Contributor: Marilyn Courtot

Reviews

   Johnston transforms the famous Russian folk tale of Baba Yaga into a Southwest tale in Alice Nizzy Nazzy. Wise Manuela escapes being eaten by the witch with roadrunner legs who lives in an adobe house. Johnston, true to most original elements of the tale, playfully spices it up with references to foods, vegetation, habitat, and animals that characterize the Southwest. Illustrator dePaola uses a bold South Western palate and detailing that will make fans giggle.
1995, Putnam, Ages 7 to 10, $15.95 and $5.95.
Reviewer: Susie Wilde
ISBN: 0-399-22788-1
ISBN: 0-698-11650-X

Amber on the Mountain
Tony Johnston
Illustrated by Robert Duncan
   A warm and beautiful story about friendship and determination as told through the words of Amber, who lives on the mountain and meets Anna. Anna teaches her to read. Before Amber can learn to write, Anna and her family must leave the mountain. Amber perseveres and sends a letter to Anna, proving that friendship is never far away.
1998 (orig. 1994), Puffin Books, Ages 8 to 12, $14.99, $14.89, and $5.99.
Reviewer: Emily Ferren

   "Daddy says you can do almost anything you fix your mind on. I've just fixed mine on teaching you to read." Amber learns to read with the help of Anna, her new friend. The girls "stuck to each other like burrs." Whether they were riding horses or quilting, they always had a book with them. The day that Amber actually reads is a day of joy. When Anna's family moves, we know that Amber will manage. Now she can write letters!
1994, Dial, Ages 6 to 10, $14.99, $14.89, and $5.99.
Reviewer: Jan Lieberman
ISBN: 0-8037-1219-7
ISBN: 0-8037-1220-0
ISBN: 0-14-056408-X

The Barn Owls
Tony Johnston
Illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray
   The spare, simple, poetic text relates the basic life activities of the generations of owls who have slept in the old barn and hunted at night for at least a hundred years. They hatch, grow, fly, and hunt. The tone poem is set by Ray in double-page scenes that supply the sparest of details without anatomical representations. She begins with a warming yellow-orange light that moves from the fields through the barn window and then out again with a restless owl. The night brings the deep blues against which the owl flies with a mouse in its beak. Then the warm yellows return to highlight the newly hatched birds.
2000, Charlesbridge, Ages 4 to 7, $15.95.
Reviewers: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz
ISBN: 0-88106-981-7

Bigfoot Cinderrrrrella
Tony Johnston
Illustrated by James Warhola
   This Cinderella story with Bigfoot creatures is set in an old-growth forest. Rrrrrella (so-called because the sisters roar Ella, her real name) is strong, "with feet like log canoes," while the stepsisters are "puny little things with dinky feet." True to tradition, Rrrrrella is kind and befriends a hungry grizzly bear who later rescues her ("Me your beary godfather.") He magically mats and tangles her fur so she can go to the fun-fest thrown by the Bigfoot prince. For some reason all the characters speak truncated English... "No pick flowers!" and "Where my stinking beauty go?" The illustrations depict the Bigfoot creatures as brown-haired, except for Rrrrrella who is blond and the stepmother who is gray. All have big noses, and of course, big feet. The humor is heavy-footed, although children may enjoy comparing this with other versions of the tale. There is also a glossary of forest terms and an environmental message that sits rather uneasily with the fantasy.
1998, Putnam, Ages 7 to 10, $15.99.
Reviewer: Linnea Hendrickson
ISBN: 0-399-23021-1

The Cowboy and the Black-Eyed Pea
Tony Johnston
Illustrated by Warren Ludwig
   Farethee Well is not about to be bamboozled by cowboys who are after her money. No siree. She will marry, but he's got to pass a test to prove he's a real cowboy and not a fake. This bodacious lady puts a pea under his saddle and if he can feel it, he's for real. This tale is a hilarious version of "The Princess and the Pea." Be sure your children know the original first so they can appreciate this one. Ludwig's cowboys are a hoot.
1992, Putnam, Ages 6 to 9, $15.95 and $4.95.
Reviewer: Jan Lieberman
ISBN: 0-399-22330-4
ISBN: 0-698-11356-X

