All through the school year, I.Q., the class’s pet mouse, wants to be student of the week; he has done everything the class has done, but everyone seems to ignore him as a candidate, regardless of his attentiveness to the literary arts, science, math, crafts, and recess. Time passes with I.Q.’s hearty efforts drawn in watercolor and black line, noting him as a superlative role model. In fact, all the students are just as thoroughly focused; they represent a well-balanced, pleasant, multicultural class group all concentrating on their daily activities; everyone wants to be a successful student and participates in everything, which will be an encouragement especially to the younger elementary reader. Fraser’s enthusiasm for children exploring the world is beautifully upheld in all her work including How Animal Babies Stay Safe (2001) in the Let’s Read and Find Out Science series. Month by month, noting the seasons pass, the school activities are clearly detailed in text and illustration and I.Q. takes part in each, including the very traditional Thanksgiving play. December is handled in the currently acceptable manner, showing a few religious practices, albeit mainstream. Fraser’s overall handling is tender, totally focused on the development level of the reader, and sensitive to the needs of the young student who will be learning just like I.Q. Now on to camp. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-8027-8813-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Walker
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The lifecycle of the frog is succinctly summarized in this easy reader for children reading at the late first-grade level. In just one or two sentences per page, Vern details the amazing metamorphosis of the frog from egg to tadpole to adult, even injecting a little humor despite the tight word count. (“Watch out fly! Mmmm!) Large, full-color photographs on white backgrounds clearly illustrate each phase of development. Without any mention of laying eggs or fertilization, the title might be a bit misleading, but the development from black dot egg to full-grown frog is fascinating. A simple chart of the three main lifecycle steps is also included. Lifecycles are part of the standard curriculum in the early elementary grades, and this will be a welcome addition to school and public libraries, both for its informational value and as an easy reader. (Nonfiction/easy reader. 5-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-15-216304-2
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Green Light/Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2001
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