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CAPTAIN CHEECH

Name: CAPTAIN CHEECH
Author: Cheech Marin
ISBN: 978-0-06-113206-3

by Cheech Marin & illustrated by Orlando L. Ramírez ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2008

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Trite and self-serving as it was, comedian Marin’s first literary effort for young readers, Cheech the School Bus Driver (2007), at least carried a worthy Lesson; this sequel promotes winning through cheating. When his young passengers convert his school bus into a motorboat in order to race the (unmotorized) sailboat of classmate Vanessa, he eagerly joins in the fun. A sloshy ride and many encounters with sea life later, Cheech sees that the competitors are about to pull into the lead, and so snaps out the bus’s retractable “STOP” sign—which, of course, prevents Vanessa and crew from passing. Vanessa graciously concedes: “When I grow up, I want to be a bus driver just so I can have one of those stop signs. Then I’ll win all the races!” Putting the celebrity narrator, mouth agape beneath a bushy mustache, at the visual center of most scenes, Ramírez gives his cartoon figures oversized heads and eyes, along with a drastically limited range of expressions. The winning blurb photo’s not going to be enough to sell this. (Picture book. 6-8)

Pub Date: July 1, 2008

ISBN: 978-0-06-113206-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2008

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
CHEECH AND THE SPOOKY GHOST BUS
by Cheech Marin and illustrated by Orlando L. Ramírez

- BOOK REVIEW
CHEECH THE SCHOOL BUS DRIVER
by Cheech Marin & illustrated by Orlando L. Ramírez

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WAITING FOR MR. GOOSE

by Laurie Lears ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1999

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A sweet story about a trapped goose cloaks this piece of bibliotherapy, as a boy with AD/HD learns to sit still for a very good cause. Lear’s book addresses the struggles children have paying attention in school and holding still; for her protagonist, Stephen, the admonishments of adults accompany most of his school day. After school, on a nature walk, Stephen is relieved to be away from all restrictions, where he can run and play freely. When he encounters a goose with its leg in part of a trap, with the chain dragging heavily on its foot, Stephen brings in his parents and authorities to help “Mr. Goose,” but the goose is too frightened. Next, Stephen attempts to trick the goose, but soon figures out that sitting still and feeding the gaggle of geese is the only way to gain their trust. When Mr. Goose comes close enough, Stephen wraps him in his own jacket, growing cold as he waits for help to come. The rescue is a success, the bird flies off, and Stephen gains confidence in his own abilities. Along with Ritz’s realistic pictures, the text is prettified and teacherly; absent is the heartbreaking frustration of AD/HD students and the adults around them, and Lears implies that if children just try harder, they can sit still, which isn’t always true. Real emotions comes through in the scenes of Stephen and his mother, and for some readers, that will be enough. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999

ISBN: 0-8075-8628-5

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Whitman

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1999

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

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FIRE STORM

by Jean Craighead George & illustrated by Wendell Minor ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2003

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A rafting expedition down the Middle Fork of Idaho’s Salmon River turns suddenly deadly for the outdoorsy lad introduced in Cliff Hanger (2002). The threat of fire seems remote to Axel and his Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Paul, until lightning strikes the dry timber on the heights above, and triggers a roaring fire storm. The rafters find refuge in a burned-over campsite until the storm passes, after which Axel’s aunt lectures him on how fires help forests regenerate. As in the previous adventure, Minor’s graceful depictions of wilderness and wildlife contrast sharply with the clumsily rendered human figures, and George’s dialogue often sounds stilted: “ ‘Wait,’ warned Uncle Paul. ‘It’s better to sit still in the known than plunge into the unknown. A solution will present itself.’ ” Despite the danger, and Axel’s keenly felt pleasure at being immersed in the natural world, this is unlikely to draw young readers away from their armchairs. (Picture book. 6-8)