Zelda and Stella, the girls regaled with their grandmother's funny recollections of a family trip (When Grandma Almost Fell off the Mountain, not reviewed) now visit Aunt Lucy, whose initial disclaimer (``I don't recall any stories'') proves to be as comically at odds with her subsequent narrative as her mother's was. Pausing only to urge more cake on her enthralled guests, Aunt Lucy describes visiting her grandparents, where the recounted events verge intriguingly on tall tale (Did Grandpa really free a crow from a determined turtle?) and many of the doings are instigated by her own irrepressible aunt, Cissie. The girls' amazed queries propel the narrative; and Porte gives her own audience some painless practice in keeping generations straight. By slipping in a question of fact near the end (Aunt Lucy recalls that her Aunt Cissie and her sister, now Zelda and Stella's grandma, each believed as an adult that the other was stung as a child by bees attracted by her flowered hat), Porte hints slyly that such tales may change with time. Again, Chambliss adds even more gusto to the story with cheerful watercolors on every page. Fast, funny, and pungent. (Young reader/Picture book. 6-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-531-06816-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orchard
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1994
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
At ``Step 2'' in the useful ``Step into Reading'' series: an admirably clear, well-balanced presentation that centers on wolves' habits and pack structure. Milton also addresses their endangered status, as well as their place in fantasy, folklore, and the popular imagination. Attractive realistic watercolors on almost every page. Top-notch: concise, but remarkably extensive in its coverage. A real bargain. (Nonfiction/Easy reader. 6-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-679-91052-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
Trickling, bubbling, swirling, rushing, a river flows down from its mountain beginnings, past peaceful country and bustling city on its way to the sea. Hooper (The Drop in My Drink, 1998, etc.) artfully evokes the water’s changing character as it transforms from “milky-cold / rattling-bold” to a wide, slow “sliding past mudflats / looping through marshes” to the end of its journey. Willey, best known for illustrating Geraldine McCaughrean’s spectacular folk-tale collections, contributes finely detailed scenes crafted in shimmering, intricate blues and greens, capturing mountain’s chill, the bucolic serenity of passing pastures, and a sense of mystery in the water’s shadowy depths. Though Hooper refers to “the cans and cartons / and bits of old wood” being swept along, there’s no direct conservation agenda here (for that, see Debby Atwell’s River, 1999), just appreciation for the river’s beauty and being. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: June 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7636-0792-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2000
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