Mayhew’s Katie continues her exploration of the world of painting when she and her grandmother visit the art gallery on a hot Sunday afternoon. Seurat’s Bathers at Asnières looks so inviting that she climbs into the picture, as is her wont. Splashing about with the boy in the red hat, however, tilts the frame so that the river begins pouring into the gallery. Katie can’t resist inviting a little girl in white from Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (“no one is allowed to swim in this painting,” she sighs) to join her and the boy in the gallery, and soon all the ladies and gentlemen of Grand Jatte are hitching up their skirts and trousers to wade, too. When a gallery guard threatens to appear, other paintings provide boats and drying clothes to get everyone back where they should be. Mayhew as always transmutes his light and fresh style to what Katie is looking at—Pointillism in this case. No single museum owns all these paintings, of course, but in an afterword, Mayhew tells youngsters where they are and how to see them as well as a little bit about the artists. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-439-60678-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2005
A book that will make young dog-owners smile in recognition and confirm dogless readers' worst suspicions about the mayhem caused by pets, even winsome ones. Sam, who bears passing resemblance to an affable golden retriever, is praised for fetching the family newspaper, and goes on to fetch every other newspaper on the block. In the next story, only the children love Sam's swimming; he is yelled at by lifeguards and fishermen alike when he splashes through every watering hole he can find. Finally, there is woe to the entire family when Sam is bored and lonely for one long night. Boland has an essential message, captured in both both story and illustrations of this Easy-to-Read: Kids and dogs belong together, especially when it's a fun-loving canine like Sam. An appealing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8037-1530-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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