At once light, visually playful, and educational, Franco and Wertz’s latest collaboration proves the third time’s a charm.
In their third picture-book outing, Franco and Wertz (A Dazzling Display of Dogs, 2011, etc.) dive into the sea.
A sunny day provides the perfect entree for a poetic snorkeling trip revealing dozens of aquatic organisms illustrated through Wertz’s vivid depictions of Franco’s concrete poems (with the occasional limerick, cinquain, riddle, and haiku tossed in). Where the duo’s last effort rather literally threatened to “dazzle” the senses, here Wertz’s striking palette of blues, indigo, orange, reds, and yellow, showcased in richly detailed images and undulating lettering, effectively captures the sea’s dynamism. Franco spotlights interesting fish and other creatures one might glimpse during a dive, highlighting vital aspects of oceanic life cycles and special characteristics of organisms sure to pique a child’s interest. The “Spiny Puffer” is cleverly likened to a porcupine, and “Cleaner Fish” are “wary of fish with sharp white teeth, / so cleaner fish are wise. / They’ve found a way to get along, / help out, and harmonize. / They clean the teeth of scary fish / who’d eat them / otherwise.” Young and old Nemo devotees will delight to find among Wertz’s wavy orange fronds Franco’s revelation as to “why clown fish hang out in the anemones”—it “poison[s] all your enemies”—and other engagingly rhymed facts.
At once light, visually playful, and educational, Franco and Wertz’s latest collaboration proves the third time’s a charm. (Picture book/poetry. 6-10)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4677-2152-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Millbrook/Lerner
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Another winner from Mills, equally well suited to reading aloud and independent reading.
When Franklin School principal Mr. Boone announces a pet-show fundraiser, white third-grader Cody—whose lack of skill and interest in academics is matched by keen enthusiasm for and knowledge of animals—discovers his time to shine.
As with other books in this series, the children and adults are believable and well-rounded. Even the dialogue is natural—no small feat for a text easily accessible to intermediate readers. Character growth occurs, organically and believably. Students occasionally, humorously, show annoyance with teachers: “He made mad squinty eyes at Mrs. Molina, which fortunately she didn’t see.” Readers will be kept entertained by Cody’s various problems and the eventual solutions. His problems include needing to raise $10 to enter one of his nine pets in the show (he really wants to enter all of them), his troublesome dog Angus—“a dog who ate homework—actually, who ate everything and then threw up afterward”—struggles with homework, and grappling with his best friend’s apparently uncaring behavior toward a squirrel. Serious values and issues are explored with a light touch. The cheery pencil illustrations show the school’s racially diverse population as well as the memorable image of Mr. Boone wearing an elephant costume. A minor oddity: why does a child so immersed in animal facts call his male chicken a rooster but his female chickens chickens?
Another winner from Mills, equally well suited to reading aloud and independent reading. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: June 14, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-374-30223-8
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look...
Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show.
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good—particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon.”—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz’s instruments, history and best-known musicians.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58536-688-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
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