Just as Nickel, his aunt Starla, and her husband, Joe, turn into the farm road that leads to Joe’s parents’ house, the boy is astonished to see a magnificent black horse dash in front of their car, narrowly avoiding being hit. Neither Starla nor Joe saw the horse, and it turns out that there is no longer a horse on the farm. Just before Joe came back, the barn burned down, and Joe’s horse, Cougar, died in the blaze. As the makeshift family settles in with the Clendaniels, Nickel learns more about the horse, and how it was jealous of Joe’s bike and once tried to nip at it. When Nickel is pursued by bullies at his new school, he chooses the ruined old barn as a hiding place; as he crouches, he feels a hunk of metal that is warm to his touch, while his pursuers complain of getting cut. Nickel has found, in the place where Cougar died, Joe’s old bike; he and Joe’s father, Pop, restore it. When the bully strikes again, the spirit of Cougar, inhabiting the bike, saves Nickel. It’s a strange tale, weakened by the supernatural element, yet horse lovers will find it comforting. In the satisfying ending, as Nickel becomes part of a loving family and comes to understand himself a little better, readers won’t fail to be moved. (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: May 27, 1999
ISBN: 0-688-16337-8
Page Count: 106
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1999
Bishop’s spectacular photographs of the tiny red-eyed tree frog defeat an incidental text from Cowley (Singing Down the Rain, 1997, etc.). The frog, only two inches long, is enormous in this title; it appears along with other nocturnal residents of the rain forests of Central America, including the iguana, ant, katydid, caterpillar, and moth. In a final section, Cowley explains how small the frog is and aspects of its life cycle. The main text, however, is an afterthought to dramatic events in the photos, e.g., “But the red-eyed tree frog has been asleep all day. It wakes up hungry. What will it eat? Here is an iguana. Frogs do not eat iguanas.” Accompanying an astonishing photograph of the tree frog leaping away from a boa snake are three lines (“The snake flicks its tongue. It tastes frog in the air. Look out, frog!”) that neither advance nor complement the action. The layout employs pale and deep green pages and typeface, and large jewel-like photographs in which green and red dominate. The combination of such visually sophisticated pages and simplistic captions make this a top-heavy, unsatisfying title. (Picture book. 7-9)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-590-87175-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1999
Baker (Big Fat Hen, 1994, etc.) engages in more number play, posing ducklings in every combination of groups, e.g., “Splashing as they leap and dive/7 ducklings, 2 plus 5.” Using a great array of streaked and dappled papers, Baker creates a series of leafy collage scenes for the noisy, exuberant ducklings to fill, tucking in an occasional ladybug or other small creature for sharp-eyed pre-readers to spot. Children will regretfully wave goodbye as the ducks fly off in neat formation at the end of this brief, painless introduction to several basic math concepts. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-292858-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
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