An appealing invitation to elementary-age readers to marvel at animals who share their world.
A pint-sized compendium of facts about remarkable animal travels.
Sized just right for small hands and illustrated engagingly, this collection of informational tidbits is broadly organized into four sections: astonishing migrations; travels in, on, and near the water; animals whose journeys take place under extreme conditions; and interesting “animal antics.” The animals described come from around the world, beginning with the Arctic tern, a “super-commuter” (though the accompanying map of its travels is inaccurate), and going on to include whales and salmon, sea turtles and hippos, and three inhabitants of the Sahara desert whose specialized adaptations contribute to their survival, among the many others. At first, the author describes one animal per spread; later, several animals may be combined under a single topic, such as flying squirrels, flying snakes, flying fish, and Wallace’s flying frog—none of which actually fly. Not all the information is really about journeys: there are descriptions of honeybee dances, bat echolocation, two methods of camouflage, and two surprising defenses. The table of contents lists topics rather than animals, and there is no index. Courtney-Tickle’s illustrations vary from full double-page spreads to egg-shaped vignettes. They appear to be digitally created (with lots of spatter background) and show the animals in their probable environments. Page backgrounds blend nicely with the animal images, and vignettes are separately captioned.
An appealing invitation to elementary-age readers to marvel at animals who share their world. (Informational picture book. 7-10)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-944530-04-4
Page Count: 64
Publisher: 360 Degrees
Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2017
Another winner from Mills, equally well suited to reading aloud and independent reading.
When Franklin School principal Mr. Boone announces a pet-show fundraiser, white third-grader Cody—whose lack of skill and interest in academics is matched by keen enthusiasm for and knowledge of animals—discovers his time to shine.
As with other books in this series, the children and adults are believable and well-rounded. Even the dialogue is natural—no small feat for a text easily accessible to intermediate readers. Character growth occurs, organically and believably. Students occasionally, humorously, show annoyance with teachers: “He made mad squinty eyes at Mrs. Molina, which fortunately she didn’t see.” Readers will be kept entertained by Cody’s various problems and the eventual solutions. His problems include needing to raise $10 to enter one of his nine pets in the show (he really wants to enter all of them), his troublesome dog Angus—“a dog who ate homework—actually, who ate everything and then threw up afterward”—struggles with homework, and grappling with his best friend’s apparently uncaring behavior toward a squirrel. Serious values and issues are explored with a light touch. The cheery pencil illustrations show the school’s racially diverse population as well as the memorable image of Mr. Boone wearing an elephant costume. A minor oddity: why does a child so immersed in animal facts call his male chicken a rooster but his female chickens chickens?
Another winner from Mills, equally well suited to reading aloud and independent reading. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: June 14, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-374-30223-8
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look...
Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show.
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good—particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon.”—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz’s instruments, history and best-known musicians.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58536-688-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
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