<i>Wink: The Ninja Who Wanted to Be Noticed</i> (review)
2009; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 62; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.0.0993
ISSN1558-6766
Autores Tópico(s)Digital Games and Media
ResumoReviewed by: Wink: The Ninja Who Wanted to Be Noticed Jeannette Hulick Phillipps, J. C. Wink: The Ninja Who Wanted to Be Noticed; written and illus. by J. C. Phillipps. Viking, 2009 32p. ISBN 978-0-670-01092-9 $15.99 R 6–9 yrs Young Wink is thrilled to join the Summer Moon School for Young Ninjas—until he clashes with Master Zutsu. Ninjas are supposed to be silent and invisible, but Wink can be neither, and the master sends him home for such offenses as hollering “Look at me!” during class (“The loudest cricket is the first to be caught”) and wearing an eye-catching pink flowered outfit that contrasts, rather than blends, with the foliage in which he is supposed to hide. Though his grandmother tries to cheer him with the suggestion that they take in the circus, Wink resists, until he meets one of its young members and gets the opportunity to show his stuff. Finding his true niche, Wink joins the circus performers and demonstrates his acrobatic and martial arts talents as “The Nimble Ninja,” to the delight of both his grandmother and Master Zutsu. Phillipps’ text is measured and streamlined (“‘Silent to the ear, invisible to the eye—that is the art of stealth,’ Master Zutsu proclaimed. He sent Wink home”), setting up a sense of formality that makes the contrast with Wink’s impetuous antics delicious in its absurdity. Kids, especially fellow showoffs, will relate to Wink’s desire to be noticed and admired. Phillips’ paper collage illustrations have a stylized flatness in their sharp-edged, colored and patterned sections. The black-clad ninjas (whose only visible features are their eyes and hands, and a long braid on one) provide some visual ballast and focus, and Wink is particularly emotive in his body language, whether in a state of exuberant action or drooping sadly after being chastised. Though middle-graders will easily be able to read this themselves, this would make a lively readaloud choice for teachers, librarians, or parents—just be prepared for lots of not-so-stealthy kicks and chops afterwards. Copyright © 2009 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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