Overflowing with oomph and pizzazz, this collection will take up space in children’s minds for years to come.
Is it poetry, or is it philosophy? Only child readers can tell.
It’s clear that Himmelman has too long reined in his instincts to fit the picture-book form. Now he’s let loose with a cavalcade of delightfully chaotic, boisterous, and thought-provoking verse. The book calls them “snippets,” most would dub them “poems,” and while both are correct, that label is also insufficient. The titular hero writes brief stories on the walls of the shell for one and all to read. Punctuated by interstitial pen-and-ink illustrations, each story/poem works by its own peculiar internal logic; many are imbued with a dry wit. A wizard turns a potato into a different potato (“one that looked just like / the first one”) to oohs and aahs; as Himmelman points out, “It didn’t take much to be a wizard in those days.” Some turn achingly poignant, such as several poems that follow a pair of dogs attempting to reunite; another asks, “Can a shadow have a shadow?” If Shel Silverstein were pared down to his core elements, you might end up with such a volume. By turns humorous, charming, and bizarre, these stories will keep readers musing; they’ll especially appreciate the postscripts on how all the various characters turn out in the end. Characters have skin the white of the page.
Overflowing with oomph and pizzazz, this collection will take up space in children’s minds for years to come. (Poetry. 7-12)Pub Date: March 18, 2025
ISBN: 9780823458455
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Poet Alexander deftly reveals the power of the format to pack an emotional punch.
Basketball-playing twins find challenges to their relationship on and off the court as they cope with changes in their lives.
Josh Bell and his twin, Jordan, aka JB, are stars of their school basketball team. They are also successful students, since their educator mother will stand for nothing else. As the two middle schoolers move to a successful season, readers can see their differences despite the sibling connection. After all, Josh has dreadlocks and is quiet on court, and JB is bald and a trash talker. Their love of the sport comes from their father, who had also excelled in the game, though his championship was achieved overseas. Now, however, he does not have a job and seems to have health problems the parents do not fully divulge to the boys. The twins experience their first major rift when JB is attracted to a new girl in their school, and Josh finds himself without his brother. This novel in verse is rich in character and relationships. Most interesting is the family dynamic that informs so much of the narrative, which always reveals, never tells. While Josh relates the story, readers get a full picture of major and minor players. The basketball action provides energy and rhythm for a moving story.
Poet Alexander deftly reveals the power of the format to pack an emotional punch. (Verse fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-10771-7
Page Count: 240
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 17, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Rich, naturalistic details will delight lovers of marine life.
A Monterey Bay sea otter comes of age.
Odder’s mom told her to stay away from sharks, humans, and anything else she didn’t understand, but after saving her friend Kairi from a shark attack, she encounters all three. Injured herself during the rescue, Odder ends up recuperating at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, or Highwater as the otters call it, where she once lived as a young orphaned pup. Last time, the humans helped her reintegrate into the wild, but because of her injuries this time the outcome might be different. Soon Kairi is there too, stricken with “the shaking sickness” and having lost her newborn pup. Now Kairi is fostering a new pup, and soon one is introduced to an initially reluctant Odder in hopes that she will help raise it so it can return to the wild. The free verse effortlessly weaves in scientific information, giving Odder a voice without overly anthropomorphizing any of the animals. The natural appeal of sea otters will draw readers in, but the book doesn’t shy away from real-world threats such as predators, disease, and pollution. Loosely based on the stories of real sea otters rehabilitated at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, this novel will give readers lots to talk about, but uneven pacing and a rushed ending may leave some unsatisfied. Charming black-and-white spot art captures the world and life of the sea.
Rich, naturalistic details will delight lovers of marine life. (glossary, author’s note, bibliography, resources) (Verse novel. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-14742-4
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
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