Reviews of Eleanor by Barbara Cooney

"Illustrations use a palette of reds and deep pinks to reflect Eleanor's growth in self-confidence, moving from cool tones to rich hues over time. Stark, vertical lines, particularly evident in facial expressions, provide a striking contrast of emotional severity with the portrait of privilege in Eleanor's world."

-from: Horn Book, Vol. 72, September 1996, p. 610+

"Cooney's paintings are well suited to her subject and convey a sense of the past through muted colors and careful details. By showing the young Eleanor at the fringes of the pictures on many pages, the artist emphasizes her subject's isolation and loneliness. Toward the end of the story, however, Eleanor is squarely in the center of the page. Cooney thus accentuates Eleanor's coming out, her character now fully formed in all its quiet dignity."

-from: School Library Journal, September 1996, pp. 195-96.

SELECTED REVIEWS

Booklist, Vol. 93, January , 1997, p. 767
Booklist, Vol. 93, September 15, 1996, p. 239
Booklist, Vol. 93, April 1, 1997, p. 1298
Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books, Vol. 50, No. 96, p. 93+
Horn Book, Vol. 72, September 1996, p. 610+
Horn Book Guide, Vol. 8, Spring, 1997, p. 156
Instructor, Vol. 106, January, 1997, p. 54
Kirkus, Vol. 64, August 15, 1996, p. 1233
Los Angeles Times Book Review, October 6, 1996, p. 15
New Yorker, Vol. 72, November 18, 1996, p. 98
New York Times Book Review, Vol. 101, December 8, 1996, p. 78
Parents Magazine, Vol. 243, September 23, 1996, p. 76
Parents Magazine, Vol. 243, November 4, 1996, p. 48
School Library Journal, Vol. 42, December 1996, p. 28
Smithsonian, Vol. 27, November 1996, p. 173

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Created August 5, 1997, Reviewed and Last Updated July 26, 1998