Susan Hepler, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)
Based on a composite of thirteen variant tales from Guadeloupe, this story features familiar folktale elements, perhaps because it has its roots in European tales such as the Brothers Grimm's "The Three Princesses in Whiteland." Two identical twin brothers, the kind and good Soliday and the cowardly and selfish Salacota, set off to save a princess who has been carried off by a seven-headed black bird. Aided by a wizard's beads and poisonous ointment, the boys are supposed to trade beads for feathers, fletch an arrow tipped with the poison and kill the bird. Soliday does this, but Salacota tricks him and returns to court alone with the princess and with proof that he has killed the bird. When Soliday finally returns, he is able to convince the king of his true identity because he saved the golden beaks from the bird he slew while the evil Salacota only captured the heads as proof. Acrylic paintings with Widener's rounded brown figures and the lush colorful landscapes show up well to groups of listeners, and the smooth telling of this somewhat lengthy tale reads aloud well. Children will enjoy picking out the many motifs that give this folktale resonance. 2002, Simon & Schuster, $16.95. Ages 7 to 10.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2002 (Vol. 70, No. 17))
San Souci (The Birds of Killingworth, p. 572, etc.), one of the premier promoters of the folkloric tradition, always provides a careful author's note detailing the origins of his stories, several of which have recently come from the Caribbean. This tale comes from Guadeloupe and the author states that it "is composited in the main from thirteen variant tales" collected by Elsie Clews Parsons as well as other tales by Philip Sherlock and Lafcadio Hearn. San Souci also mentions that the story has European roots. The motifs in the story, the good brother and the evil brother; the princess who has to be rescued, and the slaying of a monster with the help of magic, are all common enough in many cultures and usually make for an exciting story. The text has its dramatic high points, but unfortunately, the narrative is undermined by the illustrations. With the exaggeration and cartoon-like style of Widener's (If the Shoe Fits, p. 189, etc.) paintings, this hero tale seems less than heroic. Sure, the princess is rescued, but the beads of sweat all over the hero's body, when he tries to get out of the ravine into which he has fallen, look like a grade-B comic book. The large eyes and round heads of the characters have a silly, almost stereotypical look that just doesn't work with this type of serious traditional tale. The clothing and the palace do not belong in the Caribbean. Only when the Bird of Darkness with its seven rainbow-colored heads appears, does the book reverberate with any real power. (author's note) 2002, Simon & Schuster, $16.95. Category: Picture book/folktale. Ages 8 to 12. © 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))
Heroic Soliday sets off to save the king’s daughter, Marie, who has been kidnapped by the Bird of Darkness; Soliday’s identical twin, lazy, dishonest Salicota, decides to accompany him on the grounds that riches may be forthcoming. When Soliday succeeds in his quest, Salicota betrays him, taking the princess and the seven heads of the Bird of Darkness back to Marie’s kingdom and leaving his brother to die. Fortunately, Marie detects something different about her rescuer/soon-to-be husband and delays the wedding long enough for Soliday to return and claim her as rightfully his. That’s really just the bare bones of a remarkably detailed, involving story, told here in powerfully evocative language (the Bird of Darkness has “vast wings, which were blacker than the heart of night. They swallowed the sunshine and moonlight and starlight. When the bird perched on the island’s highest peak and unfolded its wings, they swirled and spread across the sky like ink clouds in a pool of water. Noon turned to midnight”). The momentum has a cumulative effect, incident upon incident rolling inexorably to the conclusion. Widener’s acrylic illustrations are sometimes too stylized to do the players justice, but that fresh and naïve style may be an asset when contrasted with the story’s very lengthy text. Use this with students ready for a serious introduction to epic tales of the hero’s journey. An extensive source note is included. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2002, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2002, Simon, 40p, $16.95. Grades 3-6.