by Betsy Byars ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1973
Except for the colt's wings this is a typical realistic story — with none of the hushed wonder that usually accompanies such a fantasy element — in which the relationship between a boy and a man is intertwined with a boy's love for an animal. Another slight twist is Byars' telling of the first person story from the viewpoint not of wide-eyed bookworm Charles, who can't ride a horse but can cite all sorts of classical precedents for Alado's wings, but of Charles' Uncle Coot, a former stunt man with a bum hip and psychic scars, whom Charles still views as the superhero he first saw jumping a cliff in a Western movie. Precisely because he believes that Coot can do anything, Charles — who comes to live on his uncle's ranch after his mother breaks her shoulder in a rodeo — blames him for not protecting Alado in a storm during which the colt disappears. Then, when Alado returns but flies in fear to the top of a mesa, Uncle Coot makes his laborious way up the side to rescue him — thus proving to Charles both his Own vulnerability and his commitment to the colt. Byars reworks the boy-man-horse formula with considerable skill but with none of the richly imagined vitality of her House of Wings (1972).
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1973
ISBN: 0140310673
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1973
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by Josh Schneider & illustrated by Josh Schneider ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2011
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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by Kobi Yamada ; illustrated by Natalie Russell ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2017
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
Awards & Accolades
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Google Rating
New York Times Bestseller
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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