More math that kids—and not a few adults—can relate to, from the master of math concepts. Here he tackles combinations via a story of kids making sundaes at a school picnic. First the kids discuss the number of ice creams, sauces, and toppings they will use, drawing a chart to illustrate the possibilities aptly rendered in the playful pastel, disheveled artwork that looks just like a sundae. Murphy (Bigger, Better, Best, p. 1138, etc.) plays the concept like a slide trombone: Up, up the number of potential combinations mount, and then, as the kids commence to dish out the goods at the picnic, the options start to drop down, down as the sprinkles tip over and the chocolate ice cream melts and the caramel gets spilled. The chill that the words “combinational analysis” send through the bones is chased away by the clarity of Murphy’s diagramming, flow charts that show just how many different sundaes might be ordered. As always in the MathStart series, Murphy supplies a number of activity ideas that extend and embellish upon the concepts being introduced as well as a short bibliography. Be prepared to head for the freezer. (Picture book/math. 6-9)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-06-028924-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2002
Sloat collaborates with Huffman, a Yu’pik storyteller, to infuse a traditional “origins” tale with the joy of creating. Hearing the old women of her village grumble that they have only tasteless crowberries for the fall feast’s akutaq—described as “Eskimo ice cream,” though the recipe at the end includes mixing in shredded fish and lard—young Anana carefully fashions three dolls, then sings and dances them to life. Away they bound, to cover the hills with cranberries, blueberries, and salmonberries. Sloat dresses her smiling figures in mixes of furs and brightly patterned garb, and sends them tumbling exuberantly through grassy tundra scenes as wildlife large and small gathers to look on. Despite obtrusively inserted pronunciations for Yu’pik words in the text, young readers will be captivated by the action, and by Anana’s infectious delight. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-88240-575-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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