Zigzag

by Robert D. San Souci, Stefan Czernecki (Illustrator)

Overview

"Nicely composed, and the happy ending should please young readers." -School Library Journal When the doll maker creates Zigzag from clothing scraps, she promises that "some child will love you." Her promise gives the strange-looking doll hope. But the other dolls and stuffed animals in the shop don't want such an ugly toy hanging around, so they force Zigzag to leave. Clinging to the promise that a child will someday love him, little Zigzag sets out on a journey in search of happiness and a new home. Young readers will be intrigued by this heart-warming story of perseverance and compassion. Children love to explore the simple bold illustrations that make the story look like it was quilted from scrapes. This colorful story about an orphan doll looking for love will teach readers the importance of caring, courage and respect. August House Publishers offer free lesson plans for Zigzag!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780874837643
Publisher:	August House Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	12/13/2005
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.51(w) x 10.38(h) x 0.34(d)
Lexile:	AD610L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Robert San Souci Bio: Robert San Souci, who was born in San Francisco, raised in Berkeley and attended college at St. Mary's College in Moraga, knew at an early age he wanted to be a writer. His award-winning books were often spirited retellings of folk tales, fairy tales, myths and legends from around the world. In an interview, he confessed to his fascination of great stories, "I think I never outgrew my love of fairy tales when I was growing up. I'd save my allowance money and buy used editions of books like The Wizard of Oz and the Rainbow Colored Fairy books. I love science fiction and ghost stories." Among the many celebrated titles, twelve books written by San Souci and illustrated by his younger brother, Daniel San Souci, stood out as his favorites. San Souci was an American Library Association notable author whose work has also been recognized by American Bookseller and the International Reading Association. He collaborated with Daniel on two award winning LittleFolk picture books: As Luck Would Have It and Sister Tricksters. His third award winning book with August House, Zigzag was illustrated by Stefan Czernecki and named to Scholastic Parent & Child magazine’s “Best New Books”. "When we were young, my parents always said Bob would be the writer and I'd be the artist," Daniel San Souci said in an interview. "When we graduated from college, we decided kid’s books would be the perfect medium. Our first book won awards and opened the door for us. Anytime we worked together it was special." Stefan Czernecki Bio: Stefan Czernecki was born in a refugee camp in Germany and now lives in a small glass apartment one hundred and fifty feet above the ground. For inspiration, he travels to faraway places like Tokyo, Mexico City, New York and Marrakesh. Sometimes he just takes a walk around the block. A number of his books are inspired by folk art from other countries. His creative work has been awarded the prestigious Aesop Accolade given by the American Folklore Society.

Editorial Reviews

Poor Zigzag is a clownish patchwork rag doll with jester-like tufts on its head and rickrack for a mouth. Despite the hero's protestations of "I'm just special," all the other conventionally cute toys in the dollmaker's shop hate him ("You are so very ug-ly!") and push him into the trash. But with help from some friendly mice, Zigzag is adopted by a girl who is so nice that the doll's rickrack mouth magically transforms into "a smile of joy." San Souci's (The Talking Eggs) storytelling here seems uncharacteristically blunt and blatantly emotional ("Why are you here?" ask the mice when they find the rejected doll lying in the grass. "I'm looking for a child to love me," replies Zigzag), but it's tempered somewhat by Czernecki's (The Girl Who Lost Her Smile) large-scale, cut-cloth characters, which may remind some youngsters of their own spirited classroom art projects. The illustrator adds little extraneous detail, allowing the geometric shapes and vibrant patterns to pop off the pages and heighten the story's emotional stakes (particularly the subtly altered eyebrows and mouth of Zigzag to convey everything from contentment to rage). Czernecki lines up Zigzag's tormentors in tidy formations that echo the repetitive motifs on their bodies (a row of evil stuffed bunnies is almost nightmarish). But despite the impressive craftsmanship on display here, the themes of rejection and redemption feel all-too-familiar. Ages 3-7. (Oct.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

K-Gr 2-When a dollmaker finishes piecing together a doll made of cloth scraps, she names him Zigzag. His mouth is crooked and his fabric mismatched, but the woman is sure that some child will love him. The other toys taunt Zigzag because he is so "ugly" and push him off the shelf into the trash. When it is put out, he is picked up by an owl that drops him into a meadow. There he meets some field mice who lead him to the little girl who loves him and turns his crooked mouth into a smile. Eye-catching illustrations fabricated from cloth scraps create captivating, colorful collages set against a bright, white background. While they are vivid and appealing, they are also a tad confusing. The same technique is used to render the humans and animals, making it hard to differentiate the toys from the other characters. This is not one of San Souci's most engaging offerings but it is nicely composed, and the happy ending should please young readers.-Be Astengo, Alachua County Library, Gainesville, FL Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Czernecki's patchwork illustrations make a bright and busy visual impression, but can't quite carry San Souci's bland, predictable tale. "I'm just special," insists Zigzag, the new cloth doll, to which the other dolls in the store jeeringly respond, "You're just ugly," and push him off the shelf into the trash. Out he goes in the morning, on a journey that ends, of course, in the arms of an adoring little girl. Depicted as if made from many small patches of gingham and other patterned scraps, and with a stitched zigzag mouth that, natch, curves into a smile at the end, Zigzag is plainly intended to stand in for any child ostracized for physical differences. But the theme has seen so many more spirited treatments, from "The Ugly Duckling" on, that this one is unlikely to make much of an impression. (Picture book. 5-7)

Kirkus Reviews