The well-known novelist's first children's book is a gently subversive fable celebrating the rewards of disorder. Princess Molly the Messy is deplored by her family: King Clement the Clean, Queen Nellie the Neat, and Prince Thomas the Tidy. Molly's domain is the castle tower, where she keeps the floor comfortably festooned with clothes and the bed is "lumpy and knobby with half-finished books." Her parents are not pleased, but Molly is vindicated when a flood drives the whole family up to her room, where they find dry clothes and leftover food lying everywhere and a cozy bed to share while Molly reads aloud. When the waters recede, she even helps them tidy up downstairs. Without condescension, Tyler presents a child's-eye view of glorious muss in a witty, economical narrative, while—in a fine picture-book debut—Modarressi (Tyler's daughter) details the disarray in angular forms and flat, carefully structured compositions, with expressive, delicately modeled faces adding a subtler dimension to Tyler's message. Good fun. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-531-05497-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orchard
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1993
BOOK REVIEW
``Trees are nice [and] also useful,'' begins the noted science writer, summing up the concepts introduced here. Pointing out the many ordinary objects made from wood or, less obviously, tree products (rubber, turpentine, fruit, paper), she goes on to trees' role in animal habitats and the larger environment, including photosynthesis as an important part of a cycle on which we all depend. The simple yet precise text ends with ways to ``Be a Friend to Trees''. Unfortunately, Keller's illustrations, while bright and attractive, are less precise; especially where tree species are labeled, it's a shame to misrepresent them visually. Misshapen birch trunks or vaguely depicted leaves are fine in the picture book stories at which Keller excels, but they're inappropriate in a science book, no matter how young the audience. Still, the lucid text will make this useful; and creative teachers could make a project of comparing real trees with the art. (Nonfiction/Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Jan. 30, 1994
ISBN: 0-06-021528-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1994
BOOK REVIEW
This easy reader for children reading at the fluency level recounts the story of a girl named Mary Ann Anning and her dog, Tray. They lived on the coast of England in the early 1800s, although the time frame is given only as “a long, long time ago.” Mary Ann and Tray became famous for their discoveries of fossils, including dinosaur bones. They discovered the first pterodactyl found in England, and the name was assigned to their fossil. The story focuses a little too much on the dog, and the title misses a great opportunity to completely acknowledge a girl accomplishing something important in the scientific world, especially in a much earlier era and without formal training or education. Despite this drawback, both Mary Ann and Tray are appealing characters and the discovery of the fossils and subsequent notice from scientists, collectors, and even royalty is appealing and well written. Sullivan’s illustrations provide intriguing period details in costumes, tools, and buildings, as well as a clever front endpaper of fossil-strewn ground covered with muddy paw prints. (Easy reader. 6-8)
Pub Date: July 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-689-85708-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2004
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