Barkbelly

July 1, 2006
Gr 2-5 -Barkbelly is a boy made of wood, mysteriously hatched from an egg and adopted by a childless couple. Their village is located in a world much like the ones found in European folktales, with a few magical features such as giant hedgehogs with magical spines and the wooden people to whom Barkbelly belongs. When he accidentally kills a younger playmate, he runs away, sure that the villagers will turn on him. Barkbelly has adventures in an industrial city, on the road with a circus, and on a pirate ship. When he discovers that he is not unique, but a member of a group of wooden people, he goes searching for his own birth family, a search with unexpected and unhappy results. The resolution seems convenient rather than convincing. Weatherill is a performance storyteller, and there is an oral storytelling feel to the characters and their reactions, as well as to the circularity of the plot. This does not translate wholly successfully to the longer chapter-book format, and independent readers might find the characters rather one-dimensional." -Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2006
Gr. 4-7. A wooden egg falls from the sky and wallops a farmer in the field, who gives the egg to his wife as a memento. One cold winter, the egg is tossed on the fire to add needed heat--but instead of burning, it shudders and heaves, cracking open to reveal a small wooden baby. That baby, named Barkbelly by his astonished yet loving parents, grows into a sturdy, wooden boy. Although different from other children, Barkbelly enjoys his life in the village, until the day his hard, strong body collides with another little boy and accidentally kills him. He flees in panic, then conducts a wild and imaginative search for his identity and real family. Cleverly written and rich in character and detail, this quirky fantasy will be popular with many middle-grade readers, who will connect with its themes of differences, personal values, relationships, and consequences. Sample illustrations show moody, full-page images that suit the novel's fablelike sensibility.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)