Geisert (Haystack, 1995, etc.) draws upon legions of diminutive pigs to demonstrate the meanings and construction of roman numerals; tubby porculi trot and tussle—in swarms for the larger numbers—about farmyards, a playground, parkland, and a rather scanty junkyard. His distinctive color etchings have a muted cast, but every figure is sharply defined; readers can count the hundreds of piggies on the D and M spreads—plus other objects elsewhere, from water tanks to birds—for themselves. Each scene is captioned with either a numeral, an explanation, or a list. Boggling even the most careful eye (resulting in a typo in the case of ``XXII Big balloons,'' when no more than XII are shown), this curiosity may bemuse more than it educates, but it does give graphic expression to some huge numbers, and so may find a use beyond the alphanumeric byway it explores. (Picture book. 7-9)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-395-74519-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Siomades (A Place to Bloom, 1997, etc.) introduces easy animal actions and identification with a simple text and with a cut-paper collage technique that is akin to the work of Eric Carle. Every spread displays two brightly colored, cleanly shaped animals whose sizes are usually in direct contrast, while their actions and attributes are similar. “Kangaroo and cricket. . . both can jump. Camel and turtle. . . both have a hump.” Fish and hippo swim, polar bear and penguin slide, dog and squirrel bury things. On the last page, an unseen narrator exclaims, “I have something in common with everyone.” That narrator may be an unseen preschooler, who can, indeed, slide, swim, jump, and more; or it may be the tiny worm inching through the book, imitating and interpreting every action. Cheerful colors and handsome design make for a kid-friendly concept book. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 1-56397-780-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1999
Doggerel rhymes and brightly colored acrylic paintings celebrate the birds, insects, and animals that visit Patty’s pumpkin patch from seeding time to harvest, in this story from Sloat (Farmer Brown Goes Round and Round, p. 306, etc.). A large illustration appears with a rhyming couplet, while an alphabet of creatures runs along the bottom margins with an accompanying thumbnail drawings, from A for “ant” to Z for “zebra butterfly.” The book has the look of a picture book from the 1950s, filled with generic animals, flora more decorative than authentic, and Patty in her red Keds and granny glasses. Still, the cycle of the growing season, pumpkins in eye-popping orange, and the abundant wildlife on every page will appeal to children. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-399-23010-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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