Oranges on Golden Mountain
A story picture book about a Chinese boy, Jo Lee, who comes to America in the late 1800's to fish the San Francisco bay with his uncle. Desperate with homesickness, he is eased in his longing for home by the Hun, or Dream Spirit. Aki Sogabe illustrated the book with incredible paper cut-outs.
Illustrated by Aki Sogabe
Dutton
Children's Books, 2001
Hardcover: ISBN
0-525-46453-0
Softcover: ISBN
0-14-250033-X
Reviews
New York Times Book Review,
October 21, 2001
This is a fresh subject for a picture book, and Partridge, helped by
dazzling cut-paper illustrations by Aki Sogabe, tells it with vividness,
grace and exquisite restraint. She does not waste a word. She leaves
off the sugar coat of sentimentality, the better for young readers
to taste real emotions -- sorrow, homesickness, hopefulness and joy.
Publishers
Weekly, December, 2000, Starred review
Exquisitely complemented by Sogabe’s subtly colored cut-paper
illustrations, this unusual tale finds a Chinese boy adjusting to a
new life in 19th-century California. Partridge’s perceptive
details enrich the story of Jo Lee’s sojourn. Seamlessly constructed,
the tale finds its match in Sogabe’s eye-catching art. Her bold,
confident lines and sophisticated shades combine the vigor of woodcuts
with the delicacy of watercolor.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s
Books, February 2001
Partridge…weaves a bittersweet and deeply touching tale in which
the ethereal aspects of Jo Lee’s spirit flights delicately balance
the myriad details of life in a late nineteenth-century Chinese-American
fishing village.
School Library Journal, March 2001
Partridge introduces a fantasy element drawn straight from Chinese philosophy
and traditional literature: the notion that a spirit can leave its
body during dreams and travel where it will. Jo Lee's dream spirit
makes three visits back to China, each one representing a stage in
his growth from miserable homesickness to strength and competence...
Partridge's afterword, sketching the history of Chinese immigration
to California, adds an informative coda to an engaging and elegant
depiction of one immigrant's experience.
Booklist, Spring 2001
The spirited story is beautifully written…the striking, skillful
paper-cut illustrations create a vivid sense of place and do much to
explain and extend the story’s action.
Kirkus Reviews, January 2001
This touching and pretty picture book…serves as a good introduction
and is also a paean to the unbreakable bonds of mother and child. Excellent
for the classroom and a useful addition to any library.
Annie and Bo's Big Surprise
Two mice. Two friends. One big surprise!
Illustrated by Martha Weston
Dutton,
2002
Hardcover: ISBN: 0-52546728-9
Softcover: ISBN: 0-14230071-8
Reviews
Booklist, Nov. 2001
The story touches on the awkwardness that sometimes comes with gestures
of affection between friends, and the simple, descriptive language
and short sentences are just right for beginning readers. Weston's
bright, action-packed artwork makes endearing characters of the story's
two rodent stars.
Kirkus Reviews, Nov. 2001
Partridge's story is sweet and gentle and...will give beginning readers
some fast-clipping exercise. It's fun having friends... and part
of that fun could be reading this together, with its voice parts
-- veritable bursts of prose -- for an amiable duet.
Whistling
A young boy, Jake, and his dad go camping and whistle up the sun together. Anna Grossnickle Hines, did all the illustrations in small quilts! The illustrations are breathtaking, and Anna has captured the joyful relationship of a small boy and his dad.
Illustrated by Anna Grossnickle Hines
Greenwillow, 2003
ISBN: 0-525-47078-6
Available at libraries and
online used bookstores.
Reviews
Kirkus
Reviews, March 2003, Starred review
Simply gorgeous illustrations adorn a poetic
boy-and-his-dad story. This tender story of a family ritual unfolds
to the full-page images from Hines, who makes her pictures in quilts.
Children will be entranced by the unaffected sweetness and gentle rhythms
of both story and pictures and their magical sense of family love and
devotion to the natural world.
School Library Journal, April 2003
Partridge embroiders the details of the text with a poetic flair that
adds texture and engages all the senses. As a result of this lyrical
pairing, the book's quiet simplicity is a compelling and seamlessly
woven collage of art and text. The final pages detail the quilter's
technique so readers can create a story quilt of their own. School
Library Journal, April 2003
ALA Booklist, August 2003
Words and illustrations together communicate the tranquility of the setting,
the anxiety of the child, and his satisfaction when the sun rises.
