JIM, WHO RAN AWAY FROM HIS NURSE, AND WAS EATEN BY A LION

Name: JIM, WHO RAN AWAY FROM HIS NURSE, AND WAS EATEN BY A LION
Author: Hilaire Belloc
ISBN: 978-0-375-85970-0

by Hilaire Belloc & illustrated by Mini Grey ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 14, 2010

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“WARNING: CONTAINS A DANGEROUS BEAST AND A MISERABLE END.” It says it right on the cover, so the fainthearted can’t say they weren’t properly admonished. Belloc first published this rhyming cautionary tale about the perils of disobedience in 1907, and this version debuted in England in 2009. Grey’s artwork is gorgeous and bold (that perfect ham!). Fold-outs, pop-ups and lift-up flaps contribute to the over-the-top element that makes even little Jim’s bloody, chewed-off head seem not as horrific as it might. In fact, readers may not feel a lick of sympathy for Jim, as the boy looks bored out of his mind throughout, only showing emotion (fear, to be exact) when the lion begins to consume him by degrees. The elaborate fold-out “ZOO RULES AND BYELAWS” section is uproariously funny, including the “If You Are an Animal” column forbidding creatures to trumpet, stampede, charge, constrict, maul, circle, swarm, etc. All but the most sensitive children (over eight) will laugh their…heads off—especially if the book is read aloud with an English accent. (Picture book. 8 & up)

Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2010

ISBN: 978-0-375-85970-0

Page Count: 26

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2010

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
CAUTIONARY TALES FOR CHILDREN
by Hilaire Belloc & illustrated by Edward Gorey

- BOOK REVIEW
MATILDA,
by Hilaire Belloc & illustrated by Posy Simmonds

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JAKE THE FAKE KEEPS IT REAL

From the Jake the Fake series , Vol. 1

by Craig Robinson & Adam Mansbach ; illustrated by Keith Knight ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 28, 2017

A fast and funny alternative to the Wimpy Kid.

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Black sixth-grader Jake Liston can only play one song on the piano. He can’t read music very well, and he can’t improvise. So how did Jake get accepted to the Music and Art Academy? He faked it.

Alongside an eclectic group of academy classmates, and with advice from his best friend, Jake tries to fit in at a school where things like garbage sculpting and writing art reviews of bird poop splatter are the norm. All is well until Jake discovers that the end-of-the-semester talent show is only two weeks away, and Jake is short one very important thing…talent. Or is he? It’s up to Jake to either find the talent that lies within or embarrass himself in front of the entire school. Light and humorous, with Knight’s illustrations adding to the fun, Jake’s story will likely appeal to many middle-grade readers, especially those who might otherwise be reluctant to pick up a book. While the artsy antics may be over-the-top at times, this is a story about something that most preteens can relate to: the struggle to find your authentic self. And in a world filled with books about wanting to fit in with the athletically gifted supercliques, this novel unabashedly celebrates the artsy crowd in all of its quirky, creative glory.

A fast and funny alternative to the Wimpy Kid. (Fiction. 8-12)

Pub Date: March 28, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-553-52351-5

Page Count: 144

Publisher: Crown

Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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PERCY JACKSON'S GREEK GODS

by Rick Riordan ; illustrated by John Rocco ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 19, 2014

The inevitable go-to for Percy’s legions of fans who want the stories behind his stories.

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Percy Jackson takes a break from adventuring to serve up the Greek gods like flapjacks at a church breakfast.

Percy is on form as he debriefs readers concerning Chaos, Gaea, Ouranos and Pontus, Dionysus, Ariadne and Persephone, all in his dude’s patter: “He’d forgotten how beautiful Gaea could be when she wasn’t all yelling up in his face.” Here they are, all 12 Olympians, plus many various offspring and associates: the gold standard of dysfunctional families, whom Percy plays like a lute, sometimes lyrically, sometimes with a more sardonic air. Percy’s gift, which is no great secret, is to breathe new life into the gods. Closest attention is paid to the Olympians, but Riordan has a sure touch when it comes to fitting much into a small space—as does Rocco’s artwork, which smokes and writhes on the page as if hit by lightning—so readers will also meet Makaria, “goddess of blessed peaceful deaths,” and the Theban Teiresias, who accidentally sees Athena bathing. She blinds him but also gives him the ability to understand the language of birds. The atmosphere crackles and then dissolves, again and again: “He could even send the Furies after living people if they committed a truly horrific crime—like killing a family member, desecrating a temple, or singing Journey songs on karaoke night.”

The inevitable go-to for Percy’s legions of fans who want the stories behind his stories. (Mythology. 10-14)