Using an ancient Egyptian creation myth from Heliopolis, and inspired by, but not bound to, Egyptian motifs, Hofmeyr and Daly offer a lovely pourquoi for the universe. In the beginning darkness, a lotus flower opened and Atum cast light into the world from its heart. Soon he blew across his hands and made Shu, the god of air, and Tefnut, the goddess of rain. These two teased and played, and their children were Geb, the god of earth, and Nut, the goddess of sky. Atum grew angry at Geb and Nut's closeness, and finally Shu had to keep them apart. Geb's struggle made hills and volcanoes and Tefnut's tears the plants; Nut was lifted high in an arch over Geb and Atum sprinkled her with stars so Geb could see her in the darkness. The children of Nut became the gods Osiris and others, and Atum retired to the sun, guided by Nut each day. The illustrations use line with great elegance, as Geb's body metamorphoses into hills and hillocks. Nut the sky turns from milky moonstone to deep lapis, and myriad blues and sweet greens set off the figures, for whom Egyptian conventions of hair, adornment, and skin tones are used. The language is complex enough so that this is best used as a read-aloud, and may go nicely with Tamara Bower's The Shipwrecked Sailor, another Egyptian story that speaks across millennia. (Picture book. 7-10)
Pub Date: March 22, 2000
ISBN: 0-374-37481-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
Dizzyingly silly.
The famous superhero returns to fight another villain with all the trademark wit and humor the series is known for.
Despite the title, Captain Underpants is bizarrely absent from most of this adventure. His school-age companions, George and Harold, maintain most of the spotlight. The creative chums fool around with time travel and several wacky inventions before coming upon the evil Turbo Toilet 2000, making its return for vengeance after sitting out a few of the previous books. When the good Captain shows up to save the day, he brings with him dynamic action and wordplay that meet the series’ standards. The Captain Underpants saga maintains its charm even into this, the 11th volume. The epic is filled to the brim with sight gags, toilet humor, flip-o-ramas and anarchic glee. Holding all this nonsense together is the author’s good-natured sense of harmless fun. The humor is never gross or over-the-top, just loud and innocuous. Adults may roll their eyes here and there, but youngsters will eat this up just as quickly as they devoured every other Underpants episode.
Dizzyingly silly. (Humor. 8-10)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-50490-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after.
Drake has been selected by the king to serve as a Dragon Master, quite a change for an 8-year-old farmer boy.
The dragons are a secret, and the reason King Roland has them is a mystery, but what is clear is that the Dragon Stone has identified Drake as one of the rare few children who have a special connection with dragons and the ability to serve as a trainer. Drake’s dragon is a long brown creature with, at first, no particular talents that Drake can identify. He calls the dragon Worm. It isn’t long before Drake begins to realize he has a very strong connection with Worm and can share what seem to be his dragon’s thoughts. After one of the other Dragon Masters decides to illicitly take the dragons outside, disaster strikes. The cave they are passing through collapses, blocking the passageway, and then Worm’s special talent becomes evident. The first of a new series of early chapter books, this entry is sure to attract fans. Brief chapters, large print, lots of action, attractive illustrations in every spread, including a maplike panorama, an enviable protagonist—who wouldn’t want to be a Dragon Master?—all combine to make an entertaining read.
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after. (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-64624-6
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Branches/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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