"Visually evocative of time and place but spoiled by apparently incomplete research and debatable historical claims. (afterword, timeline) (Picture book. 6-8)"
Italy's famous horse race, the Palio di Siena, serves as background for a medieval child's first experience with a banker.
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"Episodic enough to dip in and out, this New Zealand import charms in small bites. (Fiction. 9-12)"
Ten interrelated, longish stories, originally published individually, explore the relationship between only-child Michael's family and his cousins who have moved to town.
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"The New Zealand author-and-illustrator team solidly develops this pair's formidable friendship under the scorching desert sun. (Fiction. 7-10)"
A sensitive snake and her lovable lizard companion enjoy a warm and touching relationship, shattering the stereotypes that commonly plague their cold-blooded species.
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"Not a standout, but expertly done. (Fantasy. 9-11)"
Channeling Dick King-Smith, Cowley offers a warmhearted tale set on a chicken farm featuring a lad with a feathered confidante that talks—though only to him.
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"Though the series was developed for new readers, this offering also will work well as a read-aloud for younger children. (Picture book. 3-7)"
In this latest addition to the series, Mrs. Wishy-Washy's favorite animals (a cow, a pig and a duck) are left alone with instructions to take a bath outdoors in a tub of icy water.
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"The book's real success, as with its predecessor's, lies in the way words and pictures come together to deliver a satisfying nonfiction adventure for very young children. (Picture book/nonfiction. 3-7)"
In a lush companion to Red-Eyed Tree Frog (1999), a brilliant blue-and-green panther chameleon runs out of food in his tree and descends to the forest floor in search of a more populated hunting ground.
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"The illustrations, attractive enough, do not quite mesh with the text, the boy not exactly beautiful and missing his 'silver rings,' but the warm colors and faerie spirit ring true. (Picture book. 5-8)"
A nifty tale with a Gaelic lilt to its language and structure, resolved with a sweet message.
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"Pair it with other 'dirty' picture books for a rollicking story time. (Picture book. 3-5)"
When Mrs. Wishy-Washy returns to give Cow, Duck, and Pig yet another scrubbing in the old tin tub, the animals declare, "No more washing!"
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Good little Mommy and good little Daddy are back with their irrepressible, growing daughter, Agapanthus Hum (Agapanthus Hum and the Eyeglasses, 1999; Agapanthus Hum and Major Bark, 2001).
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"Cowley's (Agapanthus Hum and Major Bark, 2001, etc.) topic is promising, but the finished result is disappointing—readers may want to 'skip the boring parts.' (Picture book. 5-8)"
Mrs. Goodstory and a young friend explore the world of fiction in this adventurous tale that attempts to show readers that stories can take you anywhere.
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"This sparkling addition to the adventures of Agapanthus gently reminds us all that it's more than okay to be different: it's cause for celebration. (Fiction. 5-8)"
Cowley's (Agapanthus Hum and the Eyeglasses, 1999) spunky, bespectacled heroine acquires a pet as unabashedly unique as she is when a trip to the local shelter results not in the intended cat, but a dog.
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"Though not up to the standards of such terror classics as Neal Shusterman's Eyes of Kid Midas (1992) or Margaret Mahy's Changeover (1984), this will still provide readers with some unnerving moments and a resourceful, self-confident heroine. (Fiction. 11-13)"
An alien predator that strikes through dreams threatens all humanity in this contrived but suspenseful import from the versatile Cowley (Red-Eyed Tree Frog, 1999, etc.).
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"The illustrations, largely for their glimpse of life in New Zealand, combine with a text for a book that is inoffensive, competent, yet ultimately uninspiring. (Picture book. 5-7)"
Skateboarding on New Year's Day, sunflowers drooping over a fence hung with a holiday wreath, rooftop Santa Claus decorations—these things are not only possible but probable in New Zealand, where this story is set.
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"The combination of such visually sophisticated pages and simplistic captions make this a top-heavy, unsatisfying title. (Picture book. 7-9)"
Bishop's spectacular photographs of the tiny red-eyed tree frog defeat an incidental text from Cowley (Singing Down the Rain, 1997, etc.).
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"This story is just like Agapanthus, full of beans, song, and heart; she's so disarming in both text and Plecas's comic illustrations that readers will hope for an encore. (Picture book. 5-8)"
Agapanthus Hum is always in motion, a packet of energy who also happens to wear glasses, which cause her no end of trouble.
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"A universal message reaches out of this warmhearted book. (Picture book. 5-9)"
The declaration ``Sweet wonder!'' ends this book—an apt assessment for an uplifting story from Cowley (The Mouse Bride, 1995, etc.) and Gilchrist (Madelia, p. 1304, etc.).
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"Christiana gives the enormous sun, cloud, and wind sympathetic human features; the tiny mouse, comically foreshortened and in her wedding gown, is heroically awkward to the end. (Picture book. 3-7)"
A mouse, tired of being small and weak, decides to find herself the strongest husband in the world.
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