Charming.
A series of poems chronicles the summer two unnamed children spend on their grandparents’ farm, with particular emphasis on their animal friends.
Two-toned art appears every few pages, depicting farm and characters: grandparents and children (all white), Rexter the rooster, Seed-Sack the mule, Tuftin the cat, and newcomer Ginger-Tea, a dog to replace one that has died. While the text references no specific time period, an afterword informs readers “all this happened some time ago.” The joys of the farm are definitely those of yesteryear, and the illustrations complement them with a retro feel, providing warmth with oranges, golds, and browns. Chores exist, though they’re somewhat romanticized: Would a mule be able to carry two baskets of eggs in its teeth without breaking them? Nature provides a balance to the sweetness with a fox’s depredations to the henhouse. The poems don’t follow a singsong-y rhyme scheme but include some rhymes and near rhymes that are playfully memorable. “Gotta get the right doggone one,” says Grandpa in reference to a new dog, “or herding’ll be no doggone fun.” A quick read about a bygone way of life, the book is unlikely to have broad appeal, but thoughtful readers will respond to the wordplay as well as to the characterization of both humans and animals; Rexter’s and Seed-Sack’s personalities are particularly vivid throughout.
Charming. (Historical fiction/verse. 8-11)Pub Date: April 3, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-55498-931-7
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
File under “laugh riot.”
A rogue spell-check program’s bid to transform all life-forms into that eminently useful office item, the paper clip, touches off a fresh round of lunar lunacy.
Predicated on the entirely reasonable premise that eliminating all spelling and grammar errors everywhere would logically lead to the necessity of exterminating carbon-based life in the universe, this third series entry combines high stakes with daffy banter and daring exploits. CheckMate—a chipper, jumped-up editing program—has invented the Transmogratron, a giant laser that will fulfill its ultimate goals in both the cyber world and “meatspace.” Facing challenges as random as prankster lunar unicorns and a disarmingly motherly Motherboard, scowling First Cat joins a motley crew of diversely carbon- and silicon-based allies, led by the pearlescent Queen of the Moon. They’re in a race to the finish—diverted occasionally by, for instance, a relentlessly punny comic-book interlude featuring a pair of literal and figurative Pool Sharks. They ultimately triumph thanks to teamwork and moxie. Following a celebratory party and toasts to “new friends…and steadfast comrades” (and, of course, “MEOW”), the story’s energetic, brightly colored panels close with a reveal of the next volume. (“I always hate it when comics end by announcing a sequel. SO CRINGE!” declares an authorial stand-in.) It can’t come too soon.
File under “laugh riot.” (Graphic science fiction. 8-11)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9780063315280
Page Count: 272
Publisher: HarperAlley
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale.
After a tsunami devastates their habitat in the Salish Sea, a young orca and her brother embark on a remarkable adventure.
Vega’s matriarchal family expects her to become a hunter and wayfinder, with her younger brother, Deneb, protecting and supporting her. Invited to guide her family to their Gathering Place to hunt salmon, Vega’s underwater miscalculations endanger them all, and an embarrassed Vega questions whether she should be a wayfinder. When the baby sister she hoped would become her life companion is stillborn, a distraught Vega carries the baby away to a special resting place, shocking her grieving family. Dispatched to find his missing sister, Deneb locates Vega in the midst of a terrible tsunami. To escape the waters polluted by shattered boats, Vega leads Deneb into unfamiliar open sea. Alone and hungry, the young siblings encounter a spectacular giant whale and travel briefly with shark-hunting orcas. Trusting her instincts and gaining emotional strength from contemplating the vastness of the sky, Vega knows she must lead her brother home and help save her surviving family. In alternating first-person voices, Vega and Deneb tell their harrowing story, engaging young readers while educating them about the marine ecosystem. Realistic black-and-white illustrations enhance the maritime setting.
A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale. (maps, wildlife facts, tribes of the Salish Sea watershed, environmental and geographical information, how to help orcas, author’s note, artist’s note, resources) (Animal fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-299592-6
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
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