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CM . . . .
Volume VII Number 17 . . . . April 27, 2001
Most of the comments which I made about the previous two collections (see
CM, Vol. V, No.
14, March 12, 1999 & Vol. VII, No.
4, October 20, 2000) also apply to this one. The enlarged 10" x 10"
format makes the illustrations more visible if they were to be shared
during small group story times. Unlike the first two compilations, the
reprinted illustrations, which are sometimes slightly cropped, are
consistently brighter than those found in the original books. Because of
the book's increased thickness, a bit more of some of the illustrations is
also lost in the gutter. In all but the last book, a small illustration of
the story's central character has been added to each of the text pages.
The books' texts remain unmodified though the use of a larger font size
has altered the original line arrangements. In two cases in Show and
Tell, a concluding paragraph has been moved to the next page, and this
modification actually improves the story's reading for the adjusted text
works better with the illustration to which it is now connected. In A
Promise is a Promise, the paragraphing has been changed (where space
permits) to incorporate the convention that a new speaker means a new
paragraph. In a couple of instances in A Promise is a Promise,
however, the larger text size now intrudes somewhat on the illustrations.
Given that the compilation's price is less than the amount required to purchase the same five titles
even in their soft cover versions, these Munsch collections are an excellent value for home, school
or library purchase.
Highly Recommended.
Dave Jenkinson teaches courses in children's and young adult literature in the Faculty of
Education, the University of Manitoba.
To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.
Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association.
Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice
is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without
permission.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - April 27, 2001.
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As the number in the title indicates, this work is the third in a series of compilations of previously
published books authored by Robert Munsch. The quintet includes four titles illustrated by
Munsch's most frequent illustrator, Michael Martchenko: Stephanie's Ponytail (1996), Angela's
Airplane (1988), Jonathan Cleaned Up Then He Heard a Sound (1981) and Show and
Tell (1991). While the first four are typical Munsch fun stories, the final book is the Inuit
cautionary tale that Munsch co-authored with Michael Kusugak, A Promise is a Promise
(1988), and which was illustrated by Vladyana Krykorka. Because of its relative recency,
Stephanie's Ponytail, a delightful tale about a young girl's repeated attempts to assert her
individuality, may be the only of the five stories which is not already as well known as the others.