[BOOK REVIEW] Sukey and the Mermaid by Robert D. San Souci

Title:  Sukey and the Mermaid

Author:  Robert D. San Souci

Artist:  Brian Pinkney

Genre:  Mermaids / Folktale / Fantasy / African American / Family

Year Published: 1992

Year Read:  2008

Publisher:  Four Winds Press

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 6+ (Child Mistreatment)

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“Sukey and the Mermaid” is an American folktale retold by Robet D. San Souci, along with beautiful illustrations from Brian Pinkney.  This book won the Coretta Scott King Award and was also the first book that I have read that originated in South Carolina. This book is surely to be an instant treat for the entire family and is surely to be a favorite among American folktales. 

Robert D. San Souci’s storytelling is magnificent as he narrates the story about a good-natured girl who finds a true friend in the mermaid.  The storytelling is interesting because I have never heard a story come from South Carolina and this is definitely the first folktale that I have read that came from South Carolina.  Another reason is that this story seems like to be a combination of “The Little Mermaid” and “Cinderella” as Sukey plays as an honest yet miserable girl who works hard to the bone and has a cruel step parent, in this case her step-pa and she finds a friend in a mermaid who lives in the sea.  Brian Pinkney’s illustrations are vibrant and rough edged and they give the book a calm feel when Sukey goes to the sea and a mysterious feel, such as having Mister Jones always having his hat tilted to cover his eyes.  The image that stood out from the rest of the images in the book was of the mermaid herself who has green and flourishing hair and a beautiful face to match.  Seeing the mermaid just makes anyone who reads this book shows comfort for her as she is shown to be a reassuring and friendly character in this book. 

“Sukey and the Mermaid” is a unique book about how true friendship can bring happiness to anyone and how dreams do come true if you believe in yourself.  This book is certainly a special one that both adults and children will cherish because of its creative plot and because of its ingenious moral.  I would recommend this book to children ages six years and older due to the book being considerably long and that might put off many young children who are not used to reading large books yet. 

* 1993 Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrator Honor  

  

[BOOK REVIEW] The Faithful Friend by Robert D. San Souci

Title:  The Faithful Friend

Author:  Robert D. San Souci

Artist:  Brian Pinkney

Genre: Folktale / Friendship / African American / Magic

Year Published: 1995

Year Read:  2010

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers   

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 6+  (Nothing Objectionable)

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“The Faithful Friend” is a Caldecott Honor Book and a Coretta Scott King Award winning book from master storyteller, Robert D. San Souci along with illustrations by Brian Pinkney.  This story is about how Hippolyte, a faithful friend of Clement, tries to save his friend from the misfortune that occurs to him when Clement tries to marry Pauline.  “The Faithful Friend” is definitely one of the greatest books about friendship ever written for children.

Robert D. San Souci has done a fantastic job at writing this book as it is based off the classic Brothers Grimm tale, “Faithful Joannes.”  Robert D. San Souci has successfully delivered the message about how a true friend will help a friend in their time of need as Hippolyte stayed loyal to his friend Clement in order to protect him from the evil Monsieur Zabocat.  Brian Pinkney’s illustrations are truly magnificent as the characters seem to glow in every page and even though the characters have some scratchy edges to their structures, they look extremely realistic and colorful that will mesmerize children to no end.  The images that stood out the most in this book was the image of Pauline, Clement and Hippolyte leaving Monsieur Zabocat’s plantation in the middle of the night as the sky is clear blue and the characters effectively glow against the small moon in the image.

“The Faithful Friend” is the perfect for children who want to learn more about what it takes to be a true friend and who loves romance.  I would recommend this book to children ages six and up since the book is a bit too long for smaller children to handle and there are some Caribbean words such as “Bonjou” and “quimboiseur” that younger children would have trouble understanding.

