A thrilling look at the benefits of connecting with the natural world and listening to one’s instincts.
A young boy discovers that he can learn a lot from others if he just pays attention.
Tan-skinned Salvatore and his family live on a goat farm at the base of Mount Etna. He bonds with a herding dog named Gina and the goats, led by Bianca. One day, Salvatore takes the herd up the mountain on his own, without Papa’s guidance, to graze on fresh herbs. As they ascend, the animals act strangely—much to Salvatore’s chagrin. Gina barks, the goats buck wildly, and all refuse to move. Though Papa’s words (“YOU herd the goats. They don’t herd you”) echo in his mind, he realizes that something’s wrong as Mount Etna starts to smoke and spew lava. The herd safely leads Gina and Salvatore down to their home thanks to their natural intuition. The author, coordinator of the ICARUS Project, a group that works to “make the extraordinary sensory capabilities of many animals useful to humans,” based the story on an incident at the real Mount Etna in Sicily. Her text and Lane’s dreamy, delicately rendered art will leave readers with an appreciation for the natural world. Lane’s portrayal of the goat herd showcases their humanity, with their playfully arched backs and expressive faces. Backmatter includes more information on Müller’s work and how it can contribute to creating more advanced warning systems for natural disasters—a must, given how these events have increased due to climate change.
A thrilling look at the benefits of connecting with the natural world and listening to one’s instincts. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781771649285
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greystone Kids
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2024
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with...
Reynolds and Brown have crafted a Halloween tale that balances a really spooky premise with the hilarity that accompanies any mention of underwear.
Jasper Rabbit needs new underwear. Plain White satisfies him until he spies them: “Creepy underwear! So creepy! So comfy! They were glorious.” The underwear of his dreams is a pair of radioactive-green briefs with a Frankenstein face on the front, the green color standing out all the more due to Brown’s choice to do the entire book in grayscale save for the underwear’s glowing green…and glow they do, as Jasper soon discovers. Despite his “I’m a big rabbit” assertion, that glow creeps him out, so he stuffs them in the hamper and dons Plain White. In the morning, though, he’s wearing green! He goes to increasing lengths to get rid of the glowing menace, but they don’t stay gone. It’s only when Jasper finally admits to himself that maybe he’s not such a big rabbit after all that he thinks of a clever solution to his fear of the dark. Brown’s illustrations keep the backgrounds and details simple so readers focus on Jasper’s every emotion, writ large on his expressive face. And careful observers will note that the underwear’s expression also changes, adding a bit more creep to the tale.
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with Dr. Seuss’ tale of animate, empty pants. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0298-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
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