Weitzman (Thrashin' Time, 1991, etc.) combines historic facts, captivating black-and-white line drawings, and a fictional eyewitness to tell the story of the first frigate in the American Navy, the U.S.S. Constitution, nicknamed ``Old Ironsides.'' The tale opens in the late-18th century, when the US finds its ships overrun by the piracy of the high seas and Congress earmarks $688,888.52 for six new American warships. The focus shifts to a young boy, John Aylwin, who often tarries at the Hartt Brothers Shipyard in Boston. He observes the shipbuilding, from design to launch. The numerous spreads stylistically evoke the era, while also capturing the meticulous construction process: the felling of oak trees, the hand-stitching of sails, the hand-hammered copper tiles that form the ship's watertight seal. Weitzman has a draftman's eye for detail, and often provides a sense of scale by placing John along the ship, but never includes backgrounds—e.g., the shipyard or Boston Harbor- -making the presentation somewhat antiseptic. He does provide a detailed schematic, with the ship's various features numbered, making this an ice-breaker suitable for a wide range of audiences in history classrooms. (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: April 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-395-74678-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1997
The whimsy is slight—the story is not—and both its interest and its vocabulary are for the youngest members of this age...
Beverly Cleary has written all kinds of books (the most successful ones about the irrepressible Henry Huggins) but this is her first fantasy.
Actually it's plain clothes fantasy grounded in the everyday—except for the original conceit of a mouse who can talk and ride a motorcycle. A toy motorcycle, which belongs to Keith, a youngster, who comes to the hotel where Ralph lives with his family; Ralph and Keith become friends, Keith gives him a peanut butter sandwich, but finally Ralph loses the motorcycle—it goes out with the dirty linen. Both feel dreadfully; it was their favorite toy; but after Keith gets sick, and Ralph manages to find an aspirin for him in a nearby room, and the motorcycle is returned, it is left with Ralph....
The whimsy is slight—the story is not—and both its interest and its vocabulary are for the youngest members of this age group. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 22, 1965
ISBN: 0380709244
Page Count: 180
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 16, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1965
BOOK TO SCREEN
Floca (The Frightful Story of Harry Walfish, 1997, etc.) offers a great explication of the small trucks that airline passengers see scurrying around jets on the runways. In brightly painted illustrations and simple descriptions, he introduces each vehicle, explains what it does, and shows it in action, e.g., the truck called the baggage conveyor is shown hoisting suitcases into the belly of the plane. All five trucks’ duties point to a big finale when the plane takes off. Given preschoolers’ well-documented fascination with heavy machinery, this book will strike a chord with young air travelers, and answer the questions of older travelers as well. (Picture book. 6-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7894-2561-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1999
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