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Searching... Silver Falls Library | JP BUNTING | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
"SCREE . . . SCREE . . ."
Terry is half asleep when he hears the wailing, rising and falling like the waves of the sea. He wishes it were a dream, but he knows it isn't. It isn't an owl screeching, either. Or the Flannerys' old cat. Could it be the Banshee--the ghostly figure of Irish legend who wails outside a house when death is near?
Why would she come here?
In spite of his fears, Terry goes out to confront her. Is it really the Banshee, or . . . something else?
Author Notes
Eve Bunting was born in 1928 in Maghera, Ireland, as Anne Evelyn Bunting. She graduated from Northern Ireland's Methodist College in Belfast in 1945 and then studied at Belfast's Queen's College. She emigrated with her family in 1958 to California, and became a naturalized citizen in 1969.
That same year, she began her writing career, and in 1972, her first book, "The Two Giants" was published. In 1976, "One More Flight" won the Golden Kite Medal, and in 1978, "Ghost of Summer" won the Southern California's Council on Literature for Children and Young People's Award for fiction. "Smokey Night" won the American Library Association's Randolph Caldecott Medal in 1995 and "Winter's Coming" was voted one of the 10 Best Books of 1977 by the New York Times.
Bunting is involved in many writer's organizations such as P.E.N., The Authors Guild, the California Writer's Guild and the Society of Children's Book Writers. She has published stories in both Cricket, and Jack and Jill Magazines, and has written over 150 books in various genres such as children's books, contemporary, historic and realistic fiction, poetry, nonfiction and humor.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3-With her usual flair, Bunting produces a lively, well-paced story, providing a full measure of tension and suspense. Set in Ireland and told in first person, the tale introduces Terry as he cowers beneath the covers one moonlit night while the wind rattles the windows and wailing sounds echo around the house. Fearful that a banshee-a ghostly figure of Irish lore that moans relentlessly when death is near-is haunting his family, he decides to offer the creature his most precious possession: a shimmering, beautiful blue peacock feather. In his ever-so-tentative but brave exploration of the backyard, Terry conquers his fears and matches wits with the screeching wind, giving a satisfying ending to this scary story. McCully's robust illustrations, delivered in rough-edged, cameo images alternating with spreads, spike the tension, and the dark-toned watercolors lend appropriate eeriness. Bunting's words and McCully's expressive visualizations bring vibrancy and believability to the tale. A great Halloween read but also one to share on St. Patrick's Day or any time of the year.-Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
When Terry, a young Irishman, is wakened by the sound of wailing outside, he's worried that a banshee (the Gaelic omen of death) is coming for his frail brother, Liam. Reasoning that even a ghost may be open to a bribe, Terry ventures into the backyard with his "best thing," a prized peacock feather: "I'd give it to her. Then I'd ask her to go away and leave our family be." Bunting's evocative prose ("It's December in Ireland. Cold. The linoleum is ice under my feet") and McCully's moody nocturnal scenes, lit by harsh moonlight, make Terry's fears and ruminations vivid. And all the pieces of a ghost story are there: a remote, dead-of-night setting in a land well-known for magic; the sense of isolation that fear can trigger; eerie backstories and details (a banshee, readers learn, wears "a long black robe, like a nun's, only hers was made of cobwebs"). But these elements don't quite coalesce into a genuine chill. Ultimately, it feels like Bunting and McCully (who previously teamed up for That's What Leprechauns Do) want to reassure readers rather than leave them with goose bumps. Ages 5-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
One night in Ireland, Terry wakens when he hears a wailing sound. Remembering a friend's tale that he heard a banshee and soon someone died, Terry goes to his mother for help, but she sends him back to bed. He hears the wail again and, fearful that it's foretelling the death of his brother, a sickly one, he ventures into the garden, where he sees something ominous by the back wall. Like the end of many a ghost story, the conclusion here is less thrilling than the crescendo, but this picture book creates a convincing story of bravery in the face of vividly imagined danger. Not a word is wasted in the first-person text, and the ink-and-watercolor illustrations show Terry's emotions with clarity and sensitivity. The banshee lore, the characters' manner of talking, and the opening picture of the house and surrounding countryside contribute to the Irish setting. Well suited to reading aloud, this picture book offers a fine portrayal of both childhood fear and courage--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2009 Booklist