Young children will enjoy the story; adults will find the unusual
and distinctive illustrations fascinating.
Kogi's Mysterious Journey
An adaptation of a magical Japanese folk tale. A multi-layered story about creativity, belief and perseverance.
Illustrated by Aki Sogabe
Dutton Books, 2003
ISBN:
0525470786
Available at libraries and online used
bookstores.
Reviews
Publisher's Weekly Paper cutouts with bold outlines
accompany an eerie Japanese folktale. Kogi may be an unfamiliar figure,
but readers will not fail to feel the power of that final decision. Ages
5-8. (Oct.)
School Library Journal
Partridge's spare, poetic recasting of a Japanese folktale ends with
the artist and his creations coming to life again as fish. This enticing
version of a Japanese tale stands out as a compelling read-aloud.-Margaret
A. Chang
Kirkus Reviews
Partridge, author of several studies on how art or artists are made,
focuses on transformations and artistic epiphanies in this powerfully
retold Japanese legend. Kogi's dream makes disturbing, universally compelling
reading. (author note) (Picture book/folktale. 8-11)
Exquisite cut-paper illustrations by a Japanese-born artist enhance
Partridge's retelling of an old Japanese folk tale.—Elizabeth
Ward
Moon Glowing
When cold autumn winds blow, four animals -- bat, bear, beaver and squirrel -- get ready for winter. With an afterword on hibernation.
Ilustrated by Joan Paley.
Dutton, 2002
ISBN 0-525-46873-0
Available at libraries and online used bookstores.
Reviews
Publishers
Weekly, September, 2002
Starred Review
Partridge chooses long vowel sounds for each of the four animals,
emphasizing a soporific mood: "Nose tucking/wings folding/eyes closing/Paws,
big paws, wrapping round." This lovely, understated entry doubles
as an idea introduction to hibernation and a languorous entree to nighttime
dreams. Ages 2-6 (Sept.)
School Library Journal
A must purchase for the youngest naturalists, and a handsome and informative
addition to winter-themed toddler storytimes.
Kirkus Reviews
With very few words per page, Partridge's text creates a gentle rhythm.
Lovely.
Clara and the Hoodoo Man
Clara must defy her mother and enlist the help of the terrifying hoodoo man to save her sister's life. Based on a true story told to me by the real Clara, the book takes place in turn-of-the-century Tennessee, and combines superstition, folk medicine and hoodoo magic.
Puffin Books
ISBN 0140383484
Available at libraries and online used bookstores
Reviews
Publishers
Weekly, Starred Review
This exceptional first novel is as clear and sharp as a heady whiff
of sage. It features luminescent writing full of sensuous images, heavy
with persimmon and willow bark and hollyhocks; readers can hear the
chickens scratching and feel the big pots steaming. It is subtle in
characterization; Clara is aware of her mother's big and small moods,
but from a young girl's perspective. It is also dramatically compelling,
climaxing in Clara's fearful ride up the mountain in the pitch black.
One hopes the author has more stories to share.
Book Review
Superbly schooled in time and place, Partridge introduces readers to
the demanding beauty of life as it was lived by people who were handed
little, yet survived and gave much...Clara is a beautifully realized
character.
Booklist
Partridge writes vividly, bringing both characters and setting to life
with colorful speech and specific detail. At the same time, she captures
a strong sense of a time and place in which Christianity blends with
superstition, slaves are learning to be free, and children work hard
to help their families survive.
Kirkus Reviews
...the details of home and herbal remedies are utterly engrossing. Clara
is a plucky heroine and when she is finally appreciated for her efforts,
few readers won't be satisfied.
The Bulletin
A rich slice of American life that historical fiction rarely treats.
Pig's Eggs
An adventure between a young, artistic pig and a broody, preoccupied hen.
Illustrated by Martha Weston
Golden Books
ISBN 0-307-10232-7
Available at libraries and online used bookstores.
Reviews
Publisher's Weekly
"A touch of nostalgia infuses this
cheerful story, just right for tucking into an Easter basket.... The
exaggerated physical action and straightforward story all resemble
cartoon animation from the '40s and '50s....Weston's comic details
add to the fun."