THE BIG BOOK FOR OUR PLANET

Name: THE BIG BOOK FOR OUR PLANET
Author: Ann Durell
ISBN: 0-525-45119-6

by Ann Durell & edited by Jean Craighead George & Katherine Paterson & illustrated by Aliki ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1993

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Again, an all-star collaboration in aid of a worthy cause: Mother Earth herself. The 28 original entries include several poems, fables, and other imaginative tales, plus nonfiction: on bats, by Laurence Pringle (with photos by "Batman" Merlin Tuttle); on wetlands, by Seymour Simon; on Central Park's Frederick Law Olmsted, by Milton Meltzer; and some of Tana Hoban's splendid photos. Though quality varies, there are some nifty stories (satire's a natural here): Marilyn Sachs's whale's- eye view of Jonah (not a politically correct snack—junk food, and an endangered species, too); Natalie Babbitt's "The Last Days of the Giddywit," who live "after the dinosaurs but before shovels" and come to a bad end because they never clean out their caves; William Sleator's chilling glimpse of future "Traffic"; etc. From Aliki and Arnosky to Van Allsburg and Zelinsky, 28 illustrators reflect the texts in a fine range of styles. A grand resource to enliven a unit, to ponder, or simply to enjoy. Six conservation organizations are to benefit. (Anthology. 6-12)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1993

ISBN: 0-525-45119-6

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Dutton

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1993

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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HOW TÍA LOLA CAME TO (VISIT) STAY

From the Tía Lola Stories series , Vol. 1

by Julia Alvarez ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2001

Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay.

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Renowned Latin American writer Alvarez has created another story about cultural identity, but this time the primary character is 11-year-old Miguel Guzmán.

When Tía Lola arrives to help the family, Miguel and his hermana, Juanita, have just moved from New York City to Vermont with their recently divorced mother. The last thing Miguel wants, as he's trying to fit into a predominantly white community, is a flamboyant aunt who doesn't speak a word of English. Tía Lola, however, knows a language that defies words; she quickly charms and befriends all the neighbors. She can also cook exotic food, dance (anywhere, anytime), plan fun parties, and tell enchanting stories. Eventually, Tía Lola and the children swap English and Spanish ejercicios, but the true lesson is "mutual understanding." Peppered with Spanish words and phrases, Alvarez makes the reader as much a part of the "language" lessons as the characters. This story seamlessly weaves two culturaswhile letting each remain intact, just as Miguel is learning to do with his own life. Like all good stories, this one incorporates a lesson just subtle enough that readers will forget they're being taught, but in the end will understand themselves, and others, a little better, regardless of la lengua nativa—the mother tongue.

Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay. (Fiction. 9-11)

Pub Date: March 1, 2001

ISBN: 0-375-80215-0

Page Count: 160

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
ALREADY A BUTTERFLY
by Julia Alvarez ; illustrated by Raúl Colón

- BOOK REVIEW
WHERE DO THEY GO?
by Julia Alvarez ; illustrated by Sabra Field

- BOOK REVIEW
HOW TÍA LOLA ENDED UP STARTING OVER
by Julia Alvarez

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AMERICAN TALL TALES

by Mary Pope Osborne & illustrated by Michael McCurdy ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1991

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For the 90's, a handsome, well-documented collection of stories about nine uniquely American characters. In her intelligent introduction, Osborne explains their genesis ``from various combinations of historical fact, the storytelling of ordinary people, and the imagination of professional writers'' and notes that changing times put a new light on stories deriding various groups (including women and even animals). Thus her intention is to emphasize ``gargantuan physical courage and absurd humor'' and to ``bring out the vulnerable and compassionate side'' despite the stories' ``ineradicable taint of violence.'' Osborne succeeds pretty well in her intention, piecing together stories that make fine introductions to characters like Mose and Stormalong. Her approach suits Johnny Appleseed and John Henry better than it does Davy Crockett battling a panther, but she does manage to put a new slant on Pecos Bill and his bouncing bride without undermining the story (there's no question of a wife's disobedience here; Sue wants to ride Bill's horse as a test of skill). The telling is more polished than lively—Glen Rounds's irrepressible wit (Ol' Paul, the Mighty Logger, 1949) is more fun, but these versions are perfectly acceptable. McCurdy's vigorous wood engravings, tinted with lucid color, contribute a rugged frontier flavor; lively, though a bit formal in style, they suit the text admirably. Each story is introduced by source notes; a story-by-story bibliography provides a good roundup of this popular genre. (Folklore. 6-12)