Keeper of Soles

I asked my 8-year-old son how he like this book. He replied, "It was surprisingly funny." I found it to be difinitely off-beat and up-beat. I liked the pairing of the illustrator and the author. As my son also said, "Mom, wait until you see the Reaper's toenails!" And, they were hilarious. A great selection for a child who is comfortable with the Grim Reaper, enjoys word play, and appreciates nontraditional illustration.

A really clever book using puns both verbal and visual to tell a great story.

I was not expecting death to come and visit the cobbler in this picture book for kids. But death did indeed come to visit the cobbler and the fast talking cobbler makes death some shoes and escapes death temporarily. The pictures are sort of half creepy and the story is not at all creppy except that this is death we're talking about. Interesting subject matter for a children's picture book. Ages say 6-8

For some reason stories about average joes outsmarting death incarnate make for wonderful picture books. There was the Pura Belpre winner of 2003, "Just a Minute" by Yuyi Morales and the classic folktale of, "The Man Who Caught Death In a Bag". Outwitting the man with the scythe is a universal activity. All the more reason then that a resident of Tacoma, Washington and a Columbian resident of Canada should join together to bring us the newest addition to this already well-populated genre. Now as books go, "Keeper of Soles" had its points. Its author is excellent and its one-namer of an illustrator is unspeakably talented. Unfortunately their two styles mix about as well as oil and water. This is a fine book, but an unfortunate pairing of two perfectly good artists who just don't work together very well. Colin's a heckuva cobbler. He makes good quality shoes for all kinds of people regardless of who they are or what their income might be. As shoemakers go, Colin is a stand-up fella. Then one day there's a knock on the door and who should it be standing there but the grim reaper himself. Death starts to inform Colin that his time has come when the cobbler happens to notice that old grimmy hasn't any footwear. Quick as a wink he takes an order for a pair of sandals, "They would go with the robe", and tells Death to come back in a month. In a month he does, but by then Colin is convinced that good-quality boots are what Death really needs. This goes one for years and years until one day the man in black tells Colin that time is finally up. It's time to hand over his soul. Colin counters with the point that he's given Death tons of soles over the years. This amuses Death who finally concedes the point and tells Colin that he'll come for him when the soles of the shoes have worn out. And since these are good quality shoes we're talking about, "It would be many years before Death would stand on his doorstep again". I know my Ingmar Bergman, so the "Seventh Seal" reference on the cover of this book did not go unappreciated. In fact many of the illustrator Yayo's little touches were delightful. Before I read the text of this book I loved flipping through the pictures. On one page Yayo has made Death's tonsils look like little boots. On another, Colins' bed is in the shape of a comfy little clog. I have no doubt that there will be countless parents, grandparents, godparents, and other potential purchasers around America who will pick this book up at their local bookstore, flip through it with a measured hand, and buy it on the strength of the pictures alone. This, unfortunately, would be a mistake. I want to make it perfectly clear that I think that Yayo is talented beyond all measure. Are we clear on this? Good, because there's a catch. Yayo is talented, but Yayo also didn't seem to be reading this book very closely. Teresa Bateman has written a measured fable with a healthy dose of foreshadowing, potential for danger, and