A disjointed scrapbook of anecdotes and journal entries, strung together with archival photos. Savage begins with the life of Fannie Sperry, a spirited 19-year-old Montana native who tamed the wild roan, Blue Dog, and was known for her talent for riding untamed horses. Sperry remains the touchstone throughout the remainder of the work—sometimes rather awkwardly. The collection of cowgirl photos should have been the strength here, but too many unsuitable choices have been made for the layout. Sentences cut over two pages to make way for full-paged “sidebars.” And Savage’s definition of the “Old West” is somewhat confusing: she ranges from Montana to Texas to Calgary, Alberta (with no mention that Alberta is in Canada). A map or two would have been a welcome addition. Time periods shift at the author’s whim—the page after a description of the events of 1906 is illustrated with a picture from the 1890s; turn the page: 1911. The fashions of the times were very important to the riders, yet one illustration is merely a faint line drawing from a catalogue, reproduced in pale green ink. The disconnect between illustration and text continues to the very end with a quote from 88-year-old Fannie, paired with a photo of three other female “friends and competitors.” Given the dearth of good material on this subject, readers will be very disappointed in this less than inspired ride. Skip it. (glossary, index, source notes, bibliography of books, videos, and Web sites) (Nonfiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: May 1, 2001
ISBN: 1-58246-019-1
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Tricycle
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2001
A superficial glance at Egyptian society in the time of Rameses II, this layers breezy, hand-written factoids (“Egyptian farmers grow barley and a sort of wheat for food, and flax to make linen clothes.”) along with bits of plant or animal matter and swatches of papyrus attached with modern straight pins over sketchy, generic watercolor cartoons. A perfunctory plotline featuring a scribe and his family rising in the morning, going to work, watching a funeral—all of which weakly link the topical spreads, and an index/glossary adds a few additional details. Definitely an also-ran, far back in the pack behind conventional nonfiction, or even such fact/fiction mixes as Richard Platt’s Egyptian Diary: The Journal of Nakht (2005). (Nonfiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 1-84507-100-X
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2006
Adding a light dusting of invented detail, Zoehfeld retraces the course of Howard Carter’s youth and career to its dramatic high point, mentions the “curse” in a single brief, dismissive passage, then closes with a note on modern investigations into the causes of King Tut’s early death. Fledgling chapter-book readers may be drawn in by the title, but rare is the library that doesn’t already own other renditions of the renowned tale. The illustrations are unlikely to carry as much visual interest as the photos and images of golden artifacts in the likes of Giovanni Caselli’s In Search of Tutankhamen: The Discovery of a King’s Tomb (1999) or Zahi A. Hawass’s Tutankhamen: The Mystery of the Boy King (2005). (Nonfiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: Jan. 23, 2007
ISBN: 0-375-83862-7
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2006
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