Kali's Song

Starred review from January 9, 2012
Winter (The Watcher) takes a break from picture-book nonfiction to tell the story of Kali, a boy from prehistoric times. He’s skinny, friendly-looking, and wears fur, and he’d rather play his bow like a musical instrument than shoot with it. “Soon you’ll be a man,” his mother tells him, pointing to the horses she’s painted on their cave wall. “Soon you’ll hunt and kill wild animals like these.” But Kali’s bow playing draws even the immense mammoths the bowmen in his tribe are pursuing: “They had heard the sounds from his bow and had come to listen.” Kali’s people recognize the boy as a shaman. Once Kali understands who he is and what he must do, the pressure to conform falls away; it’s a story of a society that recognizes and respects those who are different. Winter’s cheerful, stripped-down figures and collage landscapes, in deep blues and ochres, make Kali’s path understandable and accessible even to young readers, and her
vision of a life lived in perfect harmony with the universe—even the stars listen to Kali’s music—is full of hope. Ages 4–8. Agent: Susan Cohen, Writers House.

Starred review from January 15, 2012
Thousands of years ago, a boy chooses to use his bow for music rather than hunting, charming animals and eventually his tribe with hypnotic song. Winter's friendly folk-art illustrations offer an appealingly uncomplicated visual narrative, one as effortlessly expressive as the cave paintings Kali's mother creates on their rock walls. Trees, hunters, rolling hills and woolly mammoths appear with such unaffected clarity (thanks to generous spacing between shapes, figures and text) that they seem as authentic as realistic renderings. Children gain confidence interpreting pages so assuredly illustrated, and their feeling for Kali will grow as his life comes into focus. Winter's rudimentary acrylic, pen and ink illustrations look a little like elementary-school dioramas (evergreens perch awkwardly on hillsides, frozen figures point with stubby fingers and mouths open, miniaturized hunting scenes seem almost silly), but her pictures (atop frayed, mottled handmade papers) brilliantly evoke primitive times. Each spread's warmth, accessibility and kindliness make visiting a far-away century immensely pleasurable. Muted blues, browns and ruddy reds soften Kali's world of hunting, caves and manly expectations, bringing him close to children as they lean close to listen. After weeks of ditching hunting practice and instead playing his bow until stars "c[o]me close to listen," the day of the big hunt worries Kali and his readers alike. When his music stills both mammoths and their hunters, Kali's future changes forever. Minimalism brilliantly brings a distant time near. (Picture book. 2-6)

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February 1, 2012

PreS-Gr 1-Kali, a cave boy, prefers to use his weapon to make music rather than to kill. He lives with his hunter father and his cave-painting artist mother. The time comes for the boy to be given his own bow and arrows so he can help bring food to his people. During a practice session, Kali discovers that the bowstring makes a pleasant sound that, when he uses his mouth on the bow to change the pitch, brings peace to himself and the animals. "Kali forgot about shooting arrows and plucked his bowstring into the night. The stars came close to listen." After the tribe witnesses the soothing effects of his music, Kali is declared a shaman and spends the rest of his days healing the sick and playing his music. Pleasing collage illustrations in acrylic paint and pen and ink on handmade paper show a pale gray boy discovering the joy of tranquility amid the day-to-day struggle for survival.-Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2012
Grades K-2 Kali, a young Paleolithic cave dweller, is preparing for his first hunt when he learns that he is more interested in the mellifluous sounds he can make with his bowstring than in learning to shoot arrows with it. On the day of the hunt, the tribe discovers a pack of mammoths, and the magnificent creatures move Kali to put down his arrows and play a beautiful tune. Both the animals and the other hunters are charmed, and Kali's tribesmen lay down their weapons, too. Winter's mixed-media illustrationsfeaturing textured paper and flat, elemental shapes that resemble the images Kali's mother paints upon their cave wallsare a fitting complement to the spare, lyrical text and the magical, folkloric elements of this tale, which hints at the beginnings of music as an art form. Although the story take place tens of thousands of years ago, its themes of expressing oneself artistically, embracing your gifts, and respecting nature are timely ones that will resonate with young readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

March 1, 2012
When, "thousands and thousands and thousands of years ago," young Kali admires his mother's cave paintings, his father gives him a bow to practice for the hunt. Kali, however, sets aside his arrows and uses the bow for something new: putting it to his mouth, he plucks the string and creates music that stills the wild animals and draws them to him; even the stars "came close to listen." On the day of the hunt, Kali's song charms not only a herd of mammoths but his companions, who lay down their arrows and declare Kali a shaman. Indeed, when he grows up he's able to cure the sick and talk with "ancestor spirits." A hero tale rather than a realistic one, the story contains simple events that nicely dramatize how the arts and a wisdom transcending everyday necessity must always have been entwined. Winter's illustrations -- pen and ink and acrylic on rough-bordered handmade paper, in such natural colors as evergreen, stone gray, and the earthy brown of the mighty mammoths -- employ the flat, elemental forms of cave art, effectively animated by the character's actions and expressions. An interesting, and discussable, visit to the might-have-been. joanna rudge long

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2012
When young prehistoric Kali receives a bow to practice hunting, he puts it to his mouth, plucks the string, and creates music that draws the wild animals to him--and charms his companions, who declare Kali a shaman. Winter's illustrations employ the flat, elemental forms of cave art in this interesting visit to the might-have-been.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)