In a cumulative text in the form of The House That Jack Built, Fredericks (The Wonder of Elephants, not reviewed, etc.) has created a story about the creatures found under a rock: “A village of animals with special features.” Earthworms, ants, spiders, beetles, field crickets, slugs, and a millipede call this rock home, and the author presents each with one unique characteristic in a rhyming couplet: “Some tiny field crickets who sing with their feet / Search near the rock for some seeds they can eat.” The field notes at the back will whet the appetite of budding entomologists, but do not give a substantial amount of information, nor answer questions that may be raised in the reading. For example, although all the insects live in one habitat and the author presents them as “friends” and “neighbors,” one would think that at least the spider and the beetle would eat the others. DiRubbio’s (How Shellmakers Build Their Amazing Homes, not reviewed, etc.) illustrations are brightly colored and done from the perspective of an insect—blades of grass are as tall as the page, the rock appears to be a mountain. But overall it’s nothing special and should be skipped. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 1-58469-028-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: DAW/Berkley
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The lifecycle of the frog is succinctly summarized in this easy reader for children reading at the late first-grade level. In just one or two sentences per page, Vern details the amazing metamorphosis of the frog from egg to tadpole to adult, even injecting a little humor despite the tight word count. (“Watch out fly! Mmmm!) Large, full-color photographs on white backgrounds clearly illustrate each phase of development. Without any mention of laying eggs or fertilization, the title might be a bit misleading, but the development from black dot egg to full-grown frog is fascinating. A simple chart of the three main lifecycle steps is also included. Lifecycles are part of the standard curriculum in the early elementary grades, and this will be a welcome addition to school and public libraries, both for its informational value and as an easy reader. (Nonfiction/easy reader. 5-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-15-216304-2
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Green Light/Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2001
A first-rate sharkfest, unusually nutritious for all its brevity.
Buzz and his buzzy buddy open a spinoff series of nonfiction early readers with an aquarium visit.
Buzz: “Like other fish, sharks breathe through gills.” Fly Guy: “GILLZZ.” Thus do the two pop-eyed cartoon tour guides squire readers past a plethora of cramped but carefully labeled color photos depicting dozens of kinds of sharks in watery settings, along with close-ups of skin, teeth and other anatomical features. In the bite-sized blocks of narrative text, challenging vocabulary words like “carnivores” and “luminescence” come with pronunciation guides and lucid in-context definitions. Despite all the flashes of dentifrice and references to prey and smelling blood in the water, there is no actual gore or chowing down on display. Sharks are “so cool!” proclaims Buzz at last, striding out of the gift shop. “I can’t wait for our next field trip!” (That will be Fly Guy Presents: Space, scheduled for September 2013.)
A first-rate sharkfest, unusually nutritious for all its brevity. (Informational easy reader. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-545-50771-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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