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BIRDS, BEASTS, AND FISHES

Name: BIRDS, BEASTS, AND FISHES
Author: Anne Carter
ISBN: 0-02-717776-9

A SELECTION OF ANIMAL POEMS

edited by Anne Carter & illustrated by Reg Cartwright ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 30, 1991

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Fifty or so poems, grouped as the title suggests and varying in difficulty but generally of high quality, from traditional rhymes and familiar masters (Coleridge, Tennyson) to challenging and intriguing modern works (Sandburg, Philip Larkin). Touches of humor lighten the mix (Ogden Nash); since many entries are not from ``children's'' poets (though they will appeal to able children), there's much that will be new to readers. Cartwright's glowing stylized illustrations appear on virtually every page. An unusually handsome volume that fulfills its creators' aim of ``portray[ing] a living world [of] vigor and vitality,'' where ``William Blake's tiger and Ted Hughes' jaguar meet in our terror and delight.'' Glossary (19 obscure words); index. (Poetry. 6+)

Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1991

ISBN: 0-02-717776-9

Page Count: 64

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1991

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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DONAVAN'S WORD JAR

by Monalisa DeGross & illustrated by Cheryl Hanna ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 30, 1994

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Donavan's friends collect buttons and marbles, but he collects words. ``NUTRITION,'' ``BALLYHOO,'' ``ABRACADABRA''—these and other words are safely stored on slips of paper in a jar. As it fills, Donavan sees a storage problem developing and, after soliciting advice from his teacher and family, solves it himself: Visiting his grandma at a senior citizens' apartment house, he settles a tenants' argument by pulling the word ``COMPROMISE'' from his jar and, feeling ``as if the sun had come out inside him,'' discovers the satisfaction of giving his words away. Appealingly detailed b&w illustrations depict Donavan and his grandma as African-Americans. This Baltimore librarian's first book is sure to whet readers' appetites for words, and may even start them on their own savory collections. (Fiction. 8-11)

Pub Date: June 30, 1994

ISBN: 0-06-020190-8

Page Count: 72

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1994

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
DONAVAN’S DOUBLE TROUBLE
by Monalisa DeGross & illustrated by Amy Bates

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BUBBA, THE COWBOY PRINCE

A FRACTURED TEXAS TALE

by Helen Ketteman & illustrated by James Warhola ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1997

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A Cinderella parody features the off-the-wall, whang-dang Texas hyperbole of Ketteman (The Year of No More Corn, 1993, etc.) and the insouciance of Warhola, who proves himself only too capable of creating a fairy godcow; that she's so appealingly whimsical makes it easy to accept the classic tale's inversions. The protagonist is Bubba, appropriately downtrodden and overworked by his wicked stepdaddy and loathsome brothers Dwayne and Milton, who spend their days bossing him around. The other half of the happy couple is Miz Lurleen, who owns ``the biggest spread west of the Brazos.'' She craves male companionship to help her work the place, ``and it wouldn't hurt if he was cute as a cow's ear, either.'' There are no surprises in this version except in the hilarious way the premise plays itself out and in Warhola's delightful visual surprises. When Lurleen tracks the bootless Bubba down, ``Dwayne and Milton and their wicked daddy threw chicken fits.'' Bubba and babe, hair as big as a Texas sun, ride off to a life of happy ranching, and readers will be proud to have been along for the courtship. (Picture book/folklore. 6-8)