[BOOK REVIEW] Anansi by Brian Gleeson

Title:  Anansi

Author:  Brian Gleeson

Artist:   Steven Guarnaccia

Genre:  Comedy / Jamaica / Animals / Morals / Trickery

Year Published: 1991

Year Read:  1993

Publisher: Rabbit Ears Books     

Series: We All Have Tales

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (Death of a Family Member)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

I have seen many videos from Rabbit Ears Productions and my favorite ones were “The Fool and the Flying Ship” and “The Fisherman and his Wife.” But now, I have stumbled upon another video from the Rabbit Ears series that has also become a favorite of mine and that video is “Anansi.” “Anansi” has become one of my favorite Rabbit Ears videos because of its Jamaican theme story and Denzel Washington’s dazzling narration. Unlike, most Rabbit Ears stories, “Anansi” has two stories combined into one story.  

“Anansi” is full of positive  elements that I would like to point out. One of those positive elements is Denzel Washington’s narration. Denzel Washington does a terrific job at narrating this story as he speaks with a fluent Jamaican accent making the audience believe that he is really from Jamaica. Probably one of the most memorable quotes  spoken by Denzel Washington was when Anansi was telling the other animals he will not eat anything until the eighth day which he brilliantly states, “Me eat on the eighth day!” Another positive element in this story was the music done by UB40. UB40 provides the perfect Jamaican score to match  the laid back mood of the story. One great example of UB40’s masterful skills in making Jamaican music was when they start to pace up the beat when Anansi is dancing around trying to get the hot beans off his head and when they create a sharp beat of saws and hammers when reacting the scene where the African-Americans were being sold to slavery in the beginning of the story. The last positive element that I would like to point out is in Steven Guarnaccia’s illustrations. Steven Guarnaccia’s illustrations are jagged yet creative in making the glorious drawings of Anansi and his animal friends. My favorite illustration by Steven Guarnaccia was of Anansi the spider himself as he was portrayed as a Jamaican spider with black dreadlocks and a yellow and orange Hawaiian T-shirt. 

“Anansi” is a classic among both adults and children because the children will enjoy the colorful drawings done by Steven Guarnaccia and the masterful storytelling by Denzel Washington. Parents would also enjoy this story because they may have been big fans of Denzel Washington and would not be disappointed for his performance in this short  story. Since, there is nothing inappropriate in this story, “Anansi” is a perfect video to watch for the entire family. However, due to lack of animation in this video, some kids who are more familiar with action may find this video a tad bit boring, but Denzel Washington’s narration, UB40’s music and Steven Guarnaccia’s illustrations will keep the kids interested.

[BOOK REVIEW] Finn McCoul by Brian Gleeson

Title:  Finn McCoul

Author:  Brian Gleeson

Artist:  Peter deSeve

Genre:  Ireland / Giants / Folktale / Humor / Family

Year Published: 1991

Year Read:  2009

Publisher: Rabbit Ears Books 

Series: We All Have Tales

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (Minor Bullying)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

“Finn McCoul” is an Irish folktale from the creative company Rabbit Ears Productions and is about how Finn McCoul must face his nemesis Cuculin and only his wife, Una, knows how to handle the giant brute.  “Finn McCoul” is a great tale about true cunning that many children will enjoy for many years.

When Finn McCoul was born, he was no bigger than a fire-breathing dragon, which was too small for a giant.  King Coul, Finn’s father, was so displeased at the size of his son that he throws Finn over the castle wall and into the water. Luckily, King Coul’s mother sees Finn in the water and she saves him from drowning and she decides to raise the boy herself in the woods.  Many years later, Finn grows up into a man and he decided to leave his grandmother to become a great hero.  Eventually, Finn finds a giant woman named Una who was extremely beautiful and they got married and lived on top of a mountain in a castle.

However, the reason why Finn made his home on top of the mountain was because it was the only way to avoid Cuculin.  Cuculin was a fearsome giant who once flatten a thunderbolt into a pancake and he would always show it to his foes to remind them of the beating they are about to receive from him.  Cuculin tried to find Finn McCoul, but Finn would always run away from him before battle.  One day, Finn was helping his friends build the causeway from Ireland to Scotland when he started gnawing on his thumb.   Whenever Finn starts gnawing on his thumb, he immediately sees the future and he found out that Cuculin was coming after him and he decided to go straight home to Una.  When Finn got home, he told Una about Cuculin and she tells Finn that she needs time to think about how to deal with Cuculin.

What is Una’s plan and can Finn defeat Cuculin?

Read this book to find out!

