When the principal tells Mrs. Toggle that her new student will be a dinosaur, she is taken aback but doesn't doubt his word—Mr. Stickler never jokes. Mrs. Toggle and her wide-eyed class start to get ready: they'll need a big desk and another reptile to keep the dinosaur company; the cafeteria should be warned. As the avid class troops from library to kitchen, doing research and making plans, a green diplodocus grows in their imaginations—and in Alley's engaging cartoon-style illustrations, which deftly capture the kids' waxing enthusiasm. Then the new girl arrives: Dina Sawyer. Though the dinosaur fades out of the picture, the children have enjoyed some unusually well-motivated research and considered the meaning of welcome in a unique context. A fine sequel to the equally delightful Mrs. Toggle's Zipper (1990). (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1991
ISBN: 0-02-775452-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Four Winds/MacMillan
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1991
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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