A Rose, a Bridge, and a Wild Black Horse

January 8, 2024
In a palette of sunset pink, orange, and lilac, Morstad (The Puppets of Spelhorst) creates new illustrations for this creation by the late Zolotow (William’s Doll), reenvisioned by Crescent Dragonwagon as a string of extravagant promises made by a girl to her mother. Portrayed with black hair and skin that generally reflects the white of the page, the two snuggle on a blanket, the child gazing at her parent with love. “When I’m grown up,” the younger announces, “I’ll break rocks in half for you with my bare hands.” Morstad draws the girl, now older, in a martial arts–style pose, her eyes closed as a large geode near her cracks open. Her plans range from the epic (“I’ll climb mountains and bring you a stone from the top”) to the mundane (“I will do all your arithmetic for you”). On another page, “I’ll fight anyone you don’t like and win” becomes an act of peacemaking as the girl offers a shadowy monster a cup of tea. The girl’s final promise imagines a day of leave-taking, but, she vows, she will leave her mother with a friend; it’s an expression of boundless love that has lost none of its fresh specificity—a freshness that’s reflected in the new illustrations, too. An afterword adds biographical context. Ages 5–7. Author’s agent: Edite Kroll, Edite Kroll Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Jr./Folio Literary.

February 15, 2024
The late Zolotow's 1964 classic is stylishly updated by her daughter (author Dragonwagon) and illustrator Morstad. "Guess what I'll do," a girl tells her mother. As the mother reclines on a picnic blanket, observing her daughter, the child proposes a range of activities: "I will do all your arithmetic for you." "I'll fight anyone you don't like and win." "I'll capture a wild black horse and tame him for you to ride." "I'll pick the pinkest rose for you to smell." The original edition centered on an older brother talking to his younger sister. Changing the characters to a mother and child gives the book a special poignancy, particularly when it ends with, "I'll leave you a friend to keep you company, while I explore the world." Morstad's black-eyed heroines often appear expressionless, as when the girl states, "I'll build you a bridge that is bigger than any bridge in the world," and the two stand back-to-back, their faces unsmiling. Yet by and large, there is real affection between these characters. Morstad even incorporates some mixed media, amusingly utilized when the girl breaks whole rocks apart for her mom. The result is a deep and abiding love that still acknowledges that someday the child must depart. Dragonwagon's afterword ties the book's mother-daughter connections together further. The characters have paper-white skin. Themes of familial ties and inevitable separation make for a marvelous reinterpretation of a beloved picture book. (Picture book. 4-7)

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