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The Rolling Head
The Croglin Grange Vampire Like San Souci's earlier collection Short & Shivery (1987), this contains a sampling of folktales in which supernatural elements take center stage. Vampires, disembodied heads, ghosts, and evil entities of varying descriptions terrify unsuspecting mortals, the nice as well as the nasty kind. Several of the 30 stories--for example, the often anthologized "King of the Cats" from the British Isles and "Knock . . . Knock . . . Knock," a popular North American urban legend--may be known to scary-story fans. But most of the tales, which have been gathered from countries as far flung as Russia, Haiti, Iceland, and Nigeria, will be unfamiliar. Some of the stories were Me, Myself,The Accursed House,and and The Thing in the Woods. Katherine Coville, who illustrated the earlier collection, will contribute 20 drawings, which, given the sample provided, promise a few chills of their own. Though creepy enough, San Souci's straightforward retellings (he sometimes uses dialogue) keep the grisly details well under control, and his thorough source notes can lead readers on to other collections of folklore, fairy tales, and myths.
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This book was inspired in part by the restoration of the murals in 1984. The text accompanying the illustrations is by Robert San Souci, who provides details on what is known about the real pilgrims. While not as dramatic as the illustrations he did for "Treasure Island," "Robin Hood," and "The Last of the Mohicans," these murals have their moments. Particularly memorable is one of the Pilgrims standing on a hill, watching a ship sail back to England. The mural of Thanksgiving seems odd because there is only one Indian seated at the long table awaiting the turkey (while the text recalls how "Chief Massasoit arrived with ninety men, women, and children"). Young readers will learn something about the Pilgrims from reading this book, but the chief charm is clearly the murals by Wyeth. Certainly these deserve to be preserved for future generations to enjoy.
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The children love them. That's all that counts.
Judith Cohen