, in which a young man's theft of a magic grinding mill results in the sea gaining its salt...

The Goblin's Magic Stick, in which brothers Dogal and Gogal behave very differently, and are rewarded accordingly...

A Bit of Shade, in which a miserly old man learns to regret his behavior, after selling the shade of his zelkova tree...

Why Pigs Have Snouts, in which Hen, Dog and Pig are all sent by the Heavenly Ruler to help humankind...

The Fierce Old Dried Persimmon, a humorous tale in which a tiger misunderstands a human mother's warnings to her child, and comes to believe that he is being stalked by a "fierce persimmon..."

Me First!, in which Deer, Hare and Toad debate as to who is the oldest...

And The Land of the Dragon King, in which the dutiful and loving Shim Chong is finally rewarded for her filial devotion...

In this original story based on the selkie tradition of Scotland - apparently it was inspired by the author's trip to the island of Colonsay - Gillian McClure spins a tale of a boy, his fascination with nearby Seal Island, and its phocine residents, and his friendship with a young selkie-girl. Although warned by his granny to stay away from the island, Peter cannot resist its lure, following the crusty oysterman across the sands, during low tide, and meeting and befriending Selkie, a seal-girl he finds trapped in a net. When the oysterman captures Selkie, and holds her prisoner, determined to extract information about harvesting the riches of the sea, it falls to Peter to free his new friend...

I can't say that the story here worked as well for me, as some of the more traditional selkie tales I have read - titles like Mordicai Gerstein's The Seal Mother, or Susan Cooper's The Selkie Girl - but it was engaging enough, particularly when joined to McClure's artwork, which I did enjoy. Her palette is well suited to a depiction of the sea, and some of her border work, using sea motifs, was quite lovely. Recommended to young readers looking for original, rather than traditional selkie stories.

Personal Response: A picture book that has nine stories that are a pleasant selection of classics.

Curricular or Programming Connection: Korean stories and other culture stories from other nationalities. how they vary and are similar.

McDoo travels the world as a racing pigeon. The owners, Mr. Nab and his family are portrayed as evil, with hunched posture and watching eyes. This picturebook seems to say that it is good to fulfill your master's dreams before your own; it is safer to be a captive than free.

This odd, initially intriguing fantasy about a mysterious cat contains the evocative and repetitive language of fairy tales. After the death of her cat, "Every day Queenie called her Tabby, sadly she called her dear old Tabby." In response, a huge cat named Tom Finger, walking upright, appears at her door with a gift (a lace handkerchief one day, a satin soap bag the next, etc.) as Queenie asks unanswered questions (e.g., "Young Tabby Tom Finger, where do you come from and where do you go?"). Queenie ignores her brother Ben's warning that Tom Finger must be in league with a witch and eventually she sets out to find the cat's home. Queenie never sees her, but the witch appears to Ben and to readers in delicate watercolors, knitting frosty webs in the sky and materializing in a mass of bubbles. Cheery and non-menacing, she guides Queenie (or does she?) to a cottage where she meets a grieving blind woman who gives her "a kitten, a dear little kitty, just like [her] tabby." This poetic story is set in a winter landscape of white backgrounds with pale greens, blues, and muted reds and grays. The illustrations treat the little brother's accusations of witchcraft by cleverly depicting the imaginary witch secretly, though not maliciously, enticing Queenie to follow after Tom.