A compilation of 20 college commencement speeches, some very recent (Florence Griffith Joyner in 1994, Ken Burns in 1993) and some relatively old (Dr. Seuss in 1977, Ralph Nader in 1981), arranged in alphabetical order by the speakers' last names. There are no common themes or revelations, just an unrelated group of speeches by a varied group of speakers, among them Colin Powell, Ben Cohen (of Ben & Jerry's), Cathy Guisewite, Carl Sagan, Marian Wright Edelman, Wilma Mankiller, Robert Fulghum, and Billy Joel. Many of the pieces are not very inspiring and some don't translate well from oratory to the printed page, as when Jimmy Carter tells his audience at Rice University, ``We make our living writing books. My wife's only request was to announce to you that our books are still on sale.'' The final selection is Gloria Steinem's, who says in her 1987 address, ``I conducted a small survey in preparation for today. Half of my sample could not remember who their commencement speaker was.'' Colen (Peas and Honey, not reviewed, 1995, etc.) and Boyko provide an introduction and brief biographies for each speaker. (b&w photos) (Anthology. 16+)
Pub Date: May 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-590-50956-X
Page Count: 230
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1996
A quiet yet still somewhat swashbuckling tale of 18th-century piracy and colonial tension on a small French Island. Young Raphael arrives on the island with ornithologist Chevalier Despentes in hopes of finding the Bourbon Island dodo, despite its rumored extinction. Unbeknownst to Raphael and Despentes, the island is in the midst of a coup d’état engineered by pirates (known on the island as “Maroons”) to overthrow the governor and free their leader, Buzzard. When the two groups meet, conflict ensues, and Raphael—who has always dreamed of becoming a pirate—finds himself at the center of the clash. With historically based subject matter and simple pen-and-ink illustrations, this graphic novel is more reminiscent of Scott Chantler’s subtle Northwest Passage (2007) than a splashy Cap’n Jack Sparrow epic. With its population of symbolically selected anthropomorphized animals, it evokes such landmark works as Spiegelman’s Maus. Readers expecting the madcap silliness of Lewis Trondheim’s earlier A.L.I.E.E.E.N. (2006) and others may be disappointed, though history buffs will likely find this enjoyable. Discursive endnotes act as helpful historical anchors to connect the reader to this time. (Graphic fiction. 16 & up; adult)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-59643-258-1
Page Count: 288
Publisher: First Second/Roaring Brook
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2008
The Cool Counting Books go to the Lone Star State, the numerical tour of which starts, of course, with one star. Each clean spread depicts the numeral in question and a corresponding number of objects to count: two longhorns, three basket-, foot- and baseballs, four astronauts (in an especially snazzy white-on-black spread) all the way up to cowboy hats. Thumbnails in the back identify the objects specifically, in both English and Spanish. (Non-Texans mystified by the eight cars sticking up out of the horizon line will be particularly grateful to understand that this represents Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo.) 123 Chicago (ISBN: 978-0-9796213-5-2) applies the same treatment to the Windy City, but with somewhat less success. (6-18 mos.)
Pub Date: April 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-7976213-6-9
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Duo Press
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2009
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