Although at times this tale too earnestly inveighs against animal cruelty and neglect, its warmth and spiky humor shine...
A preachy but otherwise engaging debut tale of chicks rescued from a precarious existence by a kindly couple.
Six chicks of various breeds and personalities trade an uncertain future as sale items at a feed store for a cozy life in the country under the loving care of a tender-hearted, animal-loving human and her like-minded husband. As the chicks gain their glossy feathers and reach egg-laying maturity, they adjust to life with one another and with gentle horses, chattering squirrels, the threat of predators, helpful and ignorant humans, and one strange, lonely, tree-dwelling cousin fowl who imparts her survivor’s wisdom. The narrator of the tale and its keen, acerbic observer is Blondos the Magnificent, a bird of fine English pedigree, supreme self-regard and wild frames of reference: Hoping her new owners give her a worthy name, Blondos says, “I happened to know people spend hard-earned money to change their names if they didn’t like them.” Describing attractive, polka-dotted but not too bright fellow chickens, Blondos compares them to “beautiful women” who are “incredibly stunning until they open their mouths and sound like New York taxi cab drivers.” The author uses her vivid characters and situations as teaching moments, delivered primarily through the voice of the chickens’ compassionate human mistress. VanderBeek’s narrative addresses the responsibilities of pet owners; the irresponsibility of giving baby chicks, ducks and rabbits as holiday gifts; pet neglect, abandonment and abuse, and even the misguided militant tactics of some animal activists. For the most part, however, the author’s worthy soapbox approach doesn’t lose sight of the chicken friends for too long, returning with warmth and humor to their eventful lives and dialogue. As the feathery friends experience happy times and small crises, they learn their own lessons of acceptance and compassion—particularly prideful, selfish Blondos—and their story becomes a framework for the author’s impassioned appeal for the caring and respectful treatment of animals.
Although at times this tale too earnestly inveighs against animal cruelty and neglect, its warmth and spiky humor shine through.Pub Date: July 11, 2013
ISBN: 978-1475989182
Page Count: 204
Publisher: iUniverse
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
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