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YOU’RE GROWING UP, PONTUS!

Name: YOU’RE GROWING UP, PONTUS!
Author: Ann-Sofie Jeppson
ISBN: 91-29-65393-2

by Ann-Sofie Jeppson & translated by Frances Corry & illustrated by Catarina Kruusval ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 8, 2001

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Jeppson (Here Comes Pontus, not reviewed) attempts to create a story as she educates young readers about horses, their equipment, and breeds. Told in a series of journal entries it comes from Pontus the pony’s point of view. This frisky young horse takes the reader into the pasture, where he begins his seasonal routine. Summer is coming to an end, and Pontus is feeling melancholy about his inevitable confinement. However, soon after, he’s brought inside the stable and the reader follows him through winter as he shares thoughts and feelings about his care. Jeppson places emphasis on the do’s and don’ts of horsemanship, but trying to mask the lesson behind the story fails to work here. The text is choppy and dry and the inconsistencies are obvious with the all-knowing horse that understands the terms pitch-black and cousin, but doesn’t know the words “hair” or “television.” Young readers interested in learning about horses and horseback riding could best use this piece as a beginner’s reference guide, but the story itself is lacking. Kruusval’s (By Geezers and Galoshes, p. 104, etc.) paintings give children a real view into a horse’s way of life. Her cartoon-like art easily grabs the attention of readers and works well with the corresponding definitions. However, although they are educational, definitions and illustrations of horseback riding equipment, breeds, markings, and colorings are randomly placed on pages in an arrangement that is less than pleasing to the eye. A weak story that could have been a great addition to the numerous facts collected within. (Picture book. 5-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2001

ISBN: 91-29-65393-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: R&S/Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2001

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

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WHERE DO FROGS COME FROM?

by Alex Vern & illustrated by Alex Vern ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2001

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The lifecycle of the frog is succinctly summarized in this easy reader for children reading at the late first-grade level. In just one or two sentences per page, Vern details the amazing metamorphosis of the frog from egg to tadpole to adult, even injecting a little humor despite the tight word count. (“Watch out fly! Mmmm!) Large, full-color photographs on white backgrounds clearly illustrate each phase of development. Without any mention of laying eggs or fertilization, the title might be a bit misleading, but the development from black dot egg to full-grown frog is fascinating. A simple chart of the three main lifecycle steps is also included. Lifecycles are part of the standard curriculum in the early elementary grades, and this will be a welcome addition to school and public libraries, both for its informational value and as an easy reader. (Nonfiction/easy reader. 5-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001

ISBN: 0-15-216304-2

Page Count: 20

Publisher: Green Light/Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2001

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

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THE TOAD

From the Disgusting Critters series

by Elise Gravel ; illustrated by Elise Gravel ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 5, 2016

A light dose of natural history, with occasional “EWWW!” for flavor

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Having surveyed worms, spiders, flies, and head lice, Gravel continues her Disgusting Critters series with a quick hop through toad fact and fancy.

The facts are briefly presented in a hand-lettered–style typeface frequently interrupted by visually emphatic interjections (“TOXIN,” “PREY,” “EWWW!”). These are, as usual, paired to simply drawn cartoons with comments and punch lines in dialogue balloons. After casting glances at the common South American ancestor of frogs and toads, and at such exotic species as the Emei mustache toad (“Hey ladies!”), Gravel focuses on the common toad, Bufo bufo. Using feminine pronouns throughout, she describes diet and egg-laying, defense mechanisms, “warts,” development from tadpole to adult, and of course how toads shed and eat their skins. Noting that global warming and habitat destruction have rendered some species endangered or extinct, she closes with a plea and, harking back to those South American origins, an image of an outsized toad, arm in arm with a dark-skinned lad (in a track suit), waving goodbye: “Hasta la vista!”

A light dose of natural history, with occasional “EWWW!” for flavor . (Informational picture book. 5-7)