In the classic tradition of wildlife stories—from Born Free to Free Willy—a creature is plucked from the wild and caged, then eventually reintroduced to its natural habitat. A windhover chick narrates how it broke out of its shell in the family perch atop a schoolyard building. Two hands, belonging to a creature with ``no musty bird smell,'' grab the tiny bird and put it behind bars. The windhover recognizes the boy as a loner on the playground, Dan Foster. It grows thinner, until Dan is convinced by a classmate that the right thing to do is to set the bird free. Readers who have cared for wild creatures will recognize Dan's struggle with his conscience; it's no surprise that he is redeemed by his decision and makes a friend, too. In fact, the book unfolds like clockwork; by keeping to the bird's perspective, all emotion and urgency is washed from the tale. Birmingham illustrates the story in fuzzy, muted pastels that resemble Mark Graham's work; he zeroes in on the windhover in captivity and in flight in full-page portraits, and varies his compositions with close-ups of the children's faces and aerial shots from the windhover's-eye view. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-15-201187-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1997
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The wriggly narrator of Diary of a Worm (2003) puts in occasional appearances, but it’s his arachnid buddy who takes center stage here, with terse, tongue-in-cheek comments on his likes (his close friend Fly, Charlotte’s Web), his dislikes (vacuums, people with big feet), nervous encounters with a huge Daddy Longlegs, his extended family—which includes a Grandpa more than willing to share hard-won wisdom (The secret to a long, happy life: “Never fall asleep in a shoe.”)—and mishaps both at spider school and on the human playground. Bliss endows his garden-dwellers with faces and the odd hat or other accessory, and creates cozy webs or burrows colorfully decorated with corks, scraps, plastic toys and other human detritus. Spider closes with the notion that we could all get along, “just like me and Fly,” if we but got to know one another. Once again, brilliantly hilarious. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-06-000153-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Joanna Cotler/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2005
Rylant (Henry and Mudge and the Sneaky Crackers, 1998, etc.) slips into a sentimental mode for this latest outing of the boy and his dog, as she sends Mudge and Henry and his parents off on a camping trip. Each character is attended to, each personality sketched in a few brief words: Henry's mother is the camping veteran with outdoor savvy; Henry's father doesn't know a tent stake from a marshmallow fork, but he's got a guitar for campfire entertainment; and the principals are their usual ready-for-fun selves. There are sappy moments, e.g., after an evening of star- gazing, Rylant sends the family off to bed with: ``Everyone slept safe and sound and there were no bears, no scares. Just the clean smell of trees . . . and wonderful green dreams.'' With its nice tempo, the story is as toasty as its campfire and swaddled in Stevenson's trusty artwork. (Fiction. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-689-81175-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1998
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