adapted by Albert Lorenz & illustrated by Albert Lorenz with by Joy Schleh ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2002
A “Jack” for budding engineers and architects; positing that the giant’s coins, hen and harp are also outsized, Lorenz has the intrepid young thief devise sets of wheels and pulleys from buttons, pins, and string to haul his prizes out of the castle. And what a castle it is—hung about with skills and medieval fittings, viewed in luxuriant, exact detail from multiple perspectives and angles. Children will pore over each outsized spread (and skip Lorenz’s long-winded concluding statement) as they cheer Jack’s victory over not only the towering, snaggle-toothed giant, but a tiger-sized cat, malevolent-looking rats, and other adversaries. The telling combines several versions into a conventional whole, but Jack’s courage and mechanical ingenuity have never been shown to better advantage. (Picture book/folktale. 7-9)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-8109-1160-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2002
Share your opinion of this book
More by Albert Lorenz
BOOK REVIEW
by Albert Lorenz & illustrated by Albert Lorenz with by Joy Schleh
BOOK REVIEW
by Albert Lorenz with Joy Schleh & illustrated by Albert Lorenz & Joy Schleh
BOOK REVIEW
by Albert Lorenz & illustrated by Albert Lorenz & Joy Schleh
by Meredith Hooper & illustrated by Bee Willey ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2000
Trickling, bubbling, swirling, rushing, a river flows down from its mountain beginnings, past peaceful country and bustling city on its way to the sea. Hooper (The Drop in My Drink, 1998, etc.) artfully evokes the water’s changing character as it transforms from “milky-cold / rattling-bold” to a wide, slow “sliding past mudflats / looping through marshes” to the end of its journey. Willey, best known for illustrating Geraldine McCaughrean’s spectacular folk-tale collections, contributes finely detailed scenes crafted in shimmering, intricate blues and greens, capturing mountain’s chill, the bucolic serenity of passing pastures, and a sense of mystery in the water’s shadowy depths. Though Hooper refers to “the cans and cartons / and bits of old wood” being swept along, there’s no direct conservation agenda here (for that, see Debby Atwell’s River, 1999), just appreciation for the river’s beauty and being. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: June 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7636-0792-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2000
Share your opinion of this book
More by Meredith Hooper
BOOK REVIEW
by Meredith Hooper & illustrated by Bee Willey
BOOK REVIEW
by Meredith Hooper & illustrated by Stephen Biesty
BOOK REVIEW
by Meredith Hooper & illustrated by Stephen Biesty
by Henry Winkler ; Lin Oliver ; illustrated by Scott Garrett ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 14, 2014
An uncomplicated opener, with some funny bits and a clear but not heavy agenda.
Hank Zipzer, poster boy for dyslexic middle graders everywhere, stars in a new prequel series highlighting second-grade trials and triumphs.
Hank’s hopes of playing Aqua Fly, a comic-book character, in the upcoming class play founder when, despite plenty of coaching and preparation, he freezes up during tryouts. He is not particularly comforted when his sympathetic teacher adds a nonspeaking role as a bookmark to the play just for him. Following the pattern laid down in his previous appearances as an older child, he gets plenty of help and support from understanding friends (including Ashley Wong, a new apartment-house neighbor). He even manages to turn lemons into lemonade with a quick bit of improv when Nick “the Tick” McKelty, the sneering classmate who took his preferred role, blanks on his lines during the performance. As the aforementioned bully not only chokes in the clutch and gets a demeaning nickname, but is fat, boastful and eats like a pig, the authors’ sensitivity is rather one-sided. Still, Hank has a winning way of bouncing back from adversity, and like the frequent black-and-white line-and-wash drawings, the typeface is designed with easy legibility in mind.
An uncomplicated opener, with some funny bits and a clear but not heavy agenda. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-448-48239-2
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2014
Share your opinion of this book
More by Henry Winkler
BOOK REVIEW
by Henry Winkler & Lin Oliver ; illustrated by Dan Santat
BOOK REVIEW
by Henry Winkler & Lin Oliver ; illustrated by Ethan Nicolle
BOOK REVIEW
by Henry Winkler & Lin Oliver
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.