Publishers Weekly
- Publisher's Weekly
"Ehlert achieves dazzling effects with simple geometric shapes and strong, pure hues," said PW in a starred review. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)
Publishers Weekly
- Publisher's Weekly
Inspired by a Seneca tale, this is a whimsical story of overcoming the might of an adversary through ingenuity. Fox, irritated at having to walk around Mole's hill, sends Skunk and Raccoon to direct her to move by autumn. Clever Mole enlarges the hill, then plants seeds, creating such a lush mound that even Fox cannot bring himself to destroy it; instead, he asks Mole to dig a tunnel so that the animals' path can go through her hill from now on. Once again Ehlert achieves dazzling effects with simple geometric shapes and strong, pure hues. Here, she uses appliques in bright, largely primary colors, often textured with tiny, bead-like dots. Mole's hill is glorious in its various incarnations: unplanted, as concentric rings of red, blue and green against an inky sky; in full bloom, with a riot of flowers, leaves and berries against the iridescent yellow of summer sunlight. And as always, her figures are remarkably expressive, with Mole a model of industriousness and, later, contentment, and Skunk and Raccoon looking quizzical indeed as they wonder ``what that Mole is up to.'' Ages 3-8. (Apr.)
Children's Literature
- Susie Wilde
Set in the Wisconsin woodlands, fox, skunk, mole and raccoon are fast friends who have a falling out when mole's home blocks their proposed path to the pond. Fortunately the clever mole finds an ingenious way to save her home. The flora and fauna indigenous to the region are illustrated using ribbon applique and sewn beadwork in this adaptation of a Seneca tale.
School Library Journal
K-Gr 2-The creator of the acclaimed Moon Rope (Harcourt, 1992) has taken a fragment of a Seneca tale and provided gorgeous, full-page illustrations to accompany her simple text. Fox, Skunk, and Raccoon order Mole to move because her mound of dirt blocks their path to the pond. Clever Mole spends the summer building up and beautifying the hill above her underground network of tunnels, and by fall it is too large to move. Instead, Fox asks her to dig a tunnel through it, which, of course, she is happy to do. Ehlert's collages, inspired by the Woodland Indians' traditional arts of ribbon appliqu and beadwork, are bold; graphically striking; and rich in form, shape, and color. Perfect for young children, this is an admirable marriage of text and art.-Cyrisse Jaffee, formerly at Newton Public Schools, MA
