Caron Lee Cohen

This simple picture-book - not to be confused with Margie Palatini's Zoom Broom - opens with a little witch howling at the moon. Deciding that this is a night for flying, she goes in search of her broom, only to discover that her little monster friend is using it to clean. "I want the broom," she declares. "I need the broom," he replies. What should they do...?

With a simple narrative - no more than a few words per page - and bright, attention-grabbing illustrations, Broom, Zoom! is a show more story-book that will appeal to the youngest children. It's message - of working (and playing) together, and sharing resources - is one that is always welcome, and the witchy characters and atmosphere make it an ideal Halloween title for babies and toddlers, who are not yet ready for scary things. The final page, in which the little witch and little monster soar across the sky, is a satisfying conclusion to this fun little book! show less

A little witch wants the broom to fly and her friend, a little monster, needs the broom to clean up a mess. At first the two fight over the broom, but they resolve their argument by cleaning up together and going out to fly together, too. The witch and monster communicate through short, direct sentences like “I want it”, “I need it”, and “See?” so that each page has a very small amount of text. The directness of each statement does not make for much of a story, and readers must show more make inferences about how each of the characters are feeling and what they are thinking. The shortness of sentences, however, fit well with the simplicity of the pictures. The illustrations are simple, two-dimensional drawings that lack excitement and do not draw the eyes in for extended periods of time. The witch and monster appear rough and quite unappealing to look at. The dull plot coupled with the plain illustrations make this book one that many readers may not enjoy. show less

Fearless Bones Kelly, once a pirate and now a ghost, haunted the Red River, protecting his sunken treasure from the hopeful residents of Amarillo, Texas. No one, of all the people who managed to raise his brass-bound trunk from the riverbed, could manage to hold onto it, once he came after it, bringing his floods with him. No one, that is, until inventor Whizbrain Wallerbee arrived in town, seeking a patent for his new ice box car, and teamed up with Red River Renata - the mayor, sheriff, show more fire marshal, postmaster, and patent agent of Amarillo...

I'm not really sure why Renata, Whizbrain, and the Ghost was shelved in the folklore section of my library, since it seems to be Caron Lee Cohen's own original creation, rather than a retelling of any traditional tale. Whatever the case may be, I read it based solely upon its location on the shelves - yes, I'm back to my insane project of reading the entire folklore section of my library, alphabetically! Still on the "C" section, I'm afraid... - and probably wouldn't have picked it up otherwise. I can't say it was quite to my taste, but young readers who enjoy tales of ghosts and/or pirates, particularly those with a southwestern flavor, might feel differently. The illustrations by Blanche Sims, whose name I didn't recognize at first, felt very familiar to me, and now that I see that she also worked on Patricia Reilly Giff's The Kids of Polk Street School series, I know why. show less

A poor young Pawnee boy, longing to have a horse of his own, shapes one out of the mud he finds along the creek, and is surprised to discover - one terrible day when he is left behind by his tribe - that it has come to life! Now, guided by his 'mud pony,' who speaks to him in his dreams, and is a gift from Mother Earth, the boy catches up to his people, going on to do great things, as a warrior and a chief.

Taken from the work of George A. Dorsey, a late 19th and early 20th-century show more ethnographer, this tale is described as an "ancient boy-hero tale" of the Skidi band of the Pawnee. The illustrations by Navajo artist Shonto Begay - whose work can also be found in Ma'ii and Cousin Horned Toad: A Traditional Navajo Story and The Magic Of Spider Woman - are just lovely, perfectly capturing the dreamlike quality of the boy's extraordinary experiences with his 'mud pony.' Recommended to all young readers who enjoy folktales, or love horses, and to all fans of Shonto Begay's artwork! show less