The 25 poems in this beautifully illustrated and designed anthology are evenly divided between real and imaginary horses and between rhyming and nonrhyming poetic forms. Schwartz has thoughtfully selected poems that show us horses at work (a police officer’s mount, a young racehorse, a circus horse) and at play (merry-go-round horses, a child’s toy pony). Many of the elements of poetry could be taught using this volume: several of the poems effectively use a galloping meter or successfully show the power of poetic metaphor through charging steeds glimpsed in crashing ocean waves or in racing clouds. Well-known poets are represented here with selections by Shakespeare, Frost, Whitman, and Christina Rossetti, with more contemporary poems by Aileen Fisher, Tony Johnston, and Jack Prelutsky. Two selections are by Native American poets, but no other minority cultures are represented (and the exclusion of a haiku along with all the other poetic forms seems an obvious oversight). The evocative illustrations by Berenzy (Home at Last, 1998, etc.) alternate between pastels and soft, moody graphite pencils that capture magical moments, such as the birth of a foal by moonlight. She has a genuine talent for depicting both realistic horses in motion and more ephemeral images such as the elusive unicorn, and her delicate, understated illustrations propel this collection into the winner’s circle. As there is no other collection of equine-themed poems for children in print, this offering will be welcomed in larger poetry collection and by legions of horse-lovers young and old. (Poetry. 6-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-8050-6212-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
When the wild calls, will this good dog answer? For McKinley the malamute is a very good dog, one who takes his contract with his humans seriously: he assiduously guards his human family, especially the pup, Jack. He is also a politically astute dog: he is head dog of the Steamboat Springs dog pack. His retriever friend Aspen, had she the language of pop psychology, would call him a codependent dog: “You watch out for everybody but yourself.” His comfortable life is disturbed when a lamed wolf, Lupin, comes down out of the hills to recruit dogs to join her dwindling pack. McKinley feels drawn to her wildness, while at the same time remaining mindful of his doggy responsibilities. These become immensely more complicated when his pup (inspired by The Jungle Book and Julie of the Wolves) decides to try to run away and live with the wolves even as the human community gears up for a massive wolf hunt and an upstart Irish setter begins to challenge McKinley’s leadership. How can McKinley acquit his obligations to his pup, to Lupin, and to an abused greyhound whose escape sets the plot in motion, while at the same time preserving his position in the pack? Avi (The Secret School, p. 1021, etc.) by and large does a creditable job of keeping the many subplots going, although the action occasionally gets bogged down in discussions of the political doggy climate. The narrative is filtered through a dog’s-eye-view with occasional whimsical touches (streets have names like “Horse Smell Way”), but for the most part the text takes itself as seriously as McKinley does. Almost wholly absent from the story is a real exploration of the mutual affection that underlies the human-dog relationship; without this, McKinley’s decision to stay with his humans rather than follow Lupin is an intellectual, and ultimately unsatisfying, one. (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83824-7
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Richard Jackson/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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