Wendy Pollock-Gilson (Children's Literature)
When her papa goes off to war, and when she needs some time to herself, Jezebel goes off to her special place in the woods. Jezebel must conquer her fears of such things as soul-stealing pixie lights and wispy fog ghosts whenever she enters the woods. One day, while seeking solace in her spooky spot, Jezebel hears a series of strange noises. But what joy! It's her beloved papa home from war. He knew where she was, because he used to slip ayay to this same spooky spot when he was younger. Children will identify with Jezebel, a brave little girl who conquers her fears. Ted Rand's exquisite watercolors make this a beautiful picture book and one that should find a spot in library collections. 1999, Dutton Children's Books, $15.99. Ages 4 to 9.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, 1999)
Despite its formulaic predictability, this story of a girl's facing her fears will have readers in her comer. Jezebel is a young African-American whose mother has died and whose father leaves for war at the beginning of the book. Even with her grandmother at home (somewhere in the South) and a younger brother, Jezebel sometimes feels low and lonely. When waiting for her father to return overwhelms her, Jezebel heads to a spooky spot in the swamp, a sacred place where she is both solaced and challenged. Time and again she wends her way there, where she must contend with spiders, swamp ghosts, and pixie lights in order to experience the healing balm of that special landscape. When her father returns, Jezebel learns that her special place is not hers alone. In less dexterous hands, this story would sink into mawkishness, but the Rosses keep things nimble with fast pacing and scene shifts; Rand's artwork restlessly shuffles between Jezebel's moxie and her understandable melancholy and anger. 1999, Dutton, $15.99. © 1999 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 1999)
When Jezebel's daddy goes off to war (which war is never stated), he tells her that when she gets "that googery-boogery creepy-crawly catchy feeling…look it in the eye." Jezebel does just that, and her newfound bravery helps her cope with missing her father. This rhythmic story, though somewhat unwieldy, reads well aloud. Rand's expressive illustrations reach a level of lightness and play the text never achieves. Category: Younger Fiction. 1999, Dutton, 32pp, $15.99. Ages 5 to 9. Rating: 4: Recommended, with minor flaws.