 Catherine O’Hara does a splendid job narrating this story especially as she uses an Irish accent so effectively to narrate this heroic Irish tale.  Boys of the Lough’s music is beautiful and truly captures the true spirit of Irish music as the tunes are cheerful and old fashioned.  Peter deSeve’s illustrations are beautiful and hilarious at the same time, especially during the scenes of Cuculin lifting up Finn’s house to make the wind move away from the house as he was instructed by Una to do so.

“Finn McCoul” is a wonderful tale from Ireland about how it is wise to be cunning whenever a bully threatens you and it will be an instant classic for children who love comedy and folktales.  I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since there are some Irish names that might be too hard for smaller children to pronounce such as “Cuculin” and “Una.”

[BOOK REVIEW] Koi and the Kola Nuts by Brian Gleeson

Title:  Koi and the Kola Nuts

Author:  Brian Gleeson

Artist:  Reynold Ruffins

Genre:  Folktale / Africa / Respect / Royalty / Animals

Year Published: 1991

Year Read: 1999

Series: We All Have Tales

Publisher: Rabbit Ears Books

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 6+  (Themes of Cannibalism)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

I have grown up with this story ever since I was a child and I still love it to this very day!  “Koi and the Kola Nuts” is an African folktale from the folks at Rabbit Ears and it is about how a young and proud chief’s son named Koi tries to journey to a land where it treats the son of a chief with respect while meeting several friends along the way.  With Whoopi Goldberg’s amazing narration, Herbie Hancock’s brilliant African styled music and Reynold Ruffins’ colorful illustrations, “Koi and the Kola Nuts” is a truly wonderful folktale that everyone will love for many years to come!

This story was simply amazing!  Whoopi Goldberg has done an excellent job at narrating this story as she brings a royal tone to the story, especially in voicing Chief Faliliki.  I also loved the way that Whoopi Goldberg voiced Koi as being a young boy who is proud yet kind-hearted at the same time as it really made me relate more to Koi’s situation to find a village that treats him better.  I also loved the way that Whoopi Goldberg brings humor to the story, especially during the scene where the villagers chant out this verse when Koi comes to town:
 
“He’s no son of a chief.
He’s merely a thief.
There’s nothing worse,
Than an ozu with a curse.
Let’s have a great big feast,
Or a little one at least.”

And when Whoopi Goldberg was literally laughing while saying this verse, it really made me love this scene even more!  Herbie Hancock’s music was beautifully mesmerizing as it has African sounds embedded throughout the music and it really made me fully appreciate the beauty of African music while at the same time, providing the story a calming feel. Probably the highlight of Herbie Hancock’s music was during the scene with the alligator where the music turns dark and deep and it greatly complemented with the frightening appearance of the alligator and moving smoothly with the underwater scene the alligator was in. Reynold Ruffins’ illustrations are extremely colorful and beautiful, especially of all the different animals that Koi encounters.  My favorite image from this story has to be where Koi meets the alligator and when the alligator licks its jaws to indicate his point of eating the Rainmaker’s dog, his tongue is pink and ridged which gives him a somewhat frightening expression.

Parents should know that there is a theme of cannibalism in this story as Koi is threatened many times throughout this story that he will be eaten by the villagers unless he can complete the tasks set out for him.  This might be extremely upsetting for younger children and parents might want to wait a few years before they show this story to their children.

Overall, “Koi and the Kola Nuts” is a brilliant story that both children and adults who are huge fans of African folktales will easily love for many years.  I would recommend this story to children ages six and up since the cannibalism theme might frighten smaller children.


 

[BOOK REVIEW] Paul Bunyan by Brian Gleeson

Title:  Paul Bunyan

Author:  Brian Gleeson

Artist:  Rick Meyerowitz

Genre: Tall Tale / Logging / Humor


Year Published: 1990


Year Read: 2010


Series: Storybook Classics

Publisher: Rabbit Ears Books

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 5+  (Nothing Objectionable)

Buy or Add on:  Amazon  //  Goodreads

 

There have been many Rabbit Ears stories that I have not heard of up until now and “Paul Bunyan” is one of them.  “Paul Bunyan” is about the largest and tallest logging man in history named Paul Bunyan who starts his adventures as he tries to chop down all the trees in the Dakotas so that the new settlers could have homes to live in.  Jonathan Winters’ rich narration along with Leo Kottke and Duck Baker’s inspiring music and Rick Meyerowitz’s hilarious illustrations, all combine together to make “Paul Bunyan” one of the most creative and hilarious stories ever created on Rabbit Ears!

