A behind-the-shelves look at the inner workings of supermarkets offers readers an in-depth examination of how the myriad foodstuffs come to be available in the grocery store. From the laborers in the fields and delivery trucks racing across town, to an overview of each section of a modern grocery store, readers observe the many steps required to provide the ultimate conveniences. Krull skillfully distills a huge morass of information into palatable, bite-size morsels of information. However, the text lacks definite linear progression. Rather, it has a tendency to jump back and forth among the topics. She moves from describing the farms that produce our staples into a discussion on the economic development of early communities and then on to a description of the food pyramid—all fundamentally interconnected, but presented in a dizzying whirl of information. Greenberg’s meticulously detailed illustrations are like grocery stores themselves: a kaleidoscope of sights and colors. Included in the pictures are intriguing tidbits of trivia: how potato chip companies know when to send product out, favorite ice cream flavors, etc. The end result is a tremendous amount of information, both visual and textual, for readers to assimilate. Yet after wading through it all, readers—both young and old—will never look at a supermarket with such innocent complacency as before. A fascinating peek into an amazingly complex industry that is virtually taken for granted by most of us. (Nonfiction. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2001
ISBN: 0-8234-1546-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2001
A validating and breathtaking next chapter of a Mother Goose favorite.
Humpty Dumpty, classically portrayed as an egg, recounts what happened after he fell off the wall in Santat’s latest.
An avid ornithophile, Humpty had loved being atop a high wall to be close to the birds, but after his fall and reassembly by the king’s men, high places—even his lofted bed—become intolerable. As he puts it, “There were some parts that couldn’t be healed with bandages and glue.” Although fear bars Humpty from many of his passions, it is the birds he misses the most, and he painstakingly builds (after several papercut-punctuated attempts) a beautiful paper plane to fly among them. But when the plane lands on the very wall Humpty has so doggedly been avoiding, he faces the choice of continuing to follow his fear or to break free of it, which he does, going from cracked egg to powerful flight in a sequence of stunning spreads. Santat applies his considerable talent for intertwining visual and textual, whimsy and gravity to his consideration of trauma and the oft-overlooked importance of self-determined recovery. While this newest addition to Santat’s successes will inevitably (and deservedly) be lauded, younger readers may not notice the de-emphasis of an equally important part of recovery: that it is not compulsory—it is OK not to be OK.
A validating and breathtaking next chapter of a Mother Goose favorite. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-62672-682-6
Page Count: 45
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A book that will make young dog-owners smile in recognition and confirm dogless readers' worst suspicions about the mayhem caused by pets, even winsome ones. Sam, who bears passing resemblance to an affable golden retriever, is praised for fetching the family newspaper, and goes on to fetch every other newspaper on the block. In the next story, only the children love Sam's swimming; he is yelled at by lifeguards and fishermen alike when he splashes through every watering hole he can find. Finally, there is woe to the entire family when Sam is bored and lonely for one long night. Boland has an essential message, captured in both both story and illustrations of this Easy-to-Read: Kids and dogs belong together, especially when it's a fun-loving canine like Sam. An appealing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8037-1530-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996
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