This entry in the Signs of the Times series is not equal to Ganeri's The Story of Writing and Printing (1996). Here, visual clutter and intellectual imprecision mar the presentation of a subject that demands clarity. There are as many as four illustrations (mostly full-color photographs), one or two fact boxes, a red border of unidentified icons, and up to eight different typefaces per page. Two-page spreads cover subjects such as the need for timekeeping and ancient ways of marking seasons; information comes in short, self-contained paragraphs, with little continuity and with some odd juxtapositions, e.g., a paragraph on the Doomsday Clock (which does not measure time at all but perceived threat of nuclear catastrophe) follows one on atomic clocks, which may lead readers to falsely associate the two. The discussion of time zones is ambiguous: Westbound travelers do lose an hour in crossing each time zone, but in setting back watches or clocks, gain hours in the day. The definitions of a.d. and b.c. are buried in the glossary; the index, misspelling the name of the 17th-century astronomer Johannes Hevelius, is occasionally illogical, listing early Greek and Egyptian topics under A for ``ancient,'' and listing equally antique Babylonian and Roman practices under B and R, respectively. Better books include Brenda Walpole's Time (1995), of equivalent length and reading level, and Franklyn Branley's less colorful but more authoritative Keeping Time (1993). (chronology, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 8-11)
Pub Date: July 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-19-521326-2
Page Count: 30
Publisher: Oxford Univ.
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1997
Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay.
Renowned Latin American writer Alvarez has created another story about cultural identity, but this time the primary character is 11-year-old Miguel Guzmán.
When Tía Lola arrives to help the family, Miguel and his hermana, Juanita, have just moved from New York City to Vermont with their recently divorced mother. The last thing Miguel wants, as he's trying to fit into a predominantly white community, is a flamboyant aunt who doesn't speak a word of English. Tía Lola, however, knows a language that defies words; she quickly charms and befriends all the neighbors. She can also cook exotic food, dance (anywhere, anytime), plan fun parties, and tell enchanting stories. Eventually, Tía Lola and the children swap English and Spanish ejercicios, but the true lesson is "mutual understanding." Peppered with Spanish words and phrases, Alvarez makes the reader as much a part of the "language" lessons as the characters. This story seamlessly weaves two culturaswhile letting each remain intact, just as Miguel is learning to do with his own life. Like all good stories, this one incorporates a lesson just subtle enough that readers will forget they're being taught, but in the end will understand themselves, and others, a little better, regardless of la lengua nativa—the mother tongue.
Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-375-80215-0
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The book is a cute, but rather standard offering from Avi (Tom, Babette, and Simon, p. 776, etc.).
An adolescent mouse named Poppy is off on a romantic tryst with her rebel boyfriend when they are attacked by Mr. Ocax, the owl who rules over the area.
He kills the boyfriend, but Poppy escapes and Mr. Ocax vows to catch her. Mr. Ocax has convinced all the mice that he is their protector when, in fact, he preys on them mercilessly. When the mice ask his permission to move to a new house, he refuses, blaming Poppy for his decision. Poppy suspects that there is another reason Mr. Ocax doesn't want them to move and investigates to clear her name. With the help of a prickly old porcupine and her quick wits, Poppy defeats her nemesis and her own fears, saving her family in the bargain.
The book is a cute, but rather standard offering from Avi (Tom, Babette, and Simon, p. 776, etc.). (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-531-09483-9
Page Count: 147
Publisher: Orchard
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1995
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