by Alison Hart ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2005
In 1888, people suffered one of the worst winters in U.S. history. New York City had its “Great Blizzard” and the high plains were struck by a sudden, life-threatening blizzard in January. Called the “Schoolchildren’s Blizzard” because it caused the deaths of many children who were trapped away from home, Hart tells how a group of Nebraska school children were saved thanks to the actions of 11-year-old Anna Vail. A poor student, she's more comfortable herding sheep and working around the homestead than holding a pencil or reading. She devises a plan to lead the children from the destroyed school, into the icy blinding whiteout and deepening snow. After the dangerous trip, they find a soddy in which to shelter. Perhaps Anna and some of the other characters are too good, and one, too prissy, but readers should identify with Anna and admire her spunk. In addition, readers will learn about the hardships of life on the treeless plains. “More about life on the Prairie in the 1880s” adds information. Could work as a read-aloud, too. (Historical fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2005
ISBN: 1-56145-349-8
Page Count: 156
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2005
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by Alison Hart ; illustrated by Michael G. Montgomery
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by Shirley Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1999
From Hughes (Enchantment in the Garden, 1997, etc.), a WWII story with big ambitions—many of them realized’set out in the pages of an unusually long picture book. Lenny Levi lives in London with his mother during the Blitz, cherishing the letters from his father at the front, and the medal of the lion and the unicorn his father gave him. When Lenny is evacuated to the country, he finds himself at a huge old manor with three little girls, the lady of the house, and a few servants. He is lonely, teased at school and at home for not eating bacon and for bedwetting, but makes a friend of the young man with one leg he meets in the secret garden on the estate. The garden, thick with roses, also holds a beautiful statue of a unicorn like the one on his medal. As Lenny’s loneliness and fear spiral out of control, a night vision of the unicorn brings him back; his mother comes to take them both to his aunt in Wales, where his father will join them. The storyline, while straightforward, hints at difficult subjects—religious differences, amputees, separation, family disruptions, the terror of bombing, and more—which are then given only cursory treatment. The pictures are splendid: luminous, full-bodied watercolors that capture the horror of London burning, the glory of the countryside, and mists of dreams. It may be difficult for this to find its audience, but children too young for Michelle Magorian’s Good Night, Mr. Tom (1986) might be captured. (Picture book. 8-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7894-2555-6
Page Count: 60
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999
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by Shirley Hughes ; illustrated by Shirley Hughes
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by Jeanne M. Lee ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 8, 1999
A book of the basic teachings of Buddha, presented through a collection of six classic, simple tales. When a monkey takes refuge from a monsoon in a cave, he happens upon a group of bickering animals—a monkey, lion, turtle, jackal, and dove. Before the fighting becomes too fierce, a small statue of Buddha begins to glow in the darkest corner. To pass the time—and to stop the fighting—wise Buddha spins enlightening stories of tolerance, endurance, sagacity, truthfulness, kindness, and clarity. Buddha recounts his past lives in many forms—from monkey to pigeon to willow tree—to his captive listeners. Such straightforward yet profound tales combine with the art and design for an example of bookmaking that is aesthetically pleasing in every way. Color-washed linoprints cleverly distinguish the stories from the black-and-white narrative frame, while an informative afterword offers brief background detail about Buddha and these six “birth stories” known as Jatakas. (Picture book/folklore. 4-7)
Pub Date: April 8, 1999
ISBN: 0-374-33548-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999
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