Day of the Dead
Tony Johnston
Illustrated by Jeanette Winter
   The text and pictures abound with the rhythms of the Spanish language and the joyousness of the tradition of remembering relatives who have died. While watching members of their families prepare empanadas, gather fruit, fill tamales, and brew that famous mole sauce, the children express their impatience and excitement. We, too, rejoice in the singing, dancing and the symbols of the renewal of life--a true celebration. Johnston has written a gem of a book.
1997, Harcourt, Ages 4 to 8, $14.00.
Reviewer: Jan Lieberman

   Winter's quiet acrylics capture the innocence of two impatient children--"Wait," says mama, as Tony Johnston describes preparations for the Day of the Dead in an evocative portrayal of the annual celebration.
1997, Harcourt, Ages 6 up, $14.00.
Reviewer: Beverly Kobrin

   Colorfully illustrated, this is the story of a family's preparations for the annual three-day celebration of the Day of the Dead, El dia de los muertos. Mama, Papa, aunts and uncles are cooking, shopping and picking fruit while the children try to sneak a bite of the treats being prepared. Marigolds are collected and finally the family joins with others in a procession to the graves of their grandparents. They remember their loved ones and picnic until the sleeping children are carried home. The marigold motif makes this book especially appealing.
1997, Harcourt Brace, Ages 5 to 9, $14.00.
Reviewer: Carolyn Mott Ford
ISBN: 0-15-222863-2

Fishing Sunday
Tony Johnston
Illustrated by Barry Root
   A young Japanese American boy is embarrassed to be accompanying his Grandfather on a public fishing boat on Fishing Sundays. He is embarrassed by the old man's poor looking old clothes and bare feet, and by the way he is always talking respectfully to the fish, before and after catching them. On this particular Sunday, however, the boy comes to appreciate his Grandfather's almost magical knowledge and feeling for the sea, and even begins to appreciate him. Bright, gouache paintings depict the ocean environment well.
1996, Tambourine, Ages 4 to 10, $16.00.
Reviewer: Gisela Jernigan
ISBN: 0-688-13458-0

Four Scary Stories
Tony Johnston
Illustrations by Tomie DePaola
   One night an imp, a goblin and a scalawag get together and tell scary stories. The imp goes first and tells a tale of being terrified of a boy. When the boy appeared, he jumped out of a window and ran away. The goblin's story was about magic melons that glowed. The goblin tried to steal the melons. But the owner was a boy who was hiding and saw the goblin making off with his melons. He chased the goblin and got his melons back. The scalawag's tale involved a ghost that attacked him. But the ghost belonged to a boy, who came and got him. The ghost got washed and hung up to dry. The boy threatened to wash the scalawag, but that made him disappear. But lo and behold, a boy has been listening to their stories and even has one of his own to add. In the boy's story an imp, a goblin and a scalawag frighten him. Everyone gets a big laugh about this and they all become good friends.
1997 (orig. 1978), Paperstar/Putnam, Ages 4 to 8, $5.95 and $7.95.
Reviewer: Kristin Harris

   Three "things"--an imp, a goblin and a scalawag--compete for the chance to spin the scariest yarns imaginable. These horror tales include coming face to face with the most terrifying creature of all: a human boy! What could be worse? De Paola's artistic simplicity is universally pleasing; here he uses shadows and contrast to create a bit of mystery.
1997, PaperStar Books, Ages 5 to 8, $5.95 and $7.95.
Reviewer: Deborah Zink Roffino
ISBN: 0-698-11579-1
ISBN: 0-399-20614-0

The Ghost of Nicholas Greebe
Tony Johnston
Illustrated by S. D. Schindler
   This is a good-natured ghost story about a colonial gentleman who gives up his ghost in the fullness of time Ä only to have one of his bones separated from his grave by an enterprising dog. The bone takes off on an amazing hundred-year journey, during which period the wraith of Nicholas Greebe is much distraught. All ends well in this perfect Halloween story illustrated with clever humor by Schindler.
1996, Dial, Ages 4 to 8, $14.99.
Reviewer: Kathleen Karr