• 1995 California Book Award Silver Medal for Juvenile
• 1996 Caldecott Honor
• 1996 Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrator Honor

[BOOK REVIEW] Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Doreen Rappaport

Title:  Martin's Big Words:  The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Author: Doreen Rappaport

Artist: Bryan Collier

Genre: Racism / Biography / African-American

Year Published: 2001

Year Read:  2010

Publisher: Jump At The Sun

Source:  Library

Content Rating: Ages 5+  (Themes of Racism)

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 When I was a child, I always wanted to learn more about the life and death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. while at the same time, I wanted to see a picture book for children that details Dr. Martin Luther King Junior’s life in an uplifting way.  Well, I just found such a picture book detailing Martin Luther King Junior’s life and it is called “Martin’s Big Words.”  “Martin’s Big Words” is written by Doreen Rappaport along with illustrations by Bryan Collier and has won many awards including the Caldecott Honor book award, the New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book and the Coretta Scott King Honor book award.  This book details the life and death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a picture book format and is easily one of the most inspirational pictures books ever created!

When I saw that this book won two honors and a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book, I was so intrigued because I had not seen a book win so many awards since Audrey Wood’s “The Napping House” and I think that this book richly deserves the awards it had won.  Doreen Rappaport has done an excellent job at detailing the life of Martin Luther King Jr. and has indeed done her research on his life as there is a list of events that happened during Martin Luther King Junior’s life at the end of the book that I think will definitely help children know about the various events that happened during Martin Luther King Junior’s life.  Doreen Rappaport makes this book extremely effective by using large and bold texts to describe various phrases that Martin Luther King Jr. used during his life such as he was a child, he uses the phrase “When I grow up, I’m going to get big words too” and the phrase is in blue, large and bold letters, which I think is effective in describing the various phrases that Martin used during his life to inspire the effects he had on America.  Bryan Collier’s illustrations are extremely beautiful and effective, especially of the images of Martin Luther King Jr. speaking inside the church as you can see the stained glass windows at the background and they look extremely realistic and colorful.  Also, Bryan Collier has done an excellent job at creating a dramatic atmosphere to the characters, especially of the image of Martin Luther King Jr. preaching in church and you can see the white light glow on him, which might indicate that he is angel sent to Earth as the light glow on him in an extremely effective way.

“Martin’s Big Words” is a true masterpiece on describing the life of Martin Luther King Jr. through the eyes of children and many children will definitely enjoy the book immensely.  I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since smaller children might be a bit upset at the racism themes displayed in this book, even though this book is telling the audience about the trials that Martin faces during his life.

* 2002 Caldecott Honor

* 2002 Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrator Honor

 

[BOOK REVIEW] The Talking Eggs by Robert D. San Souci

Title:  The Talking Eggs

Author:  Robert D. San Souci

Artist:  Jerry Pinkney

Genre: Family / Folktale / Kindness / Manners

Year Published: 1989
 
Year Read: 2008

Publisher: Dial

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (Some Scary Moments and Child Mistreatment)

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“The Talking Eggs” is a very lovable yet surreal tale about an innocent little girl named Blanche who overcomes greed and cruelty by helping an elderly woman who may not be who she seems in Robert San Souci’s version of this famous Creole tale.

Robert D. San Souci’s retelling of the ancient Creole tale is marvelous as it contains lots of scenes dealing with magic and also some suspense, especially in the end referring to the fate of Rose and her mother. Robert D. San Souci’s language is simple yet soothing as Blanche makes fast friends with the old woman. Jerry Pinkney’s illustrations are truly beautiful and creative. His drawings display realistic looking people and surroundings as he masterfully gives details in the characters facial expressions and provides appropriate colors for the environment surrounding the main characters.

*SPOILER ALERT!!!!*

Parents should know that the scene where the old woman takes off her head may upset young children. Even though this scene is done extremely delicately since the image does not actually show the old woman taking off her head, children might think that anyone can take off their heads and still live through the whole ordeal. However, small children need to understand that the old woman is actually a fictional character and what she does to her head does not necessarily affect the people in reality.

*SPOILER ENDED!!!*

“The Talking Eggs” is one of the most beautiful and surreal stories I have ever read. Robert D. San Souci’s narrative and Jerry Pinkney’s drawings both created a story that is full of magic and laughter that will be a favorite among both kids and adults for many years. This book also beautifully describes the cultures of the Creole people in the olden days. Children who would like to explore the heritages of the Creole people back then would really enjoy reading this book for references.

* 1990 Caldecott Honor
* 1990 Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrator Honor