Wildly terpsichorean collages, constructed from patterned cloth and paper cutouts decorated with bright paint and shoe-sole prints, illustrate this original tale of a clever itinerant cobbler and a nearsighted giant. Sporting long, serpentine limbs that flail across the pages, Hans Crispin waltzes into town offering shoes that reinvigorate the weary, give their wearers height and style, make work easier—and threaten to put the local cobbler out of business. So the cobbler challenges Hans to shoe Barefootus, an irascible giant more likely to eat visitors than welcome them. Correctly diagnosing the giant’s complaint that he can’t find his garden or livestock, Hans craftily whips up footwear with big magnifying glasses, and instantly makes a huge, new, purple friend. Light (Puss in Boots, 2002) writes in formal folklorish—“Once upon a time there was a man named Hans Crispin who traveled throughout the land,” etc.—that stands in sharp, but all in all pleasing, contrast to the art’s extravagant forms and colors. High marks for energy. (author’s note) (Picture book. 7-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-8109-4236-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2003
A rural, pleasantly ramshackle garage is the setting for this lively book. Each spread features the station and its forecourt, with a flurry of activity accompanying each turn of the page: The garage opens up for the day; a bashed-in car arrives; a brief squall soaks a lady, her swain, and their tony convertible. Over it all presides Mr. Fingers, a harmlessly gangsterish type in striped trousers and white jacket. Dupasquier (Andy's Pirate Ship, 1994, etc.) keeps the text quick, simple, and hand-in-glove with the illustrations (``Mick and Mack start to work on Mr. Walker's car. Pete serves the first customer''). These watercolors are equally nimble, deliberately cartoonish in the linework and saturated colors. The front and rear flap covers fold out with an array of questions and puzzles pertaining to the story. Bright, boisterous, fun; for children who take to the format, there are two companion volumes: A Busy Day at the Airport (ISBN 1-56402-591-8) and A Busy Day at the Building Site (592-6). (Picture book. 4+)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1996
ISBN: 1-56402-590-X
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1995
Two-digit subtraction is the subject of this MathStart picture book, which beats its one-note song slowly and relentlessly. Murphy builds this story, the latest in his series of math fundamentals, around a group of young shark swimmers who have a chance to attend swim camp if they can complete 75 laps among themselves over a week’s time. The coach has set up an easel by the pool, tallying their laps and then subtracting them from the running total on the easel. And that, quite simply, is how far Murphy takes the narrative, if such flimsy material can be called a story. There is nothing here to entice any child who is anxious, uninterested, or confused about math to get involved with either the subtraction or the story angle of the book. Murphy might just as well have presented a handful of subtraction problems on each page and forgotten all about the vapid story line, because the only kids who will find interest in these pages are those who really love mathematics, and there isn’t enough here for them to chew on to any satisfaction. (Picture book. 7-8)
Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2001
ISBN: 0-06-028030-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2000
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