In a picture book subtitled “And How They Raised Popcorn in Nebraska and Quit and Came Back,” it’s clear that the passage of time hasn’t been kind to Sandburg’s Huckabuck family; what was heralded as outrageously original in the 1920s is now simply silly. When Pony Pony Huckabuck discovers a silver buckle inside a squash, the family knows their luck will soon change, but in which direction? A fire in the barn spreads throughout the farm and results in an overflow of popped corn. This disaster provides the impetus for the Huckabuck family to move on in search of “a sign and a signal” telling them when to return. The repetition of names (Jonas Jonas Huckabuck, Mama Mama Huckabuck, and Pony Pony Huckabuck) is wearing, while the family’s travels are pointless. Small’s characteristically whimsical drawings are full of funny details, and far outshine this slight American fairy tale. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Sept. 7, 1999
ISBN: 0-374-33511-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1999
PLB 0-688-13166-2 King Midas And The Golden Touch ($16.00; PLB $15.63; Apr.; 32 pp.; 0-688-13165-4; PLB 0-688-13166-2): The familiar tale of King Midas gets the golden touch in the hands of Craft and Craft (Cupid and Psyche, 1996). The author takes her inspiration from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s retelling, capturing the essence of the tale with the use of pithy dialogue and colorful description. Enchanting in their own right, the illustrations summon the Middle Ages as a setting, and incorporate colors so lavish that when they are lost to the uniform gold spurred by King Midas’s touch, the point of the story is further burnished. (Picture book. 7-9)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-688-13165-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999
The way-off-road vehicle (The Magic School Bus and the Electric Field, 1997, etc.) tours the ears, eyes, nose, and skin when the assistant principal, Mr. Wilde, accidentally shrinks the school bus and the children on board, commandeering it to deliver a message to Ms. Frizzle. The vehicle plunges into the eye of a police officer, where the students explore the pupil, the cornea, the retina, and the optic nerve leading to the brain. Then it’s on to other senses, via the ear of a small child, the nose of a dog, and the tongue of the Friz herself. Sidebars and captions add to the blizzard of information here; with a combination of plot, details, and jokes, the trip is anything but dull. The facts will certainly entice readers to learn more about the ways living creatures perceive the world. (Picture book. 6-9)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-590-44697-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1999
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