A sweet suggestion for a family nature activity.
On a snowy winter morning, a mother and child participate in the annual Christmas bird count, finding a satisfying variety to report to fellow birders at the nature center.
This appealing introduction to a National Audubon Society tradition involving birders and families throughout the Americas is set in what is probably the northeast quadrant of the United States, judging from the birds the protagonists see. While the two crunch quietly through the snow through a forest to a pond, they encounter blue jays, a red-bellied woodpecker, a tufted titmouse, a golden-crowned kinglet, a yellow-rumped warbler, a chickadee, a nuthatch, and more. The text is full of sounds as well as sights. Information about the count, now more than 100 years old, and use of bird-watching tools such as a clipboard, field guide, and binoculars is neatly interwoven. A middle spread offers the scientific rationale for this tradition and shows a diverse range of individual and family participants. For the child missing the grandfather with whom they used to do the count, seeing his favorite mourning dove is a pleasing climax. The birds pictured in the digitally finished images are appropriately identifiable. The androgynous-looking child, who has pale skin and brown hair, is described as a boy named Jay on the cover and jacket copy. Backmatter includes a history of the bird count and a checklist suitable to the Northeastern states.
A sweet suggestion for a family nature activity. (Picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8075-1279-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
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A strong second outing for Dillard and J.D.
Breakout kid barber J.D. embraces a summer of opportunity.
Readers met J.D. Jones just as he took his hometown of Meridian, Mississippi, by storm, winning himself community acclaim and a chair at the revered Hart and Sons barbershop in series opener J.D. and the Great Barber Battle(2021). What’s next for the haircut prodigy? School’s just getting out, and there’s so much life happening outside—if only one can escape home learning with the grandparents. J.D.’s sister, Vanessa, brings along multitalented mutual friend Jessyka to share an ambitious challenge: “Let’s start a YouTube channel!” Can they get millions of views and wow the whole world? They are already amazing at haircuts and hairstyles—all they need is to learn how to make a great YouTube video. The story models strategies for scripting short videos reflecting the templates of viral YouTube hair tutorials, inviting readers to not only see the journey of the characters, but maybe also practice these skills at home. This book is bound to educate all about some of the most storied and cherished traditions within the Black community. Bringing in Vanessa is a great touch to extend the series across gender, and hopefully she’ll get a chance to lead her own adventures. This book blends skill-building, entrepreneurship, and strong family values to give young Black children visions of what’s possible when they follow their passions and embrace their community.
A strong second outing for Dillard and J.D. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-11155-0
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
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