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LOST AND FOUND

Name: LOST AND FOUND
Author: Barbara McClintock
ISBN: 978-0-374-39923-8

ADÈLE & SIMON IN CHINA

From the Adèle & Simon series

by Barbara McClintock ; illustrated by Barbara McClintock ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 25, 2016

A pleasurable way to explore China, complete with insightful author’s notes for each locale in the backmatter.

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Sometime around the turn of the 20th century, two white French children, Adèle and Simon, journey throughout historical China with their photographer uncle, Sidney.

Before they set off, Uncle Sidney buys the two travelers gifts, including a camera for Adèle and an abacus, a scroll, knapsack, and other items for Simon. The illustrated list of objects proves helpful later on. As they travel from place to place, Adèle writes postcards to her mama about the many sights they see as well as cataloging the gifts that Simon loses along the way. But, as Adèle’s photographs later reveal, each object was there all along. Much as in the popular search-and-find book Where’s Waldo, readers can search for Simon’s lost objects among the teeming double-page illustrations of 11 diverse locales. These include detailed renderings, done in McClintock’s trademark, vibrant pen-and-ink–and-watercolor style, of a bustling marketplace in Peking, a complex of monasteries in the Wudang Mountains, and the sprawling carved hillsides in southern China. With the children’s route outlined in red, the opening period map of China provides great perspective on how vast and varied this country was and still is. Since this is a historical view of China, many of the Chinese men wear queues, which can lead to further conversations with young readers.

A pleasurable way to explore China, complete with insightful author’s notes for each locale in the backmatter. (Picture book. 4-10)

Pub Date: Oct. 25, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-374-39923-8

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Review Posted Online: July 25, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION

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TOMFOOLERY!
by Michelle Markel ; illustrated by Barbara McClintock

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THE THREE LITTLE KITTENS
by Barbara McClintock ; illustrated by Barbara McClintock

- BOOK REVIEW
VROOM!
by Barbara McClintock ; illustrated by Barbara McClintock

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HIAWATHA AND THE PEACEMAKER

by Robbie Robertson ; illustrated by David Shannon ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 25, 2015

Expressive, handsome, and well-documented.

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Robertson, widely known for his work in the legendary group The Band, crafts a legend-based tale about the unification of warring tribes into what would become known as the Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy.

As a boy, Robertson, of Mohawk and Cayuga heritage, heard an elder tell this story, which may date from the 14th century. It places Hiawatha, a Mohawk, into fresh cultural context and corrects Longfellow. After his family is killed in a raid by the dreaded Onodaga chief, Tadodaho, Hiawatha retreats in bereft solitude. A man in a glowing white stone canoe approaches. Stuttering softly, he shares his message of peace and reconciliation with Hiawatha, asking him to help carry and amplify this message during visits to warring tribes. The pair travels in succession to the Mohawk, Cayuga, Seneca, Oneida, and Onondaga tribes. With difficulty, they overcome resistance, laying groundwork for what would become, by 1722, the Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy. Hiawatha’s first-person narration reveals his own transformation, from grief-stricken vengeance to self-forgiveness, from hatred to joy. Shannon adopts a palette of deep browns, red-golds, and blue-grays, with hints of green. Figures are broad-backed, solemn, and heroically posed. Tadodaho, disfigured by evil, is depicted as a scaly wretch, snakes entwined in his hair. Hiawatha prepares a curative medicine for him; Shannon portrays his recovery and eventual transmogrification as an eagle.

Expressive, handsome, and well-documented. (historical note, acknowledgments, author’s note) (Picture book/folk tale. 5-10)

Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-4197-1220-3

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Abrams

Review Posted Online: May 5, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
LEGENDS, ICONS & REBELS
by Robbie Robertson ; Jim Guerinot ; Sebastian Robertson ; Jared Levine

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THE STONE OF FIRE

From the Cavemice series , Vol. 1

by Geronimo Stilton & illustrated by Geronimo Stilton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 2013

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Warp back in time for a prehistoric spinoff adventure with Geronimo Stilton’s ancestor, Geronimo Stiltonoot, in Old Mouse City.

Readers will find Geronimo Stiltonoot a familiar character, outfitted differently from descendant Stilton yet still running a newspaper and having wild adventures. In this introduction to prehistoric mouse life, someone has stolen the most powerful and important artifact housed by the Old Mouse City Mouseum: the Stone of Fire. It’s up to Stiltonoot and his fellow sleuth and friend, Hercule Poirat, to uncover not only the theft, but a dangerous plot that jeopardizes all of Old Mouse City. As stand-ins for the rest of the Stilton cast, Stiltonoot has in common with Stilton a cousin named Trap, a sister named Thea and a nephew named Benjamin. The slapstick comedy and design, busy with type changes and color, will be familiar for Stilton readers. The world is fictionalized for comedic effect, featuring funny uses for dinosaurs and cheeky references to how far back in time they are, with only the occasional sidebar that presents facts. The story takes a bit long to get started, spending a lot of time reiterating the worldbuilding information laid out before the first chapter. But once it does start, it is an adventure Stilton readers will enjoy. Geronimo Stiltonoot has the right combination of familiarity and newness to satisfy Stilton fans. (Fiction. 6-10)