An idyllic accounting of the seasonal activities on a small family-run farm called “Smallholdings.” Chorao (Jumpety- Bumpety Hop, 1997, etc.) opens on the doldrums of winter. As this is a combination husbandry and truck-farm operation, an entire bestiary of animals needs to be fed, with particular attention paid to the hens, who are a key source of income. There are also loads of flats in the greenhouse that need watering. Spring creeps in, fields get plowed, strawberries ripen, baby animals arrive. Through summer and fall, Chorao notes the details that make farms special: swallows nesting in old tractor seats, a collection of antique farm machinery, a clamshell driveway, the contraption that washes eggs. The fine pen work evokes both the tangle and non-stop action of farm life; indeed, the Brown family is so busy that they can’t mind the cash box. They leave an old metal box with change in their selling room (lined with such items as jam, honey, eggs, a scale, a sleeping cat, a bale of hay in winter, and bursting with flowers come spring), a detail that imparts a lingering note of respect for the entire endeavor. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: May 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-8050-5053-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1998
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
Sloat collaborates with Huffman, a Yu’pik storyteller, to infuse a traditional “origins” tale with the joy of creating. Hearing the old women of her village grumble that they have only tasteless crowberries for the fall feast’s akutaq—described as “Eskimo ice cream,” though the recipe at the end includes mixing in shredded fish and lard—young Anana carefully fashions three dolls, then sings and dances them to life. Away they bound, to cover the hills with cranberries, blueberries, and salmonberries. Sloat dresses her smiling figures in mixes of furs and brightly patterned garb, and sends them tumbling exuberantly through grassy tundra scenes as wildlife large and small gathers to look on. Despite obtrusively inserted pronunciations for Yu’pik words in the text, young readers will be captivated by the action, and by Anana’s infectious delight. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-88240-575-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004
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