This story of a well-loved, fraying stuffed toy features a protagonist suffering heartbreaking sadness and misery. An endearing stuffed bear takes stock of his deterioration and has childlike fears that he will soon be discarded. The terrors of being in the basement, tossed in a thrift-shop sale, or becoming a dust rag overwhelm him. During Bear’s efforts to avoid becoming more worn, the newer stuffed toys cruelly predict his fate. Readers will be riveted; Bear’s anxiety is almost unbearable, so he goes to the garbage can, to wait to be picked up. His owner, Clara, retrieves him and produces a splendid red suit, designed to preserve and protect him. Carmichael (Bear at the Beach, 1996) strikes a chord with children or anyone else who has kept quiet about a source of fear. The spare illustrations present clean, focused scenes; each one highlights the crucial emotion or situation portrayed. In candy colors of blue, lilac, and yellow, the pictures realize all the frightening possibilities a bear can dream up. A joyous ending, in which Bear admires himself “all morning in the mirror,” brings great relief, as well as a message of love and loyalty. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1998
ISBN: 1-55858-901-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1998
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The lifecycle of the frog is succinctly summarized in this easy reader for children reading at the late first-grade level. In just one or two sentences per page, Vern details the amazing metamorphosis of the frog from egg to tadpole to adult, even injecting a little humor despite the tight word count. (“Watch out fly! Mmmm!) Large, full-color photographs on white backgrounds clearly illustrate each phase of development. Without any mention of laying eggs or fertilization, the title might be a bit misleading, but the development from black dot egg to full-grown frog is fascinating. A simple chart of the three main lifecycle steps is also included. Lifecycles are part of the standard curriculum in the early elementary grades, and this will be a welcome addition to school and public libraries, both for its informational value and as an easy reader. (Nonfiction/easy reader. 5-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-15-216304-2
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Green Light/Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2001
A first-rate sharkfest, unusually nutritious for all its brevity.
Buzz and his buzzy buddy open a spinoff series of nonfiction early readers with an aquarium visit.
Buzz: “Like other fish, sharks breathe through gills.” Fly Guy: “GILLZZ.” Thus do the two pop-eyed cartoon tour guides squire readers past a plethora of cramped but carefully labeled color photos depicting dozens of kinds of sharks in watery settings, along with close-ups of skin, teeth and other anatomical features. In the bite-sized blocks of narrative text, challenging vocabulary words like “carnivores” and “luminescence” come with pronunciation guides and lucid in-context definitions. Despite all the flashes of dentifrice and references to prey and smelling blood in the water, there is no actual gore or chowing down on display. Sharks are “so cool!” proclaims Buzz at last, striding out of the gift shop. “I can’t wait for our next field trip!” (That will be Fly Guy Presents: Space, scheduled for September 2013.)
A first-rate sharkfest, unusually nutritious for all its brevity. (Informational easy reader. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-545-50771-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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