   Tony Johnston tells the story of a newly buried man whose bone is stolen from his grave by a dog. The ghost returns to haunt his family "till all my bones together rest." Johnston has lots of fun with words that play with language of the period and in devising a circular plot that reveals different customs around the world in bygone times.
1996, Dial, Ages 6 to 10, $14.99 and $14.89.
Reviewer: Susie Wilde

   When a little dog steals a bone from the grave of Nicholas Greebe, a poltergeist appears in the family's home chanting: "From this night forth/ I quest, I quest/ till all my bones/ together rest." Unbeknownst to the frightened family, the bone is off on a remarkable journey of its own. All the while the ghost of Nicholas Greebe haunts the house, returning each year with the same request. How long will this quest take? The colonial setting adds historic accuracy to this humorous, circular, tall tale, told with dramatic flair. The ghost is appropriately eerie.
1996, Dial, Ages 6 to 10, $14.99 and $14.89.
Reviewer: Jan Lieberman
ISBN: 0-8037-1649-4
ISBN: 0-8037-1648-6

How Many Miles to Jacksonville?
Tony Johnston
Illustrated by Bart Forbes
   This is a fine reminiscence about life in a small Texas town in the 1930's. It is told from the point of view of a young boy. He relates the events of daily life, which almost always center around the train that comes through town each day. Period vernacular and stunning watercolor pictures make this story of yesteryear come alive.
1996, Putnam, Ages 5 to 8, $15.95.
Reviewer: Meredith Kiger
ISBN: 0-399-22615-X

The Iguana Brothers: A Tale of Two Lizards
Tony Johnston
Illustrated by Mark Teague
   They are brothers and best friends, this duo of laid-back lizards from Mexico. Dom and Tom crawl through three low-key adventures interrupted by random bouts of thinking, followed by hours lazing in the sun. Silhouetted against the tropical forests near the Sierra Madre, painted in luminous shades, the contemplative reptiles find happiness in the stunning beauty around them. Speaking "Spanglish," this humorous pair is a hit for newer readers.
1995, Blue Sky Press/Scholastic, Ages 4 to 10, $14.95.
Reviewer: Deborah Zink Roffino

   Tom is tired of eating bugs, so his brother Dom helps him find something new to eat--they learn that flowers taste pink! They try their hand at being dinosaurs, and do a little stargazing. When Dom wishes he had a friend, trusty Tom goes searching. He doesn't need to look too far--the brothers are the best of friends. The illustrations evoke the torpor of a tropical afternoon, and imbue the accurately drawn iguanas with unique personalities.
1995, Scholastic, Ages 4 to 10, $14.95.
Reviewer: Dr. Judy Rowen
ISBN: 0-590-47468-5

The Magic Maguey
Tony Johnston
Illustrated by Elisa Kleyen
   The enormous maguey plant on Don César's property is the gathering place for the people of Miguel's pueblo. Miguel thinks the maguey is magic--its leaves can be used as roof tiles, and the strings inside the leaves serve as thread for his clothes. Unfortunately, Don César wants to cut the maguey down right after Christmas. Miguel and the other children help the maguey spin another magic spell--it becomes a Christmas tree that even Don César can't resist. Colorful, mixed media collages bring the Mexican village to life, complete with intricate details such as hand-painted tiles in Miguel's house, traditional Christmas ornaments, and ornate churches.
1996, Harcourt, Ages 4 to 8, $15.00.
Reviewer: Dr. Judy Rowen
ISBN: 0-15-250988-7

