Frances Temple (1) (1945–1995)

This was my favorite book for a long time. I love the way the love is naturally developed.
I read it first from the library, and was horrified and yet delighted to find it in the next book sale. Horrified, that no one else should read it, and delighted, because I was going to purchase it for the reasonable price of a quarter.

I love the sneakiness of Anansi and the humor at the end. Tiger is getting ready to enjoy some soup. Anansi doesn't seem interested in the soup but tricks Tiger into getting far from it so he can eat it up. Then he continues tricking other animals in the forest. I don't think Tiger ever figures out who ate his food. The author uses song words to keep the reader interested. Also, the other uses onomatopoeia to bring the book to life. The illustrations are very tropical and colorful.

Charming historical fiction about a betrothed couple who go on pilgrimage in Europe in 1300. The author did a nice job conveying the history and the attitudes of the time. I particularly liked the attitudes of the two main characters, as their near hostility and fear of each other grows to friendship and affection. Unlike in much historical fiction, they don't feel like people with modern attitudes wearing old fashioned clothing.

I didn't really like this book. The pictures were bright and grabbed the readers attention but didn't do much to enhance the story. The text was too wordy on some pages. The story seemed to be unfinished. There was no clear resolution. The antagonist in the story got away with his bad behavior. I'm assuming the message in this story is to be careful who you trust.