A brief story packed with lessons about teamwork, problem-solving, and environmentalism.
In Fisher’s (If I Could Pull the Moon from the Sky, 2014, etc.) latest children’s book, a young fish saves his lake from toxic pollution.
Tyler the fish lives in Lake Erie with his fish family and friends. Burns’ illustrations show a smiling cartoon Tyler and his friend swimming through a cool indigo lake. Burns’ strength is in her colorization; Tyler and his friends have green scales with pretty shimmers of yellow and fuchsia. The cool, subtly graduated ocean hues are likely to soothe young readers. Text layout is simple but clearly legible, with easy-to-understand words. While playing tag, Tyler and his friends swim into new territory. The peaceful scene changes as they encounter murky, polluted waters. Tyler quickly discovers leaking barrels stamped with skulls and crossbones. He devises a plan requiring the collaboration of all the fish and sea gulls to raise awareness among humans. In this way, Tyler shows the young reader how to engage others in teamwork toward a common goal. Additionally, Tyler sets an example by also asking for adult assistance. The story briefly touches on the impact of human waste on the environment and animals. Luckily for Tyler and his friends, the humans promptly comply with the animals’ cry for help. More might have been added regarding the complexity of the issue and the specific ways that young readers can become conscientious environmentalists. Children may wonder where the toxic barrels came from. Children may observe too that although the issue is solved neatly, the water is still polluted. However, the story can serve to inspire conversations about eco-consciousness among young readers and caretakers.
A brief story packed with lessons about teamwork, problem-solving, and environmentalism.Pub Date: March 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-1938768392
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Gypsy Publications
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
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