Packed with vibrant photos and solid information, this work delivers an enthralling introduction to ballooning for kids.
In this nonfiction book for children ages 6 and up, photographs depict the colors, shapes, gear, pilots, and crews of hot air balloons.
The Pechters (What’s in the Deep?: An Underwater Adventure for Children, 1991), photojournalists who have also covered the undersea world, turn to the air in this volume. Documenting every step along the way with many vivid photos, the book explains everything about hot air ballooning for kids, beginning with the system and its parts (envelope, basket or gondola, and burner, together with gear and instruments); readying the ground; safety checks; inflating the balloon; piloting difficulties; safety issues; landing; and packing back up. Readers learn details, such as the best times to fly and the importance of a chase crew, plus odd facts: “The average balloon is as tall as a 7-story building.” The authors nicely convey the excitement of ballooning for spectators, as the envelopes slowly fill and the baskets at last begin to rise, as well as fans’ enthusiasm for the sport: “At the balloon field, people collect pins, badges, balloon cards, and autographs of the pilots and officials. It is always fun to start or add to your own collection.” Tips on taking better photos of balloons are included as well as information on becoming a pilot. The Pechters’ gorgeous photos of huge, brightly colored balloons, sometimes en masse like a giant party in the sky, are greatly appealing. Some balloon photography focuses almost entirely on the striking envelopes, typically a shot of a lone specimen against an empty landscape. In contrast, the Pechters’ photos tell the whole story, showing how many people are actually involved in getting balloons safely off the ground and back down, plus the subculture of fans and onlookers. Though they certainly get across the magic of hot air ballooning, the authors also provide plenty of practical tidbits (“It could cost $35,000 or more to buy your own new balloon”) and reminders about safety (“the balloon should not land on a highway, home, or in a business area”).
Packed with vibrant photos and solid information, this work delivers an enthralling introduction to ballooning for kids.Pub Date: Feb. 20, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-930536-99-9
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Best Publishing Company
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay.
Renowned Latin American writer Alvarez has created another story about cultural identity, but this time the primary character is 11-year-old Miguel Guzmán.
When Tía Lola arrives to help the family, Miguel and his hermana, Juanita, have just moved from New York City to Vermont with their recently divorced mother. The last thing Miguel wants, as he's trying to fit into a predominantly white community, is a flamboyant aunt who doesn't speak a word of English. Tía Lola, however, knows a language that defies words; she quickly charms and befriends all the neighbors. She can also cook exotic food, dance (anywhere, anytime), plan fun parties, and tell enchanting stories. Eventually, Tía Lola and the children swap English and Spanish ejercicios, but the true lesson is "mutual understanding." Peppered with Spanish words and phrases, Alvarez makes the reader as much a part of the "language" lessons as the characters. This story seamlessly weaves two culturaswhile letting each remain intact, just as Miguel is learning to do with his own life. Like all good stories, this one incorporates a lesson just subtle enough that readers will forget they're being taught, but in the end will understand themselves, and others, a little better, regardless of la lengua nativa—the mother tongue.
Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-375-80215-0
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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