Mike Fink

by Steven Kellogg

Overview

An entertaining tale about the life of Mike Fink.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780780784093
Publisher:	Perfection Learning Corporation
Publication date:	09/01/1998
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Steven Kellogg was "moved by the simplicity, the subtleties, and the poignance of the writing in this story." He welcomed the opportunity to reillustrate it in full color. Mr. Kellogg is an award-winning author and illustrator who has created more than one hundred children's books, including The Three Little Pigs, Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed, and Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett. He is the illustrator of Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town and The Baby Beebee Bird. Mr. Kellogg is a recipient of the David McCord Citation and the Regina Medal for his distinguished contribution to children's literature. He lives with his wife, Helen, in upstate New York.

Steven Kellogg was "moved by the simplicity, the subtleties, and the poignance of the writing in this story." He welcomed the opportunity to reillustrate it in full color. Mr. Kellogg is an award-winning author and illustrator who has created more than one hundred children's books, including The Three Little Pigs, Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed, and Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett. He is the illustrator of Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town and The Baby Beebee Bird. Mr. Kellogg is a recipient of the David McCord Citation and the Regina Medal for his distinguished contribution to children's literature. He lives with his wife, Helen, in upstate New York.

Editorial Reviews

Rollicking, humorous!

Chicago Sun-Times

One of the tall tales in the series that began with Paul Bunyan, this merry book features Fink, grizzly-bear wrestler and King of the Mississippi River Keelboatmen. "Kellogg's antic style is as engaging as ever," said PW. All ages. (May)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

K-Gr 4-- Kellogg retells some of the many legends about the rough and tumble keelboatman's younger days. He captures the energy and largeness of this tall-tale hero through the use of vernacular speech and in illustrations that can never quite contain the action within their borders. This version steers away from the negative stereotyping of women and American Indians that crop up in older tellings. Another hit in a series that does a wonderful job of introducing young children to America's folklore heroes.-- Karen K. Radtke, Milwaukee Public Library

School Library Journal

As in his earlier picture books based on American folk heroes, such as "Paul Bunyan" and "Pecos Bill" , Kellogg spins an entertaining yarn and illustrates it with verve and humor. Here he dramatizes the life of Mike Fink from the first time he runs away from home (as a spunky two-day-old babe), through the wrestling match that earns him the title King of the Keelboatmen, to that fateful day when Mike pits himself against a steamboat for control of the Mississippi. As bright and sassy as the frontier setting, the full-color artwork portrays a boisterous hero and his surprisingly boyish crew of keelboatmen as they face the challenges of the river and enjoy the beauty of its pastoral moments as well. Once again, Kellogg captures the drama, wit, and exaggeration of the tall tale in a picture book that's a pleasure to read aloud. Libraries may need multiple copies, if the earlier books are any guide.

Carolyn Phelan