One of three pictorial introductions to environmental problems that present useful project ideas and inspire stories of ``kids in action,'' along with conveying the usual horrors of pollution and destruction. Focusing on global problems, this volume touches on air and water pollution, tree conservation, solid waste problems, and children's activism. The projects aren't detailed; readers are invited to contact organizations for more information. Though the authors are unabashed environmentalists, they encourage letter-writers to research all sides of a question. Topic overviews are in simpler language and larger type than captions and accounts of specific problems. An attractive, well-bound book on recycled, acid-free paper with color photos and cartoonish illustrations featuring a multicultural cast and concluding with an excellent outline for an ``Earthwise Action Plan'' to guide readers in creating their own projects. Not enough information for in-depth reports, but- -like Earthwise at Play (wildlife) and Earthwise at Home (household ecology)—good for stimulating interest while pointing readers to more specific sources. (Nonfiction. 6-9)
Pub Date: April 22, 1993
ISBN: 0-87614-731-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Carolrhoda
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1993
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
Keena Ford’s second-grade class is taking a field trip to the United States Capitol. This good-hearted girl works hard to behave, but her impulsive decisions have a way of backfiring, no matter how hard she tries to do the right thing. In this second book in a series, Keena cuts off one of her braids and later causes a congressman to fall down the stairs. The first-person journal format is a stretch—most second graders can barely write, let alone tell every detail of three days of her life. Children will wonder how Keena can cut one of her “two thick braids” all the way off by pretend-snipping in the air. They will be further confused because the cover art clearly shows Keena with a completely different hairdo on the field trip than the one described. Though a strong African-American heroine is most welcome in chapter books and Keena and her family are likable and realistic, this series needs more polish before Keena writes about her next month in school. (Fiction. 6-9)
Pub Date: July 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3264-3
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2009
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