Rachel Isadora

Hah! As I was reading I was thinking that it would naturally pair with a companion from the classic Western canon. And then the ending! Oh! But even without that revelation, or maybe even in spite of it, the story itself is wonderful and sweet and oh so universally true. Especially highly recommended to families of "But I'm not tired" children, and those who remember those days.

In her brilliant picture book Rachel Isadora puts a twist on the traditional version of Rapunzel, and tells of an African Rapunzel who is given to an evil sourceress by her father in exchange for rapunzel to save his wife. This Rapunzel meets and marries her prince inside her tower and is thrown out by the sourceress when she becomes pregnant. Rapunzel and her prince are separated for a long time, but they eventually find each other and live happily ever after. The story is paced very well: show more there is little text on each page and the illustrations invite readers to examine them. Isadora creates stunning, intricate collages that serve as the illustrations. The bright colors she uses are indicative of the African culture that Rapunzel comes from. This story does a magnificent job of creating a unique representation of a familiar tale. The story and the language used to tell the story have been changed slightly to reflect an African culture. Many readers have never thought of Rapunzel as any other race or ethnicity (except for Caucasian). The cleverness of this representation will keep readers smiling all the way through. Isadora creates a refreshing spin on a well-known tale! show less

With its silver and black cover, angled title, and silhouettes, Ben's Trumpet, a Caldecott Honor Book, announces to readers that they are in for a stylish ride. With simple text and stunning black and white illustrations, Isadora tells the story of Ben, a young boy who lives in the inner city, not far from the Zig Zag Jazz Club. On hot nights, Ben sits on the fire escape and plays his "trumpet" (even the cover communicates that it is an imaginary one) along with the trumpeter, who, as far as show more Ben is concerned, is "the cat's meow". Ben's family tolerates his "playing", but the candy store kids are less kind, shaming Ben for his imaginative playing. Isadora's tale has a rewarding and uplifting ending that involves one of the musicians from the jazz club taking Ben under his wing. All artistic creation, all achievement, the author seems to stay, begins in the imagination, but dreams require nurturing and mentoring, too.

I'm not sure what medium Isadora has used to create her illustrations. They appear to be pen and ink. Whatever they are, they're stunning: the epitome of "cool". Each of the musicians at the jazz club--the pianist, the trombonist, the drummer, the saxophonist, and the trumpeter--gets his own page, and Isadora manages to communicate through her art the effort and focus each musician brings to the jazz ensemble. The drummer's page is particularly notable--all done in jittery lines to suggest the rattling and percussion.

Ben's Trumpet would be a neat book to use to introduce jazz to kids, but it is an also provides interesting examples of how visual art can suggest movement and sound. show less

A young African girl named Lala, living with her family in a village on the veld, delays her bedtime for as long as she can, insisting that she must say goodnight to a variety of animals and objects. Having put off going to sleep for as long as possible, she finally settles in, saying goodnight to her book - the much-loved classic, Goodnight Moon.

I found I Just Want to Say Good Night quite charming, both for its presentation of that classic early childhood experience - delaying bedtime - and show more for the delightful illustrations it contains. I also appreciated author/illustrator Rachel Isadora's tribute to the Margaret Wise Brown classic, Goodnight Moon. All that said, I did wonder a bit at her decision to set her story in a generic "Africa," rather than in a specific country. It's true that the "veld" is to be found in the southern part of the continent, but there a number of countries which contain this ecosystem - why not choose one? Leaving that issue aside, I was pleased with this sweet story of a little African girl and her bedtime rituals. Recommended to anyone looking for goodnight books with an African cultural setting, or featuring black characters. show less