An Old Shell: Poems of the Galápagos
Tony Johnston
Illustrated by Tom Pohrt
   Johnston offers gentle poems about species familiar--finch, beetle, turtle--and strange--lava cactus, cormorant, sea cucumbers--all native to this archipelago in the Pacific. The language is beautiful and haunting and the black-and-white drawings evoke peace and contentment. Too bad "The Buccaneers" and "The Ghost" arrived to upset the balance of this unusual, and now endangered, place! If you can't journey to the islands, do so in your armchair with this lovely volume.
1999, Farrar, Ages 8 up, $15.00.
Reviewer: Judy Chernak

   Johnston creates wonderful images in this collection of 34 poems that describe the flora, fauna, and terrain of these mystical Pacific islands. Young children will enjoy the short poems such as "Beetle" "Sea Lion" and "Greater Flamingo" while older children and adults will relish the word pictures and sounds of poems such as "Small White Flowers" "The Whale" and "The Voice." She reflects on the return of the Beagle and what it would find now in the Galapagos in "The Ghost." The Author's Note is informative and does contain a plea to preserve these islands. Teachers who use the book in social studies programs will need to take the introductory map and put it in a larger context, but I don't consider that a negative. The delightful black-and-white drawings by Pohrt provide a more concrete interpretation of the various birds, animals and scenes described in the poems.
1999, Farrar, Ages 5 up, $15.00.
Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot
ISBN: 0-374-35648-3

Once in the Country: Poems of a Farm
Tony Johnston
Illustrated by Thomas B. Allen
   A nostalgic, whimsical collection of poems recalling peaceful times spent growing up on a farm. These warm, languorous remembrances are reflected in Allen's slightly hazy pastel illustrations.
1996, Putnam, Ages All, $15.95.
Reviewer: Wendy Keen
ISBN: 0-399-22644-3

The Quilt Story
Tony Johnston
Illustrations by Tomie DePaola
   Any child with a special blanket will enjoy this story about a little pioneer girl who takes her quilt, stitched in a design of falling stars, across the country to a new home. In this home, in a different era, the quilt is found by another little girl and comforts this girl as she journeys to a new home--not by covered wagon, but by moving van. Illustrator dePaola's primary colors and stylized figures capture well the folklife quality of the story.
1996, Putnam, Ages 4 to 8, $5.95.
Reviewer: Mary Quattlebaum
ISBN: 0-698-11368-3

The Soup Bone
Tony Johnston
Illustrated by Margot Tomes
   Sepia tone sketches set the spooky mood that turns warm with friendship in this old-fashioned children's book. One forlorn Halloween night, an old woman comes upon a desolate skeleton. All their efforts to frighten each other end up in a truce of friendship.
1990, Harcourt, Ages 5 to 8, $12.95.
Reviewer: Deborah Zink Roffino
ISBN: 0-15-277255-3

Sparky and Eddie: The First Day of School
Tony Johnston
Illustrated by Susannah Ryan
   The two boys, though unlike each other, are best friends. After playing together all summer, they find they are not in the same class at school. How can they remain best friends? Shouldn't they boycott school if they can't be together? A playful story with energetic, multicultural illustrations.
1997, Scholastic, Ages 2 to 6, $13.95.
Reviewer: Judy Chernak
ISBN: 0-590-47978-4

Sparky and Eddie: Wild, Wild Rodeo
Tony Johnston
Illustrations by Susannah Ryan
   Sparky and Eddie were excited because today there was going to be a wild rodeo. Their classes at school were going to compete in rodeo events like tying up the teddy bears, and finding the boots. Sparky wore a vest with fringe and his father's boots. The boots were too big, but Sparky didn't care. He was a cowboy and happy. Eddie wore his shirt with a picture of a cow, and his father's hat. The hat was too big. Sometimes it slid over Eddie's eyes, and he couldn't see, but he didn't care. He was a cowboy and he was happy. Sparky and Eddie rode pretend horses, tied up pretend cows, and threw pretend lassos. During the class competitions, Sparky's class was even with Eddie's class. Pick up this book to see who wins the rodeo competition, and who knows the most uses for a cowboy's bandana. This text is reminiscent of the Dick and Jane books, in that the vocabulary is very simple and repetitive, with three to four lines on a page. It will be an easy one for the suggested reader to learn. This is one of Scholastic's "Hello Reader" series.
1998, Scholastic, Ages 7 to 9, $3.99.
Reviewer: Joyce Rice
ISBN: 0-590-47985-7

