Rogers sets Dylan’s timeless lyric (composed, writes the renowned author, “in a minute”) to simply drawn and colored cartoon scenes strewn with references to iconic ’60s-era people and places, as well as Dylan songs and albums. The result is a keepsake of the period that will nonetheless speak to modern readers. The archetypal plot follows an eager lad who takes the guitar passed to him by a smiling busker outside Gerde’s Folk City, and at the end passes the instrument in turn to an even younger girl. In between, he sings in the park for the likes of Joan Baez, zooms down Highway 61 in a VW beetle and marches beneath antiwar signs with Martin Luther King Jr. and others. The illustrator provides a partial key at the end, along with the occasional musical recommendation. Modern songs don’t generally make the leap to this format successfully—Dylan’s own Man Gave Names to All the Animals (1999), illustrated by Scott Menchin, being a case in point—but here’s a rare exception. (Picture book. 6-8, Boomers)
Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-4169-5808-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2008
Jeram brings back characters from Bunny, My Honey (1999) for this poignant tale about families. Although they are different species, the three friends—Bunny, Little Duckling, and Miss Mouse—form a unique family along with Mommy Rabbit. Instead of trying to make her “little Honeys” conform to some one ideal, the wise mother rabbit embraces their differences, incorporating their individuality into a special song created for the trio. Soft pastel illustrations capture both the playfulness of the threesome, and the loving bonds of the family. Through the song and the games the Honeys play, Jeram encourages readers to rejoice in diversity—a warm and timely message in a world full of complex and extended families. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7636-0846-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1999
During WWII, as men went overseas, women assumed many of their jobs; Rappaport and Callan enthusiastically invent a fictional witness to that historical moment when baseball, too, was taken over by women. Two teams from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, the Rockford Peaches and the Racine Belles, are vying for the 1946 championship. It’s the bottom of the 14th and the score is 0-0. In the stands, Margaret’s father, having just returned from fighting overseas, has joined his family for this final game of the season. As the last inning unfolds, Margaret, shouting and cheering, can hardly wait until she’s old enough to join this group of talented women. While the Belles joyously celebrate their victory on the field, Margaret proudly recalls her mother’s words, “You do have to be tough to play baseball in a skirt.” The text benefits from Lewis’s full-page watercolors, which range from the antic and expressive to exquisitely solemn with tension. Curiously missing from the historical notes is any reference to the popular film, A League of Their Own, which first revived interest in the league. That doesn’t detract from a book that reminds readers not to restrict their dreams on the basis of gender. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-8037-2042-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2000
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