Daniel finds a small egg underneath a bush. His friends imagine that when it hatches, the creature may be big, loud, or dangerous, but Daniel hopes it will be small, quiet, and nice. Vowel blends and complicated consonant combinations will suit the growing reading skills of second-graders, but the handling of the subject raises important issues. Daniel removes the animal from its environment and fancies that beyond his curiosity, there is nothing else to be considered. Where the animal may have survived on its own, now it is in the hands of a young boy who wonders about nothing but what nice animal might be in the egg. (A lizard, as it turns out.) Though the text size, word choice, and smooth flow of writing combine well with Karas’s (The Class Artist, not reviewed, etc.) simple drawings, the unconscionable attitude that wild creatures are up for grabs is inhumane. (Easy reader. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-15-216231-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Green Light/Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Schachner (Willy and May, 1995, etc.) presents Ralph Waldo Emerson and his world through the eyes of his Irish cook (and the author’s ancestor), Annie Burns. Upon arriving in the US, Annie answers an advertisement for “an extraordinary cook” to feed an “acclaimed poet and philosopher who has stopped eating due to an overactive imagination.” When she arrives at the farm, Annie is met by chickens wearing tiny boots (the work of Henry David Thoreau), and realizes she’s in for an unusual experience. The differences between immigrant Annie’s tough, sensible constitution and Emerson’s dreamy, thoughtful disposition are made clear, but not recklessly so: “Once I had a dream. An angel offered me the world in the size and shape of an apple. ‘This thou must eat,’ said the angel, and I ate the world,” Emerson tells Annie, who responds, “The last time I ate an apple, sir, ‘twas merely an apple.” Living on the Emerson farm opens up her creative side, and little by little Annie’s literal take on the world changes. A token from home, reminding her of the fanciful musings of childhood, inspires her to create a dish Emerson will eat. Annie’s transformation is full of poetic imagery and whirling lines; readers will become swept up in this fascinating story of self-discovery that also perfectly captures the great poet’s nature. An informative afterword gives Emerson’s and Annie’s backgrounds. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-525-45884-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1998
A young African-American wriggles and spins around her urban home and neighborhood, celebrating the seasons with her mother and cat. Scattered about the page and almost free of punctuation, the text dances with her, with back-slanted italics deftly marking the change in mood when momma speaks—``jump two/bump two/drag the bag/four flights of steps/tomorrow's garbage day/momma says/here you go baby/you forgot the tuna/put down the tin and click my tongue/night kittens come running....'' Browning's watercolor and mixed-media technique works better on buildings and clothing than on human figures: the girl's daubed, heavily worked skin and slightly clumsy gestures don't capture her high spirits as well as the exuberant compositions and vivid play of blue, green, and orange. A sunny look at inner-city life—now playful, now reflective, but never heavy. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-525-45066-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1993
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