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Bronwen, the Traw and the Shape-Shifter by James Dickey, illustrated
by Richard Jesse Watson, ISBN 0-15-212580-9 At daybreak, Bronwen puts on her sunflower hat and begins to work in the garden, using her special claw-shaped trowel. But as the sun sets, the grass and the flowers grow dark, and the light in the river disappears. The All-Dark rises from the hedges and invades Bronwen’s world. The worst thing about the All-Dark is the Shapes that come from it-and the last is as bad as the first. |
Awards: Parents’
Choice Award for Illustration 1986,
Parents’ Choice Foundation
Bronwen is not the only one frightened of the Shapes that
shift and change, but she is the only one who can conquer the Shape-Shifter
and beat back the All-Dark. A kingdom of gentle flying squirrels needs
her help, for the All-Dark leaves them prey to weasels, night hawks and
wildcats.
Taking up her magic traw, Bronwen journeys to the squirrels’
kingdom, where she courageously battles the Shape-Shifter as it assumes
the form of the elements-air, fire, water, and the very earth itself.
Richard Jesse Watson’s dramatic, mysterious illustrations capture not only Bronwen and her traw, but also the alternately gentle and fierce moods of James Dickey’s richly imaginative epic poem.
Media Reviews of Bronwen, The Traw and The Shapeshifter:
“Complimenting James Dickey’s
poem are the lovely illustrations by Richard Jesse Watson, whose drawings
- color and black and white - possess no want of magic themselves. (The
sense of innocence and awe on Bronwen’s open-mouthed face as she
looks out her bedroom window in one of Watson’s black-and-white sketches
is as memorable a drawing of a child as I have ever seen.)”
The State Columbia, South Carolina, 9/21/86
“...This is a gorgeous book.
Richard Jesse Watson’s large black-and-white drawings are of portrait
quality laced with enchantment. The squirrel tapping at Bronwen’s
window is so real, of course she’ll speak to it.”
Los Angeles Times, The Book Review, 1/18/87
“This poetic fantasy is attractively
presented as a picture book. Watson has caught the dark romantic tone
of the poem in carefully detailed, imaginative black-and-white spreads.”
Kirkus Reviews, 8/15/86
“The enchanting illustrations are light and ethereal, even in their brown/black tones.” The Baltimore Sunday Sun, 12/7/86
“A beautiful book, gentle yet
foreboding, is made even more endearing by the detailed duotone drawings
of Richard Jesse Watson.”
The San Diego Tribune, 12/12/86
©Richard Jesse Watson