by Helen Cooper & illustrated by Ted Dewan ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2003
Helping her father to draw a horse in the sand, Polly wishes for it to run free, escaping the inevitable fate of all sand drawings: the frothy sea. Perhaps her wish alone would not be able to give life to the Sandmare, but when combined with the wishes of the sandy drawing, a little help from the sun, and the encouragement of a passing dog, the magical creature is able to rise from the beach and leap across the dunes. Finding friends and foes in the horses that inhabit the neighboring boardwalk carousel, the curio shop, and eventually Polly’s own house, the Sandmare attempts to find a solution to her problem; to survive she must travel far away from the beach. Simple, yet evocative pencil drawings are peppered throughout the text, illustrating this magical tale of hope. Young readers will happily curl up to read each chapter in this creative tale of how one horse manages to free herself from doubt and eventually the sand. (Fiction. 6-8)
Pub Date: March 5, 2003
ISBN: 0-374-36406-0
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2003
Share your opinion of this book
More by Helen Cooper
BOOK REVIEW
by Helen Cooper ; illustrated by Gill Smith
BOOK REVIEW
by Helen Cooper ; illustrated by Helen Cooper
BOOK REVIEW
by Helen Cooper & illustrated by Helen Cooper
by Doreen Cronin & illustrated by Harry Bliss ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2005
The wriggly narrator of Diary of a Worm (2003) puts in occasional appearances, but it’s his arachnid buddy who takes center stage here, with terse, tongue-in-cheek comments on his likes (his close friend Fly, Charlotte’s Web), his dislikes (vacuums, people with big feet), nervous encounters with a huge Daddy Longlegs, his extended family—which includes a Grandpa more than willing to share hard-won wisdom (The secret to a long, happy life: “Never fall asleep in a shoe.”)—and mishaps both at spider school and on the human playground. Bliss endows his garden-dwellers with faces and the odd hat or other accessory, and creates cozy webs or burrows colorfully decorated with corks, scraps, plastic toys and other human detritus. Spider closes with the notion that we could all get along, “just like me and Fly,” if we but got to know one another. Once again, brilliantly hilarious. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-06-000153-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Joanna Cotler/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2005
Share your opinion of this book
More by Doreen Cronin
BOOK REVIEW
by Doreen Cronin ; illustrated by Brian Cronin
BOOK REVIEW
by Doreen Cronin ; illustrated by Brian Cronin
BOOK REVIEW
by Doreen Cronin ; illustrated by Betsy Lewin
by Cynthia Rylant & illustrated by Sucie Stevenson ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1998
Rylant (Henry and Mudge and the Sneaky Crackers, 1998, etc.) slips into a sentimental mode for this latest outing of the boy and his dog, as she sends Mudge and Henry and his parents off on a camping trip. Each character is attended to, each personality sketched in a few brief words: Henry's mother is the camping veteran with outdoor savvy; Henry's father doesn't know a tent stake from a marshmallow fork, but he's got a guitar for campfire entertainment; and the principals are their usual ready-for-fun selves. There are sappy moments, e.g., after an evening of star- gazing, Rylant sends the family off to bed with: ``Everyone slept safe and sound and there were no bears, no scares. Just the clean smell of trees . . . and wonderful green dreams.'' With its nice tempo, the story is as toasty as its campfire and swaddled in Stevenson's trusty artwork. (Fiction. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-689-81175-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1998
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
by Cynthia Rylant & illustrated by Sucie Stevenson
by Cynthia Rylant & illustrated by Sucie Stevenson
More by Cynthia Rylant
BOOK REVIEW
by Cynthia Rylant ; illustrated by Arthur Howard
BOOK REVIEW
by Cynthia Rylant ; illustrated by Arthur Howard
BOOK REVIEW
by Cynthia Rylant ; illustrated by Lisa Congdon
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.