Once again, the team that created Buz (1995) and Jazper (1998) hangs imaginative, eye-catching art on a slight story line. The magical adventure begins when an old woman brings three balls with faces into an antique toy shop where a young boy helps his uncle after school. She claims that the balls are too much trouble for her and asks Rudy to look after them, giving him a gold whistle before she vanishes. Rudy discovers that the whistle controls the balls when they lure him into letting them out of their case for one far-fetched escapade in which they prevent a plane from crashing. Visually there’s much to recommend. The three retro-looking balls inflate into rotund rubber men in primary colors who bounce through and above the city and outside the boundaries of the paintings, with Rudy clinging to the blue one. The art is energetic, cheerful, and full of clever detail, and it’s especially appealing when the balls change shape to stop the plane and then reduce to their original size. Colorful endpapers reflect the toy store’s locale, and the typography is in an appropriately playful font, reminiscent of hand printing. Children can ponder further adventures, as Rudy seems to do when he purchases the balls on payday. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 31, 2000
ISBN: 0-06-026032-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2000
A book that will make young dog-owners smile in recognition and confirm dogless readers' worst suspicions about the mayhem caused by pets, even winsome ones. Sam, who bears passing resemblance to an affable golden retriever, is praised for fetching the family newspaper, and goes on to fetch every other newspaper on the block. In the next story, only the children love Sam's swimming; he is yelled at by lifeguards and fishermen alike when he splashes through every watering hole he can find. Finally, there is woe to the entire family when Sam is bored and lonely for one long night. Boland has an essential message, captured in both both story and illustrations of this Easy-to-Read: Kids and dogs belong together, especially when it's a fun-loving canine like Sam. An appealing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8037-1530-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996
Sloat collaborates with Huffman, a Yu’pik storyteller, to infuse a traditional “origins” tale with the joy of creating. Hearing the old women of her village grumble that they have only tasteless crowberries for the fall feast’s akutaq—described as “Eskimo ice cream,” though the recipe at the end includes mixing in shredded fish and lard—young Anana carefully fashions three dolls, then sings and dances them to life. Away they bound, to cover the hills with cranberries, blueberries, and salmonberries. Sloat dresses her smiling figures in mixes of furs and brightly patterned garb, and sends them tumbling exuberantly through grassy tundra scenes as wildlife large and small gathers to look on. Despite obtrusively inserted pronunciations for Yu’pik words in the text, young readers will be captivated by the action, and by Anana’s infectious delight. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-88240-575-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004
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