Nancy Raines Day

Lonely Fanaye longs for a family in this picture book retelling of an Ethiopian folktale from author Nancy Raines Day and illustrator Ann Grifalconi. Having grown too old for children of her own, she thinks her opportunity has passed her by, until she meets an equally lonely traveling merchant named Tesfa, a widower with a young son named Abebe, and the two decide to marry. But although Fanaye takes Abebe to her heart, and longs to have a true mother-son relationship with him, he angrily show more rejects her, still mourning his own mother. Seeking the advice of a local medicine man, she is advised that if she can obtain three whiskers from a fierce, old lion who haunts the nearby river, she can have her wish. And so she sets out to complete this seemingly impossible task, little realizing that she is learning an important lesson in how to win her stepson over...

I am delighted to have discovered The Lion's Whiskers: An Ethiopian Folktale in my current reading project—I am attempting to read my public library's entire folklore section, alphabetically, and have just recently reached the Ds—both because I have a particular interest in Ethiopia, and its history and languages, and because it is one of the only traditional tales I have come across in which the figure of the stepmother is both loving and heroic. I found the story here lovely, and really appreciated both Fanaye's character, and the lesson she learns—that winning over her stepson will be a process akin to winning over the lion, and that in both cases one must provide lovingly, but not try to force the object of one's attention to respond. There is a great perceptiveness to this tale, and I was pleased to see the relationship between Fanaye and Abebe flourish, although I did have a sneaking sympathy for the lion in my heart, wondering whether Fanaye stopped seeking him out, and whether this caused distress. The accompanying artwork, done in collage that used textiles and colored papers, was quite striking—attention-grabbing and quite interesting to look at. Recommended to young folklore lovers, and to anyone seeking traditional Ethiopian tales in picture book form. show less

As they both work on their embroidery, a Mien grandmother tells her granddaughter the creation story of their people in this lovely picture book from author Nancy Raines Day and illustrator Genna Panzarella. It is the story of a brother and sister from heaven, Faam Koh and Faam Toh, who create the sky and earth, in competition with one another. Although each creation is beautiful, they do not fit well together, as the earth is so much bigger than the sky. It is then that Faam Toh uses her show more needle to make pleats and gathers in the fabric of the earth, creating mountains and hills and other topographic features, until the earth and sky finally fit together...

Piecing Earth & Sky Together is the second folkloric picture book I have read from this author, following upon her The Lion's Whiskers: An Ethiopian Folktale, and the first from the illustrator, who sadly doesn't appear to have worked on any other titles. I found the story here fascinating, appreciating the centrality of fabric arts in the culture of this Southeast Asian people, both as a practice and as a way of understanding the world. I don't think I've ever come across another creation story quite like this, and I thought it was wonderful! I certainly came away with a desire to read more traditional tales from the Mien people. The illustrations, which look like they were done in oil paint, are simply gorgeous, using deep, attractive hues, and skillfully capturing the beauty of the story, and the act of creation it describes. According to the author's note at the end, this story was collected from elders in the Mien community, by members of the Berkeley, California-based Laotian Handicraft Project, which seeks to preserve the traditional culture of Lao people. I will certainly have to see if I can track down more of their work! Recommended to young folklore enthusiasts, and to anyone seeking Lao and/or Mien stories. show less

An exploration in rhyming text of the idea of sets in nature - birds having two wings, deer having four hooves, starfish having five arms - What In the World?: Numbers in Nature is an unusual and thought-provoking counting book, one that highlights the beauty of the world around us, even as it teaches about numbers in the natural world.

I found that Nancy Raines Day's poetic narrative read quite well, and think that this would make a good story-hour selection, with the right audience. The show more artwork by Kurt Cyrus, although created digitally, has a certain stylized collage-art feel to it, and was really quite lovely. I liked the use of color to communicate the different times of day, and thought the depiction of the various creatures being mentioned was rather appealing. Recommended to anyone looking for numbers and/or counting books that are a little different, or for children's books that look at nature, or at the mathematical concept of sets. show less

A simple text follows a young kitten - beautifully depicted in Anne Mortimer's lush illustrations - through the months of the year in this picture-book for younger children, from the peeking of January to the dreaming of December. Each two-page spread features one of Mortimer's paintings on one side, and a few words of text, on a colorful monochrome background, on the other. By the end of the year, the kitten has become a cat...

Although I wouldn't say that A Kitten's Year holds much show more narrative appeal, given its lack of story, I did appreciate Anne Mortimer's artwork! She appears to be the "cat painter" extraordinaire these days, and having discovered her work through the reviews of a friend (thanks, Kathryn!), and greatly enjoyed such titles as Santa's Snow Cat, I have been looking for other titles she illustrated. I liked the kitten's growth in these illustrations, and appreciated some of the postures and expressions Mortimer gave her feline subject. The scene where the kitten is sniffing Thanksgiving dinner reminds me of my own kitty-cat, and how he sticks his nose in the air, in order to get a better whiff. Recommended to all young cat lovers, and to fans of Anne Mortimer's art! show less