The Tale of Rabbit and Coyote
Tony Johnston
Illustrated by Tomie DePaola
   This humorous folktale from Oaxaca, Mexico describes how Rabbit uses naughty deceptions and hijinks to outwit Coyote. In the story, Rabbit tricks Coyote into hanging upside down at the farmer's house and whacking a wasps nest with a stick. After the Rabbit causes so much trouble, he climbs to the moon for safety. Furious with the Rabbit's antics, the Coyote spends his nights howling at the moon. Simple illustrations featuring vibrant colors from the Southwest accompany this hilarious tale of trickery and deceit.
1994, Putnam, Ages 4 to 8, $15.95.
Reviewer: Debra Briatico

   This tale, from Oaxaca, Mexico will be hauntingly familiar to those acquainted with the B'rer Rabbit stories. Once again, the trickster is the rabbit and coyote is his foil. Poor coyote becomes so frustrated that he begins howling at the moon--in Mexico, it is a rabbit in the moon, not the man in the moon. The illustrations have a Southwest flair, and have some Spanish phrases within (there is a glossary at the back).
1994, Putnam, Ages 3 to 8, $15.95.
Reviewer: Dr. Hans von Marensdorff
ISBN: 0-399-22258-8

Very Scary
Tony Johnston
Illustrated by Douglas Florian
   A Halloween story that is a natural read aloud. Young listeners will enjoy lots of orange pumpkins in fields against a blue night sky. The moon itself looks a lot like a big pumpkin. The owl and cat practically fly off the pages. The nasty witch, warts and all, wants to steal the big fat pumpkin, but little trick-or-treaters interfere. After they carve the big fat pumpkin, it takes on a life of its own and scares everyone away. Fantasy fun, but parents may wonder why young children would be roaming alone in a pumpkin field, armed with carving tools, candles, and matches.
1995, Harcourt, Ages 3 to 7, $13.00.
Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot
ISBN: 0-15-293625-4

The Wagon
Tony Johnston
Illustrated by James Ransome
   "One Carolina morning, I was born. Everything was beautiful that day, Mama said, especially my skin like smooth, dark wood. But like all my family, birth to grave, my skin made me a slave..." This poetic opening takes us to the time of the Civil War and the plantation where that boy is a slave. The boy's father builds a wagon for his master. The wagon becomes a symbol of freedom like the chariot in the song, "Swing low, sweet chariot..." This poignant story touches the heart and makes history vital. Ransome's paintings evoke the story's moment in time and the soul of the people.
1996, Tambourine, Ages 8 to 11, $16.00, $15.89 and $4.95.
Reviewer: Jan Lieberman

   While the often rhyming free verse of this picture book tells the powerful story of an enslaved African American family who gain their freedom, the paintings surpass the literary text with their beauty, depth, and vibrant color. Told by a child narrator, the story centers on one family on a Carolina plantation. The father builds a wagon that is a symbol of their slavery and their freedom. The family must use the wagon to serve their owner until the Emancipation Proclamation sets them free and they use the wagon to journey north to witness Lincoln's funeral. The odd collapsing of historical time which allows an enslaved family to be set free so soon after the war ended should be noted, but the text as a whole is an intriguing and powerful look into the way slavery affected a child. The paintings Ransome created for this book are stunning. His use of color and detail brings the book to life with vibrant blues, browns, yellows, and reds. He showed the detailed and evocative expressions of the people's faces and gave the book a sense of realism, beauty, and depth that goes beyond the text. This is a moving and powerful picture book that should have adults and children talking, reading, and looking for quite some time.
1996, Tambourine, Ages 7 to 12, $16.00, $15.89 and $4.95.
Reviewer: Alexandria LaFaye
ISBN: 0-688-13457-2
ISBN: 0-688-13537-4
ISBN: 0-688-16694-6

Added 1999