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Summary
Summary
Nurk is a quiet homebody of a shrew. But when a mysterious plea for help arrives in the mail, he invokes the spirit of his fearless warrior-shrew grandmother, Surka, and sets off to find the sender. It seems the prince of the dragonflies has been kidnapped, and Nurk is his last hope for rescue. Such a mission would be daunting for even the biggest, baddest, and bravest of shrews, and Nurk is neither big nor bad, and only a little brave. But he does his very best--and hopes his grandmother would be proud. Nurk is a warm, wonderful, and hilarious illustrated adventure about courage, family legacies, and friendships of a most unusual nature.
Author Notes
Ursula Vernon is a freelance writer, artist and illustrator. She received an undergraduate degree in anthropology at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She took several art classes in college. Her first children's book, Nurk: The Strange Surprising Adventures of a (Somewhat) Brave Shrew, was published in 2008. Her other works include Black Dogs: The House of Diamond and the Dragonbreath series. She also writes and illustrates the webcomic Digger and the creator of The Biting Pear of Salamanca.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Horn Book Review
Nurk is a meek, homebody shrew. After reading a letter meant for his warrior grandmother and taking courage from her old journal, he becomes caught up in a quest to save a dragonfly prince. Nurk's small-scale adventure is an approachable, accessible coming-of-age tale for animal-fantasy lovers. Thick-lined black-and-white illustrations help set the scene. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Can a (somewhat) brave shrew that's never been away from home find the courage to have an adventure? Can he set out, not knowing where he is going, to find the writer of a desperate plea for help that was mistakenly delivered to him? Of course he can! Inspired by a journal kept by Surka, his long-lost warrior-shrew grandmother, Nurk assembles a snailboat and heads off downriver, determined to make his grandmother proud. After he saves Scatterwings, a water-logged dragonfly princess and the writer of the desperate letter, Nurk learns the plea was meant for his grandmother. Together, Scatterwings and her father enlist Nurk's help to rescue Prince Flicker, who has been imprisoned by the dreaded Grizzlemole. Vernon's clever dialogue (and Grandma Surka's hilarious journal entries), silly characters, and even sillier situations will amuse readers right to the very last page, as will the author's line drawings that appear in each chapter. Will Grandma Surka show up in a sequel? Readers will hope so.--Sherman, Chris Copyright 2008 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-4-When Nurk opens a letter addressed to his grandmother, Surka, his first concern is that he has committed mail fraud. After discovering his adventurous grandmother's journal, in which she vowed to take risks, his second thought is that he should return the missive. He builds a boat out of a snail shell and heads down the river. He discovers that the letter was sent by the Princess of the Dragonflies, soliciting Surka's help. The king informs Nurk that the prince needs rescuing from Grizzlemole, an oversize blind mole and a generally terrible creature. Nurk bravely takes on the quest and, with help from passages in the journal, succeeds fairly easily. Each chapter includes an undistinguished heavy-line black-and-white ink drawing. Vernon's writing shows some flair, but overall the story's effectiveness is hampered by some slow parts and a plot that relies on predictable contrivance and coincidence.-Tim Wadham, St. Louis County Library, MO (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A reclusive young shrew develops a taste for adventure in this short, witty debut. With the example of his long-absent grandmother Surka--"a fighter, a dishwasher, and a pirate queen"--before him, little Nurk stocks up an empty shell he calls the Snailboat and sets off downriver in response to a letter pleading for unspecified help. That plea comes, as it turns out, from Scatterwings, a thoroughly adolescent dragonfly princess whose royal brother Flicker has been captured by the Grizzlemole, a blind enchanter of mountainous size. The occasional fluidly drawn black-and-white scenes depict a particularly tiny and timorous-looking rodent, but Nurk shows heart aplenty in taking on a series of eldritch challenges--and he returns home afterward bolstered by a new self-assurance likely to spur him on in sequels to search for his lost grandparent. Nurk's adventure, and the tone in which it's related, will remind readers of Stuart Little's quest. (Fantasy. 10-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.