The relationship between butterflies and the gardens that provide their food and habitat is the focus for this informative work by Lerner (On the Wing: American Birds in Migration, 2001, etc.). She introduces common families of butterflies, showing examples in flight against brightly colored flowers, vegetables, and even weeds that attract butterflies (or caterpillars). An author’s note identifies the specific kinds of butterflies illustrated throughout the text, and attractive endpapers identify many more additional varieties. Her carefully researched paintings show all the tiny patterns of the butterfly wings in exquisite detail, and her flowers are beautifully portrayed against pale blue backgrounds with the flowers labeled unobtrusively, providing information without destroying the artistic integrity of the illustrations. Diagrams are integrated into the illustrations to show the inside of flowers, butterfly anatomy, and the life cycle of the butterfly. Ways to attract the lovely creatures to the garden are also included, with suggested plants and projects. The discussion of the butterfly life cycle falls rather awkwardly at the end of the work (after eggs and caterpillars have already been mentioned in other contexts), which could be confusing to children not already familiar with the correct progression of life stages. However, this work will find a ready audience for science lessons and school reports; recommended for the science shelves of larger school and public libraries as well as home libraries. (Nonfiction. 5-8)
Pub Date: May 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-688-17478-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2002
Rylant (Henry and Mudge and the Sneaky Crackers, 1998, etc.) slips into a sentimental mode for this latest outing of the boy and his dog, as she sends Mudge and Henry and his parents off on a camping trip. Each character is attended to, each personality sketched in a few brief words: Henry's mother is the camping veteran with outdoor savvy; Henry's father doesn't know a tent stake from a marshmallow fork, but he's got a guitar for campfire entertainment; and the principals are their usual ready-for-fun selves. There are sappy moments, e.g., after an evening of star- gazing, Rylant sends the family off to bed with: ``Everyone slept safe and sound and there were no bears, no scares. Just the clean smell of trees . . . and wonderful green dreams.'' With its nice tempo, the story is as toasty as its campfire and swaddled in Stevenson's trusty artwork. (Fiction. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-689-81175-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1998
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with...
Reynolds and Brown have crafted a Halloween tale that balances a really spooky premise with the hilarity that accompanies any mention of underwear.
Jasper Rabbit needs new underwear. Plain White satisfies him until he spies them: “Creepy underwear! So creepy! So comfy! They were glorious.” The underwear of his dreams is a pair of radioactive-green briefs with a Frankenstein face on the front, the green color standing out all the more due to Brown’s choice to do the entire book in grayscale save for the underwear’s glowing green…and glow they do, as Jasper soon discovers. Despite his “I’m a big rabbit” assertion, that glow creeps him out, so he stuffs them in the hamper and dons Plain White. In the morning, though, he’s wearing green! He goes to increasing lengths to get rid of the glowing menace, but they don’t stay gone. It’s only when Jasper finally admits to himself that maybe he’s not such a big rabbit after all that he thinks of a clever solution to his fear of the dark. Brown’s illustrations keep the backgrounds and details simple so readers focus on Jasper’s every emotion, writ large on his expressive face. And careful observers will note that the underwear’s expression also changes, adding a bit more creep to the tale.
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with Dr. Seuss’ tale of animate, empty pants. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0298-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
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