An accurate and entertaining account of the pros and cons of wielding credit.
The newest addition to the wallet likes to shop till the other shoe drops.
Goldie the credit card has joined a family consisting of different kinds of money, and when she offers to bankroll an upcoming vacation, the coins and cash are thrilled. Goldie, who’s illustrated with the microchip and tap-to-pay symbol of modern credit cards, works fast! Even little Penny declares her generosity “magnifi-cent,” though Goldie has a tendency to upgrade their frugal travel plans at great cost. Bill cautions Goldie not to overspend, but she ends up maxing out her credit limit and wallowing in a sea of debt. Goldie takes responsibility and works extra hard to pay off her debt by the statement due date. She returns to the wallet to be used for planned, affordable expenses instead of luxurious splurges. The artwork fills each page with onomatopoeia as Goldie swipes and taps up a storm, along with images of the safari, cruise, and doughnuts she purchases. Constant wordplay and puns lighten the sound lessons of this personified money drama. The other wallet denizens encourage and embrace Goldie as she works toward debt relief, welcoming her back into the wallet with friendly forgiveness. Backmatter caps off the story, offering a timeline of the history of credit and charting the benefits of responsible credit card use alongside the pitfalls of excessive splurging.
An accurate and entertaining account of the pros and cons of wielding credit. (bibliography) (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781645678847
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers.
Echoing the meter of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Ward uses catchy original rhymes to describe the variety of nests birds create.
Each sweet stanza is complemented by a factual, engaging description of the nesting habits of each bird. Some of the notes are intriguing, such as the fact that the hummingbird uses flexible spider web to construct its cup-shaped nest so the nest will stretch as the chicks grow. An especially endearing nesting behavior is that of the emperor penguin, who, with unbelievable patience, incubates the egg between his tummy and his feet for up to 60 days. The author clearly feels a mission to impart her extensive knowledge of birds and bird behavior to the very young, and she’s found an appealing and attractive way to accomplish this. The simple rhymes on the left page of each spread, written from the young bird’s perspective, will appeal to younger children, and the notes on the right-hand page of each spread provide more complex factual information that will help parents answer further questions and satisfy the curiosity of older children. Jenkins’ accomplished collage illustrations of common bird species—woodpecker, hummingbird, cowbird, emperor penguin, eagle, owl, wren—as well as exotics, such as flamingoes and hornbills, are characteristically naturalistic and accurate in detail.
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers. (author’s note, further resources) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2116-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
Just the thing for anyone with a Grinch-y tree of their own in the yard.
A grouchy sapling on a Christmas tree farm finds that there are better things than lights and decorations for its branches.
A Grinch among the other trees on the farm is determined never to become a sappy Christmas tree—and never to leave its spot. Its determination makes it so: It grows gnarled and twisted and needle-less. As time passes, the farm is swallowed by the suburbs. The neighborhood kids dare one another to climb the scary, grumpy-looking tree, and soon, they are using its branches for their imaginative play, the tree serving as a pirate ship, a fort, a spaceship, and a dragon. But in winter, the tree stands alone and feels bereft and lonely for the first time ever, and it can’t look away from the decorated tree inside the house next to its lot. When some parents threaten to cut the “horrible” tree down, the tree thinks, “Not now that my limbs are full of happy children,” showing how far it has come. Happily for the tree, the children won’t give up so easily, and though the tree never wished to become a Christmas tree, it’s perfectly content being a “trick or tree.” Martinez’s digital illustrations play up the humorous dichotomy between the happy, aspiring Christmas trees (and their shoppers) and the grumpy tree, and the diverse humans are satisfyingly expressive.
Just the thing for anyone with a Grinch-y tree of their own in the yard. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-7335-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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