The 25 poems in this beautifully illustrated and designed anthology are evenly divided between real and imaginary horses and between rhyming and nonrhyming poetic forms. Schwartz has thoughtfully selected poems that show us horses at work (a police officer’s mount, a young racehorse, a circus horse) and at play (merry-go-round horses, a child’s toy pony). Many of the elements of poetry could be taught using this volume: several of the poems effectively use a galloping meter or successfully show the power of poetic metaphor through charging steeds glimpsed in crashing ocean waves or in racing clouds. Well-known poets are represented here with selections by Shakespeare, Frost, Whitman, and Christina Rossetti, with more contemporary poems by Aileen Fisher, Tony Johnston, and Jack Prelutsky. Two selections are by Native American poets, but no other minority cultures are represented (and the exclusion of a haiku along with all the other poetic forms seems an obvious oversight). The evocative illustrations by Berenzy (Home at Last, 1998, etc.) alternate between pastels and soft, moody graphite pencils that capture magical moments, such as the birth of a foal by moonlight. She has a genuine talent for depicting both realistic horses in motion and more ephemeral images such as the elusive unicorn, and her delicate, understated illustrations propel this collection into the winner’s circle. As there is no other collection of equine-themed poems for children in print, this offering will be welcomed in larger poetry collection and by legions of horse-lovers young and old. (Poetry. 6-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-8050-6212-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often...
A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.
Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Zuckerman. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. "Some Pig" comes first. Then "Terrific"—then "Radiant". The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is "Humble". And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring.
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1952
ISBN: 978-0-06-026385-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1952
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
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