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TIME TRAVELER

Name: TIME TRAVELER
Author: Angela Bull
ISBN: 0-7894-4763-0

CHILDREN THROUGH TIME

by Angela Bull ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1999

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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

Categories:

GENERAL FICTION

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NADIA'S HANDS

by Karen English ; illustrated by Jonathan Weiner ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 1999

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Nadia, a Pakistani-American girl, has been chosen to be the flower girl for Auntie Laila’s traditional wedding. Nadia will wear shalwar, or silky trousers, with a matching kameez on top. She’ll have her hair curled, and she’ll walk down the aisle, strewing flower petals left and right. Before the wedding, however, she’ll have her hands decorated with the mehndi, a dark red henna paste swirled into intricate designs, flowers, and stars. Everyone assumes that Nadia is thrilled, but she’s worried about Monday, when she’ll have to go to school with the indelible designs still on her hands. How the strength of time-honored traditions and the warmth and love of a large extended family transform Nadia’s feelings about her hands make an affecting—though somewhat abruptly resolved’story. Weiner’s pastel illustrations amplify the text; he shows Nadia’s ambivalence in her face and posture, and conveys both her pleasure at her important role in the wedding, and her reluctance to be different at school. When she comes to terms with those fears, her smile is radiant. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1999

ISBN: 1-56397-667-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Boyds Mills

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1999

Categories:

GENERAL FICTION

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RUSHMORE

by Lynn Curlee ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1999

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This history of the Mount Rushmore monument is laudatory to a fault, devoting a mere paragraph to the many people who considered (or still consider) the colossal sculpture a blot on the landscape, a man-made disfigurement of nature. Curlee (Into the Ice, 1998, etc.) emphasizes the sculpture’s patriotic aspects: Washington represents the founding of the nation, Jefferson its westward expansion, Lincoln its preservation, and Roosevelt—a controversial choice even at the time—conservation. The details on the physical process of construction, from pointing to blasting, honeycombing to bumping, make the procedures clear even without the finely wrought, realistic illustrations. Equally lifelike is the portrait of Gutzon Borglum, the autocratic artist commissioned for the work, who managed to offend just about everybody involved in the project. Perhaps the most insulted were the Native Americans; only passing reference is made to their belief that the area is sacred ground. Just as beautiful as Curlee’s previous works, this volume should be used in conjunction with other, more comprehensive texts. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-10)