Hieronymus White was a know-it-all bird. He had theories about everything, from when baby birds should begin to fly (``As soon as they could, and as far and as high'') to what kind of bread to eat. But Hieronymus's arrogance, while not excusable, was understandable: The only child of immigrant parents who had left their own country to escape persecution, Hieronymus grew up with the heavy burden of trying to fulfill their dreams. But they were extremely demanding and not affectionate towards their son, and Hieronymus learned to excel in flight and in school but not how to make friends. So he was a wonder boy and a loner, and fame and fortune allowed him to surround himself with yes- men. Even his wife, Sabrina, didn't challenge Hieronymus. He was also as strict with his children, when he had time for them, as his parents had been with him. When Hieronymus's daughter, Amanda, gave birth, he looked forward to teaching his granddaughter how to fly even higher and better than he did. But the child, Selene, was born with a crippled wing. Suddenly ``he knew that no one could always be right,/And something changed inside Hieronymus White.'' Hieronymus lavished on Selene all the tenderness of a lifetime. She is now grown, a writer with a child of her own, to whom she tells stories of her world-famous, wonderful grandfather, Hieronymus White. It doesn't seem possible, but it's true: In Seuss-like poetry, Moss (The Other Side of the Door, 1991, etc.) tells an amazingly profound and sophisticated story of a bird's reevaluation of life. (Fiction. All ages)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-345-38590-X
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1994
BOOK REVIEW
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
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.
