Storm Boy (Cloth)
Paul Owen Lewis. Beyond Words Publishing, $14.95 (1pp) ISBN 978-1-885223-12-8
Lewis (Davy's Dream) draws on folkloric and artistic traditions of the Pacific Northwest coastal tribes for this somewhat attentuated tale. Thrown from his canoe during a storm, a boy is ``washed ashore under a strange sky he had never seen before.'' Inhabitants of the coastal village, who are very large and dressed in vivid garb, welcome him with a feast and a celebration. The chief recognizes the boy's homesickness and returns him to ``his very own village''--where he discovers that a year has passed in his absence. Though the totem-like motifs of Lewis's boldly colored and sharply defined artwork provide drama, several illustrations are repetitious. Also, despite a few clues (fish swimming in what appears to be the sky, killer whales displayed like trophies in one of the strangers' houses) the story's key element may perplex younger readers--these ``finely dressed people'' are in fact whales in human form. A comprehensive--and sophisticated--author's note credits the mythological motifs encountered in the story (Separation, Initiation and Return) to the writings of Joseph Campbell. Ages 5-10. (May)
Details
Reviewed on: 04/03/1995
Genre: Children's
Hardcover - 1 pages - 978-1-883672-96-6
Library Binding - 32 pages - 978-0-8368-2229-8
Paperback - 32 pages - 978-1-58246-057-4
Paperback - 32 pages - 978-1-55285-268-2
Paperback - 32 pages - 978-1-58246-008-6
Prebound-Glued - 32 pages - 978-0-613-85264-7
Prebound-Sewn - 978-0-606-22086-6