bookshelf

SONGS FOR SURVIVAL

Name: SONGS FOR SURVIVAL
Author: Nikki Siegen-Smith
ISBN: 0-525-45564-7

edited by Nikki Siegen-Smith & illustrated by Bernard Lodge ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1996

bookshelf

A handsomely packaged collection of lyrics and proverbs, subtitled ``Songs and Chants From Tribal Peoples Around the World,'' gathered from several dozen endangered cultures. Loosely grouped by subject, most of the selections are celebratory: ``I lift my voice like the burning incense of flowers,'' sings an Aztec poet; to an African Dinka, ``My bull is white like the silver fish in the river.'' For an Inuit, ``only one thing/is great;/to see from my home/the day coming. . . .'' Planting songs, lullabies, and children's chants are connected to familiar activities; others, such as the New Guinea ``Cycle of A'Asia''—``Aia sitting seated/sitting forever/Aia living alive/living forever . . .''—are pretty words, removed from context. Lodge's colored linocuts have a naive look that suggests tribal art without evoking any specific culture's style; equally evocative is a running frieze of tiny figures along the bottoms of pages created by Cica Fitipaldi to decorate Brazil's Yanomami Park. Despite scattered glosses and a brief note at the end, readers infer only hints of each culture's individual character, but the universal sense that Earth is powerful in some ways and fragile in others comes through clearly. (Anthology/folklore. 6-10)

Pub Date: May 1, 1996

ISBN: 0-525-45564-7

Page Count: 80

Publisher: Dutton

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1996

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
FIRST MORNING
edited by Nikki Siegen-Smith & illustrated by Giovanni Manna

bookshelf

WILD, WILD WOLVES

by Joyce Milton & illustrated by Larry Schwinger ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1992

bookshelf

At ``Step 2'' in the useful ``Step into Reading'' series: an admirably clear, well-balanced presentation that centers on wolves' habits and pack structure. Milton also addresses their endangered status, as well as their place in fantasy, folklore, and the popular imagination. Attractive realistic watercolors on almost every page. Top-notch: concise, but remarkably extensive in its coverage. A real bargain. (Nonfiction/Easy reader. 6-10)

Pub Date: April 1, 1992

ISBN: 0-679-91052-2

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1992

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
DINOSAUR DAYS
by Joyce Milton ; illustrated by Franco Tempesta

bookshelf

GOONEY BIRD GREENE

by Lois Lowry & illustrated by Middy Thomas ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2002

bookshelf

Gooney Bird Greene (with a silent E) is not your average second grader. She arrives in Mrs. Pidgeon’s class announcing: “I’m your new student and I just moved here from China. I want a desk right smack in the middle of the room, because I like to be right smack in the middle of everything.” Everything about her is unusual and mysterious—her clothes, hairstyles, even her lunches. Since the second graders have never met anyone like Gooney Bird, they want to hear more about her. Mrs. Pidgeon has been talking to the class about what makes a good story, so it stands to reason that Gooney will get her chance. She tells a series of stories that explain her name, how she came from China on a flying carpet, how she got diamond earrings at the prince’s palace, and why she was late for school (because she was directing a symphony orchestra). And her stories are “absolutely true.” Actually, they are explainable and mesh precisely with the teacher’s lesson, more important, they are a clever device that exemplify the elements of good storytelling and writing and also demonstrate how everyone can turn everyday events into stories. Savvy teachers should take note and add this to their shelf of “how a story is made” titles. Gooney Bird’s stories are printed in larger type than the narrative and the black-and-white drawings add the right touch of sauciness (only the cover is in color). A hybrid of Harriet, Blossom, and Anastasia, irrepressible Gooney Bird is that rare bird in children’s fiction: one that instantly becomes an amusing and popular favorite. (Fiction. 6-9)