by Arthur Howard & illustrated by Arthur Howard ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1996
Jeremy tells what his life was like when he was five. Back then, he wanted to be an astronaut or a cowboy or both (the last choice is accompanied by a very funny illustration of a cowboy and horse on another planet, both clad in space suits). He liked pterodactyls and his favorite secret hiding place was down by a pond. His best friend was Mark. Now that he's six, he wants to be a major-league ballplayer or a deep-sea diver. He goes in for Tyrannosaurus rex and shares only his second-best hiding place (his favorite hiding place is a secret). He still has a best friend, Mark: ``Some things never change.'' In his first children's-book solo, Howard (illustrator of Cynthia Rylant's Mr. Putter and Tabby Pick the Pears, 1995, etc.) captures an authentically childlike view of growing up. Large illustrations, done in bold black pencil, watercolor, and gouache, convey the insouciance of children's artwork, an effect enhanced by the hand-lettering of the first-person narration. A quizzical cat on almost every page adds humor, as does the presence of Mark's sidekick, a spaniel named Peggy. A quietly comic work. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-200261-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1996
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by William Miller & illustrated by Rodney Pate ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2004
One of the watershed moments in African-American history—the defeat of James Braddock at the hands of Joe Louis—is here given an earnest picture-book treatment. Despite his lack of athletic ability, Sammy wants desperately to be a great boxer, like his hero, getting boxing lessons from his friend Ernie in exchange for help with schoolwork. However hard he tries, though, Sammy just can’t box, and his father comforts him, reminding him that he doesn’t need to box: Joe Louis has shown him that he “can be the champion at anything [he] want[s].” The high point of this offering is the big fight itself, everyone crowded around the radio in Mister Jake’s general store, the imagined fight scenes played out in soft-edged sepia frames. The main story, however, is so bent on providing Sammy and the reader with object lessons that all subtlety is lost, as Mister Jake, Sammy’s father, and even Ernie hammer home the message. Both text and oil-on-canvas-paper illustrations go for the obvious angle, making the effort as a whole worthy, but just a little too heavy-handed. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: May 1, 2004
ISBN: 1-58430-161-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004
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by Andrew Clements & illustrated by R.W. Alley ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 23, 2005
Give this child’s-eye view of a day at the beach with an attentive father high marks for coziness: “When your ball blows across the sand and into the ocean and starts to drift away, your daddy could say, Didn’t I tell you not to play too close to the waves? But he doesn’t. He wades out into the cold water. And he brings your ball back to the beach and plays roll and catch with you.” Alley depicts a moppet and her relaxed-looking dad (to all appearances a single parent) in informally drawn beach and domestic settings: playing together, snuggling up on the sofa and finally hugging each other goodnight. The third-person voice is a bit distancing, but it makes the togetherness less treacly, and Dad’s mix of love and competence is less insulting, to parents and children both, than Douglas Wood’s What Dads Can’t Do (2000), illus by Doug Cushman. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: May 23, 2005
ISBN: 0-618-00361-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2005
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