Author | Patricia McKissack |
---|---|
Illustrator | Jerry Pinkney |
Language | English |
Genre | Children's literature, picture book |
Published | 2007 (Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House) |
Publication place | United States |
Media type | Print (hardback, paperback) |
Pages | 40 (unpaginated) |
ISBN | 9780375837593 |
OCLC | 838317346 |
The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll is a 2007 picture book by Patricia McKissack, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. It is about a girl, Nella, living during the Great Depression, who receives a doll for Christmas. Initially, she doesn't share it with her sisters but later relents after discovering that it's not fun to play by herself.
School Library Journal , in a review of The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll, wrote: "McKissack's knack for combining historical detail with true-to-life family drama and language is shown to good effect, showcased beautifully by Pinkney's evocative watercolors, which give a real flavor of the time period. Learning to appreciate what you have and to share what you get are two lessons that never go out of style". [1] Library Media Connection called it "a memorable book". [1]
Booklist , Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews gave starred reviews and commended Pinkey's illustrations. [2] [3] [4]
The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll has also been reviewed by The Horn Book Magazine , [5] and The New York Times . [6]
Jerry Pinkney was an American illustrator and writer of children's literature. Pinkney illustrated over 100 books since 1964, including picture books, nonfiction titles and novels. Pinkney's works addressed diverse themes and were usually done in watercolors.
Mirandy and Brother Wind is a 1988 children's picture book by Patricia McKissack and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. It is about a girl, Mirandy, who attempts to catch the wind so he will be her partner for the upcoming junior cakewalk.
Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman is a 1996 children's picture book by Alan Schroeder and is illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Released in 1996 by Dial Press, it is a fictionalized story of Harriet Tubman as a young girl.
Aesop's Fables is a 2000 collection of 61 fables from the Aesop oeuvre, retold by Jerry Pinkney. It includes stories about wolves, foxes, lions, dogs, mice, and donkeys.
The Grasshopper & the Ants, by Jerry Pinkney, is a 2015 adaptation of the classic Aesop fable where a grasshopper relaxes through Spring, Summer, and Autumn, while a colony of ants work at gathering food for the Winter, but although initially refusing the grasshopper's request for help, they relent and invite him in to share.
Never Forgotten is a 2011 picture book by Pat McKissack about a blacksmith father in West Africa who has Musafa, his son, kidnapped by slavers and with the assistance of the four elements discovers that Musafa is working in Charleston as a blacksmith's apprentice.
God Bless the Child is a 2003 picture book by Jerry Pinkney with the words and music of Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr. It is about an African-American family moving from the rural Deep South to urban Chicago during the Great Migration.
The Moon over Star is a 2008 picture book by Dianna Hutts Aston and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. It is about a girl, Mae, who, with her family, follows the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon landing.
Puss in Boots is a 2012 picture book of the classic fairy tale by Jerry Pinkney. Based on Charles Perrault's version, it is about a cat that enables his owner to achieve fame and fortune.
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is a 1997 retelling of Rudyard Kipling's classic story by Jerry Pinkney about a mongoose that protects a family from two cobras. The book won a Caldecott honor in 1998 for its illustrations.
Abby Takes a Stand is a 2005 book by Patricia McKissack. It is the first book in the Scraps of Time series and is predominantly set in the 1960s. It concerns an African-American grandmother, Abby, talking with some of her young relatives about the time she was a young girl in Nashville, Tennessee, her experiences with racial segregation, and her involvement with the Civil Rights Movement.
Porch Lies: Tales of Slicksters, Tricksters, and Other Wily Characters is a 2006 book by Patricia McKissack, and illustrated by Andre Carrilho, published by Schwartz & Wade Books. It is a collection of tales based on oral stories that McKissack heard from her grandfather and his friends when she was a child.
Ma Dear's Aprons is a 1997 book by Patricia McKissack about the relationship between a son, David Earl, and his mother, Ma dear.
Stitchin' and Pullin': A Gee's Bend Quilt is a 2008 picture book by Patricia McKissack and illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera. It is about a young girl, Baby girl, who, growing up amongst the quilters of Gee's Bend, Alabama, makes her first quilt.
Best Shot in the West: The Adventures of Nat Love is a 2012 graphic novel written by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack and illustrated by Randy DuBurke. It is about the life of African-American cowboy Nat Love.
Scraps of Time: 1928, A Song for Harlem is a 2007 book by Patricia McKissack about a girl, Lilly Belle, who spends the Summer of 1928 in Harlem attending a writers' workshop led by Zora Neale Hurston.
Ol' Clip-Clop: A Ghost Story is a 2013 children's picture book written by Patricia McKissack and illustrated by Eric Velásquez. It is about John Leep, a stingy landlord, who cheats a tenant but then gets his come-uppance.
Tippy Lemmey is a 2003 chapter book by Patricia McKissack about three children, Leandra, Paul, and Jeannie, who are terrorised by a neighborhood dog, called Tippy Lemmey, but manage to overcome their fears and befriend him.
Let's Clap, Jump, Sing & Shout; Dance, Spin & Turn It Out!: Games, Songs & Stories From An African American Childhood is a 2017 book by Patricia McKissack. It is a collection of games, songs, proverbs, stories including those from McKissack's childhood.
Bruh Rabbit and the Tar Baby Girl is a 2003 picture book by Virginia Hamilton and illustrated by James Ransome. It is a retelling by Hamilton, in the Gullah dialect, of the classic story of Bruh Rabbit outwitting Bruh Wolf.
Pinkney creates a series of beautiful narrative tableaux, illustrating the characters' feelings as well as their actions with clarity and grace. A gentle lesson that plays into the spirit of the holiday.
In expertly wrought watercolors, Pinkney focuses on how light hits certain objects—voluptuous oranges, a new patchwork quilt, a baby doll's yellow frock—which are some literal bright spots for a family holding onto the positive despite their Depression-era struggles.
The longer story is full of humorous dialogue and scenes of realistic family life showing the close bonds within the family. Pinkney's watercolor illustrations are masterful, as always, capturing the emotions on the girls' faces and filling in details of the family's Depression-era world.
Though McKissack sets this story in the past, her characters' feelings and desires are universal. Pinkney's warm watercolor-and-pencil illustrations portray the family's poverty yet glow with what it is rich in: love.
McKissack's direct and unfettered language partners beautifully with the vivid tones of Pinkney's pencil-and-watercolor illustrations.
Patricia C. McKissack's lively story about three close-knit African American sisters facing an authentic—and authentically resolved—conflict is told with vivid language that brings both the period and the people into full relief. Jerry Pinkney's watercolor illustrations provide additional details and a wonderful visual backdrop for the story.