An animated portrait of the composer during the period when he wrote the Ninth Symphony (1822-25), as depicted in letters between Christoph, ten when the great man moves into his home, and his uncle, a musician whose knowledge of Beethoven's history and work provides a setting for the boy's more intimate observations. Aging and deaf, Beethoven is not only irascible and tempestuous; he's also wildly untidy and so loud that Christoph wonders if he's mad: ``...poundings and howlings come through the floor...like the sounds of an injured beast.'' Moreover, ``...it is not true that Mr. Beethoven has three pianos. He has four!''- -some with no legs so that he (and his suffering neighbors) can better sense the vibrations. Still, in the end, Christoph is won over, as readers are sure to be by the immediacy of his account. Cameron's luminous paintings have a formal 19th-century look, but not at the expense of a splendidly lively rendering of character and incident. A delightful introduction to this monumental figure. It would have been nice to have a note distinguishing fact from fiction. (Picture book. 5-10)
Pub Date: March 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-531-06828-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Orchard
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1994
BOOK REVIEW
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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
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