paper 0-7894-4762-2 A conversation between a teacher with a new CD-ROM and two of his students form the basis for this entry in the Eyewitness Readers series, which attempts to deliver a history-can-be-fun message. The mismatched blend of fiction and nonfiction begins with a negative premise—Sophie and Jake are asked by their teacher to test some new software when they fail to meet the requirements of their history homework. A bug-eyed cartoon creature, Whirligig, zooms them to various periods of time at the click of a button. Keywords prompt the computer, e.g., “sports” takes them to ancient Rome for a chariot race, “exploring” lands them among the Vikings, and “chocolate” finds them in wartime England during the second World War. The assortment of time periods are as random as an Internet search, with the Italian Renaissance giving way to a chapter on the California gold rush. Each time-travel episode contains an awkward blend of historical background and a story-within-a-story, using characters such as Isabella and Giovanni who meet an artist with drawings by Leonardo da Vinci. Despite a brief glossary, independent readers may stumble over stilted dialogue and difficult terms, names, and places, and aside from a lesson in how a computer retrieves information, the browser-like, faux-computer approach doesn’t translate well to the page. Those who want to point-and-click may prefer to stick to a screen. (Nonfiction. 7-10)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7894-4763-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1999
PLB 0-688-13166-2 King Midas And The Golden Touch ($16.00; PLB $15.63; Apr.; 32 pp.; 0-688-13165-4; PLB 0-688-13166-2): The familiar tale of King Midas gets the golden touch in the hands of Craft and Craft (Cupid and Psyche, 1996). The author takes her inspiration from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s retelling, capturing the essence of the tale with the use of pithy dialogue and colorful description. Enchanting in their own right, the illustrations summon the Middle Ages as a setting, and incorporate colors so lavish that when they are lost to the uniform gold spurred by King Midas’s touch, the point of the story is further burnished. (Picture book. 7-9)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-688-13165-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999
Lunge-Larsen and Preus debut with this story of a flower that blooms for the first time to commemorate the uncommon courage of a girl who saves her people from illness. The girl, an Ojibwe of the northern woodlands, knows she must journey to the next village to get the healing herb, mash-ki- ki, for her people, who have all fallen ill. After lining her moccasins with rabbit fur, she braves a raging snowstorm and crosses a dark frozen lake to reach the village. Then, rather than wait for morning, she sets out for home while the villagers sleep. When she loses her moccasins in the deep snow, her bare feet are cut by icy shards, and bleed with every step until she reaches her home. The next spring beautiful lady slippers bloom from the place where her moccasins were lost, and from every spot her injured feet touched. Drawing on Ojibwe sources, the authors of this fluid retelling have peppered the tale with native words and have used traditional elements, e.g., giving voice to the forces of nature. The accompanying watercolors, with flowing lines, jewel tones, and decorative motifs, give stately credence to the story’s iconic aspects. (Picture book/folklore. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-395-90512-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1999
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