Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature)
The clever trickster Malese has no money for new shoes, so he sets about to trick two shoemakers in order get some for free. He manages to acquire the rum he needs by fooling many merchants but after he also tricks a basket-seller, the angry villagers gather together and lock him up. However, he outwits them all again, and gets his house repaired as well. Lisker adapts the characteristic Haitian painting style of abundant bright colors and stylized shapes of people and settings. She uses multiple-colored patterns for clothing, but also integrates the luxurious vegetation, making patterns of the foliage. Exaggerated gestures help express Malese's trickery and his neighbors' foolishness. His striped black and white cat appears as a spectator throughout, perhaps symbolizing some of the island's magic. A final note fills in some background on trickster tales and names. 2002, Melanie Kroupa Books/Farrar Straus and Giroux, $16.00. Ages 4 to 8.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2002 (Vol. 70, No. 15))
The stories of Haiti are filled with the deeds of the clever, sly Ti Malice and his acquaintance Bouki, whose wits are not as nimble. In her author's note, MacDonald (Quentin Fenton Herter III, 2002, etc.) acknowledges using a tale of a "legendary shrewd peasant" referred to in a book on Haitian culture, The Magic Island (1929), by W.B. Seabrook, a New York Times reporter and a great traveler. Her character Malese (a variation on Ti Malice) fools various villagers into providing rum and shoes for him in an ingenious way, just as the peasant Theot Brun succeeded in doing in the original story, credited to Ernest Chauvet, publisher of Le Nouvelliste, a venerable Haitian newspaper. She has taken this story, whether legendary or true, and constructed her own trickster tale in which Malese not only winds up with a jug that is filled with more rum than water and a full pair of new shoes made to his specifications by two different cobblers, but also a donkey ride from Bouki. When his neighbors try to lock up Malese for a month to punish him for his illegitimate dealings, he uses his gift of gab to shame them into freeing him after only one day-and fixing his roof in the bargain. Lisker's (The Story of Shabbat, 2000, etc.) exciting paintings, with their intense tropical colors and bold forms, are reminiscent of Haitian paintings, but lack the detail and specificity of the most interesting of the country's naïf works. Readers can start here to get a taste of this particular trickster tradition and then go on to find other tales about Ti Malice. (author's note) 2002, Melanie Kroupa/Farrar Straus & Giroux, $16.00. Category: Folktale. Ages 6 to 9. © 2002 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Janice M. Del Negro (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, October 2002 (Vol. 56, No. 2))
Malese would rather plot than work for what he wants, and his devious machinations get him brand new shoes, a half a bottle of rum, and a ride home. When the victims of his trickery discover they’ve been duped, they lock Malese up for a month, only to discover that taking care of an incarcerated Malese is more work than they thought. MacDonald bases the plot on W. B. Seabrook’s The Magic Island and peoples this story with characters from traditional Haitian folklore (Malese, Bouki), though Malese here is more of a good-natured than malicious trickster figure. The stimulating, expressive language matches the fast and funny plot, and the dialogue will lend itself easily to readers’ theater and storytelling. Lisker’s illustrations are rendered in a tropical-punch palette of pink, yellow, and green; Malese’s geometrically marked black-and-white cat acts as an exclamatory counterpoint against the saturated hues. Those intrigued by Wolkstein’s Haitian-sourced Bouki Dances the Kokioko (BCCB 9/97) will find this more tricky entertainment. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2002, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2002, Kroupa/Farrar, 32p, $16.00. Grades 3-5.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2003)
After tricking two shoemakers into making him a spiffy new pair of free shoes, Malese goes on to weasel rum out of several marketplace vendors and scam a free donkey ride on a hot day. Finally, the shoemakers, a rum vendor, and the donkey's owner compare notes. This is a trickster tale of the highest order. MacDonald's language is spiky and fresh; and Lisker uses color to great effect throughout. Category: Nonfiction-Folktales and Nursery Rhymes. 2002, Farrar/Kroupa, 32pp, $16.00. Ages 5 to 9. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.

Susan Stepp (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 15, No. 2))
Malese uses his wit to obtain a new pair of shoes, rum for his rum cake, and a ride on a donkey to get home. The villagers visit and discover they have been cheated. They come, "madder than boiled owls," determined to punish him. In the end, Malese outsmarts them again. They end up doing work on his house as he lies in his hammock. The book was inspired after the author took a trip to Haiti. In an author's note, she details the story's origin. Lisker's brightly colored and patterned illustrations reflect her passion for Haitian art. Together they have created a delightful rendition of a Haitian folk tale. Nonfiction (398.2), Highly Recommended. Grades 2-5. 2002, Melanie Kroupa/Farrar Straus Giroux, Unpaged, $16.00. Ages 7 to 11.