A cheery roundup of attractions.
Yeehaw! A seventh-generation Texan salutes the sites, sights, celebrities, and spirit of the Lone Star state.
On the very last page, Jennings names a handful of ethnically diverse museums and historic sites to visit and earlier devotes a spread to introducing a racially diverse handful of famous Texans including Bessie Coleman, Beyoncé Knowles, Quanah Parker, and Tejano rancher Simón de Arocha. Otherwise, he sticks to a fairly typical set of “wonder-filled things” and populates his freewheeling cartoon tour with a cast of smiling, generally anthropomorphic animals. Artfully slipping in educational bits including counting and color exercises and a complete Texas-themed alphabet—“A is for…Armadillo astronaut above the Alamo!”—he packs pages with Texan livestock, wildlife, and prehistoric “critters.” For recreational options, the state offers not only enticing campgrounds, but also a hootenanny in Fort Worth and an Art Car Parade in Houston. Young hombres with a yen to be “cowpokes” will appreciate information on proper clothing, gear, activities, and (nonprofane) cowboy talk. Focusing on the state’s cowboy image and physical features, this work doesn’t move much past Miroslav Šašek’s classic This Is…Texas (1967), but, being far less wordy and even more amusingly illustrated, it should serve as a fresh alternative.
A cheery roundup of attractions. (Informational picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9798217050666
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
A pleasingly lucid look at a complicated relationship, it should prove revelatory to an audience unaccustomed to such nuance.
Though John Adams and Thomas Jefferson “...were as different as pickles and ice cream,” they were able to work together to fight for America’s independence—for a while.
In the late 1770s, they developed conflicting ideas about government and aligned with opposing political parties. When John Adams was elected as the second U.S. president, Jefferson was elected vice president. This exacerbated their rocky relationship, and when Jefferson was ultimately elected president over Adams, their friendship ended. Over a decade would pass before they spoke again. The team that created George Did It (2005) now brings to light both the trials and tribulations of these two notable leaders and the turbulence of early American politics. Energetic watercolor-and-pencil drawings accurately represent the late 18th century, showing the dress, style and architecture of the period. Feisty narration paired with amusing illustrations makes light of sticky situations, as when Jefferson physically restrains an angry Adams from assaulting King George and Adams moves himself out of the White House in the dead of night. Although quotations are not specifically sourced, the selected bibliography reveals a wealth of research, including several primary sources.
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-525-47903-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A fragmentary memoir, but warm, humorous and engaging overall.
Anecdotal paintings and reminiscences of two childhood years spent in China, by an artist now in her 90s.
Following up Once Upon a Full Moon (2007), an account of her family’s journey from Canada to Kwangtung province, Quan recalls 17 experiences or incidents during the stay. These include feasting on New Year’s Day (“Mama steamed a whole chicken inside a winter melon and made sweet red and green bean paste…”), gathering to watch a teen relative take a bucket shower (“We all laughed with glee”), and welcoming both a new piglet and, later, a new baby brother. Opposite each memory, a full-page, loosely brushed watercolor in a naïve style adds both cultural and comical notes with depictions of small, active or intent figures in village dress and settings. It’s a sunny picture, but there are references to the real dangers of pirates and brigands, as well as a comment about the author’s beloved Popo (grandmother) walking to church on bound feet. These, along with a final parting made particularly poignant since the baby, being foreign-born, had to be left in China for several years, keep it from becoming a sugary nostalgiafest.
A fragmentary memoir, but warm, humorous and engaging overall. (afterword, with photo of Popo) (Illustrated memoir. 6-9)Pub Date: March 12, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-77049-383-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2013
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