Being a huge fan of the Rabbit Ears series ever since I was five years old, I could imagine myself loving this story at first sight… yes, I loved this story at first sight!  Jonathan Winters’ narration is the true highlight of this story as it is rich and full of excitement and the scene where I thought that Jonathan Winters’ narration truly shined was when he provided a hearty laugh for Paul Bunyan, making Paul Bunyan’s character a truly friendly one.  Rick Meyerowitz’s illustrations are extremely hilarious and creative at the same time as the pictures are mainly accompanied by a white background, effectively emphasizing to the reader that it is wintertime in the story.  The image that stood out the most for me was the image of Paul Bunyan himself as he wears a red flannel shirt with green overalls, brown boots, an orange cap and bushy black hair and a bushy black beard.  I also loved the way that most of the characters are always shown smiling towards the audience since it helped brighten the mood of this story!  Leo Kottke and Duck Baker’s music is fantastic as it is mainly accompanied by a solo guitar which gives the story a tranquil spirit that will have both children and adults be mesmerized by the beauty of a solo guitar.  Brian Gleeson’s writing is just as hilarious and brilliant in this book as it was in “Pecos Bill” as Paul Bunyan is portrayed as an optimistic and inventive character who always has a solution to every problem that he comes against.  What really surprised me about this book was the half-way environmental theme at the end of the story. I will not tell you what happened since I do not want to spoil this story for you, but this was the only version of “Paul Bunyan” that I have heard that had an ending that ended on an environmental note and it was this part of the story that I really enjoyed!

Overall, “Paul Bunyan” is definitely one of the most hilarious and creative stories created by Rabbit Ears Productions and I am sure that many adults and children will enjoy this hilarious version of America’s favorite tall tale hero Paul Bunyan!

*~A Little Side Note~*

The book version and the DVD version of this story are one of the same, meaning that they have about the same illustrations and the same writing.  The only difference is that one is animated and the other you can just read out loud to yourself.  I am pointing this out because I noticed that many people buy the books from the Rabbit Ears series, but the books do not contain the audio cd to go with the book, so personally, I usually buy the DVD instead because it has both the narrator and the illustrations combined into one and it is more convenient for me, however I would not discourage anyone from reading the books from the Rabbit Ears series.

[BOOK REVIEW] Pecos Bill by Brian Gleeson

Title:  Pecos Bill

Author:  Brian Gleeson

Artist:  Tim Raglin


Genre: Western / Humor / Adventure / Tall Tale



Year Published: 1988



Year Read: 2007



Series: Storybook Classics

Publisher: Rabbit Ears Books


Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (Some Suggestive Humor)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 
 

 In the 80’s Rabbit Ears had made their trademark as one of the most popular series for children. “Pecos Bill” is no exception as this story won numerous Grammy Awards. With Robin Williams’ narration, Tim Raglin’s drawings, and Ry Cooder’s music, “Pecos Bill” is surely a story you will want to watch over and over again.

Robin Williams’ narration, Ry Cooder’s music and Tim Raglin’s illustrations are the true highlights of this story. First off, Robin Williams narrates with high-energy and a cowboy accent to boot. Whenever, Pecos Bill goes through any peril, Robin Williams is loud and excited about the situation as if he was there when Bill performed these spectacular acts. Next on the list is Ry Cooder’s country music. Ry Cooder’s solo guitar performance has provided the perfect mood for the story, going from a light and happy tune highlighting Pecos Bill’s early adventures to dark and intense when Pecos Bill goes against the cyclone, which Cooder’s music may have foreshadowed Pecos Bill’s disappearance from Texas in this scene. Finally, Tim Raglin’s colorful illustrations have greatly influence the mood of this story. Raglin’s drawings are colorful and rich as he greatly details the plains and the cyclone in fluent colors. Raglin also illustrates Pecos Bill’s life in a humorous way, such as, the scene where Pecos Bill is shown throwing around the rattlesnake like a lasso. Tim Raglin’s highlighted illustration was of Pecos Bill himself, as Pecos Bill is drawn with white, fluffy pants, a polka-dotted handkerchief, and suave red hair that make him have the appearance of a true hero.

“Pecos Bill” was considered to be Rabbit Ears finest half-hour story. Well, I think that they were right about that. “Pecos Bill” has everything that you would expect from a natural cowboy movie. The story has loads of adventure, comedy, romance, and suspense and each scene describing these genres is greatly enhanced by the narration, drawings and illustrations. “Pecos Bill” is loads of laughs and shocks and is a perfect film for the entire family.