Read for a sweet story about the creative process (but not for information about Neruda).
The author imagines the day when the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda was inspired to write an ode to an onion.
As the book starts, a man is writing at his desk. His name is Pablo, and he is writing a long and sad poem, which makes him feel gloomy. This gloom will permeate much of his outlook that day. Soon he’s off to lunch with his friend Matilde. To dispel the glum mood, Matilde invites Pablo into the garden to collect what they need for lunch. For every happy and upbeat expression Matilde utters about the flowers and vegetables in the garden, Pablo responds with a sad comment. Back in the kitchen, when Pablo cuts into an onion, “all he saw through his tears was a lowly vegetable. But then he noticed how the sunlight shone through the onion’s layers.” He thanks Matilde for reminding him there is also happiness in the world. And thus, Pablo is inspired to write an ode to an onion. Sala’s exuberant illustrations are playful and colorful, depicting both Pablo and Matilde with pale skin. The backmatter includes a very brief account of the famous Nobel Prize winner’s life along with the poem with its English translation. Unfortunately, for most children in the United States not familiar with Neruda, his importance in 20th-century Spanish literature will not be apparent. Read along with Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People, by Monica Brown and illustrated by Julie Paschkis (2011).
Read for a sweet story about the creative process (but not for information about Neruda). (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-944903-34-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Cameron + Company
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
Top-notch medical care in an equally terrific early reader that will appeal to preschoolers, new readers of all ages and...
This delightful early reader is one of the first entries in the irresistibly named Urgency Emergency! series that combines nursery-rhyme characters, a medical setting and deadpan humor.
Dr. Glenda the dog and Nurse Percy the rooster are on duty at City Hospital when Miss Muffet (a cat) arrives, escorting an injured spider to the emergency room for treatment of a head injury. Poor Itsy Bitsy “was just climbing up the waterspout” when a flood of rainwater knocked her down. Each step of Itsy’s treatment is carefully and simply described, from evaluation of her cognitive status to the stitching of her wound and arrangements for further care from Miss Muffet. Dr. Glenda is calm and in control, and Nurse Percy is compassionate and kind, holding “all of Itsy’s hands.” Although the approach is humorous, this clever effort is a concise, step-by-step description of the procedure of getting stitches at the hospital, an experience common to many families with young children. Appealing cartoon-style illustrations on yellow backgrounds clearly illustrate the medical procedures and add to the characters’ personalities with expressive faces for all the animals, even Itsy Bitsy. The gender-role defiance exemplified by Dr. Glenda and Nurse Percy’s relationship is an added bonus.
Top-notch medical care in an equally terrific early reader that will appeal to preschoolers, new readers of all ages and anyone else who appreciates droll humor and an inventive plot. (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-8075-8358-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Lofty verse poorly cast.
A beloved, oft-quoted sonnet goes fishing.
A station wagon with a rowboat secured atop sets off through the mountains and stops by a lake to disgorge a father and child, both apparently white, and their dog. They cast their lines into water filled with very colorful fish, the father shares technical advice, and the child catches a big one—after first snaring a rubber boot. This fish is released, looking very happy indeed. All this occurs to the words of Browning’s deeply nuanced verse. So as the text reads “I love thee to the depth / and breadth and height / My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight,” McDonough’s colorful but otherwise unremarkable cut-paper collage art depicts small figures against a big body of water surrounded by both jagged and rounded mountain tops. “I love thee with a love I seemed to lose / With my lost saints” is the text for the scene when the child, father, and dog happily release the fish. It is difficult if not impossible to connect the verse to the illustrated activities. A parent-and-child day together is a very wonderful thing. However, this title is likely to lead to confusion from both parents and children.
Lofty verse poorly cast. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: March 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-937359-83-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Cameron + Company
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2016
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