Reviews

In this memoir Naomi, the mother of the popular mother-daughter country music duo The Judds, tells her life story. Ken Stilts, her long-time manager, describes Naomi's life as ``part Greek tragedy, part soap opera,'' and he's at least half right. This account in no way approaches the literary quality of even the worst Greek tragedy, but the term soap opera is an apt one. While most autobiographical works are built upon events that are unique and significant, Judd's life story comes across as a rehash of every soap opera ever produced. Mired in unnecessary detail and an overabundance of cliches, this book will probably disappoint even the Judds' most ardent fans. Purchase only according to demand.-- Joanna M. Thompson, Bluefield State Coll., W.Va.

PreS-Gr 2A glossy, commercial production of a song by the popular country-music star. The message is clear and the illustrations suggest ways that a person might help someone else. In the full-color paintings, one child fixes the others bike wheel, another tends to a friends scraped elbow. The closing spread shows the children, hand in hand, standing together midair to form a bridge. The lyrics are repeated on the last page. The multiethnic, tirelessly cheerful, clean youngsters look stiff and posed. The hope for a peaceful world and love for all is an admirable one, but here its been packaged for sale, not interwoven within a real story. The song might be a favorite with Judds fans, but it does not translate effectively into a picture book.Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NY Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Judd, the elder half of country music's superstar mother-daughter duo The Judds, spins the lyrics of their hit song into a sentimental picture book about the ripple effect of love and good deeds. Each verse/ stanza speaks of making sacrifices in the name of love ("I'd gladly walk across the desert with no shoes upon my feet./ To share with you the last bite/ of bread I had to eat"); meanwhile, Duranceau (Follow the Moon) depicts pairs of multiracial children performing various kindnesses for each other. A girl shares her sandwich with a boy; that boy helps another boy who has fallen on the playground; the second boy visits a friend in the hospital, and so on. The chain of events shown in Duranceau's creamy, lifelike portraits captures Judd's theme: "Love can build a bridge/ between your heart and mine,/ Love can build a bridge./ Don't you think it's time?" Confusingly, one spread appears to break the continuous link between the children to begin a new succession of kid-to-kid encounters. Judd's call for harmony, respect and responsibility is inarguably worthwhile. That said, Judd's foreword, in which she describes "hunkering down" with her dog to watch a homeless man sleeping on a bench (and never offering him help) is an uncomfortable fit with her text. An audiocassette recording of the song is included. All ages. (May)