by Crescent Dragonwagon & illustrated by Jose Aruego & Ariane Dewey ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 30, 1993
Animals celebrate seasonal delights—from an ice-skating January cat to November pigs feasting on pie and December's union of all the characters to carry a Christmas tree. At New Year's, the months are compared to 12 presents waiting to be unwrapped, with their contents revealed at the end—a striking simile; there's also much alliteration and some clever wordplay, but, overall, the poetry is amateurish. Too many words are chosen merely to fit the rhyme scheme; there are mystifying references (the ``Lotus Castle'' in August; ``our gracious hostess'' in November), and an inexcusable grammatical lapse in (``friends brings treats''). The irresistible gouache paintings far outshine the text, with humorous touches like an alligator in the extreme foreground staring hungrily at the reader, five seagulls in skydiving formation, and a jack-o'-lantern with such a long grin that it resembles—yes, the alligator! A concluding song (melody by Bill Haymes) needs an accompaniment to support its syncopated rhythms and implied harmonic changes, but the lower staff has been left blank—so why print it at all? (Poetry/Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1993
ISBN: 0-02-733091-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1993
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by Rob Scotton & illustrated by Rob Scotton ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2005
Scotton makes a stylish debut with this tale of a sleepless sheep—depicted as a blocky, pop-eyed, very soft-looking woolly with a skinny striped nightcap of unusual length—trying everything, from stripping down to his spotted shorts to counting all six hundred million billion and ten stars, twice, in an effort to doze off. Not even counting sheep . . . well, actually, that does work, once he counts himself. Dawn finds him tucked beneath a rather-too-small quilt while the rest of his flock rises to bathe, brush and riffle through the Daily Bleat. Russell doesn’t have quite the big personality of Ian Falconer’s Olivia, but more sophisticated fans of the precocious piglet will find in this art the same sort of daffy urbanity. Quite a contrast to the usual run of ovine-driven snoozers, like Phyllis Root’s Ten Sleepy Sheep, illustrated by Susan Gaber (2004). (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-06-059848-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2005
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by Sonia Manzano ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 15, 2020
Engaging, well-chosen images and a clear, coherent text illuminate the importance of empathy for the world’s inhabitants.
Large color photographs (occasionally composed of montages) and accessible, simple text highlight global similarities and differences, always focusing on our universal connections.
While child readers may not recognize Manzano, the Puerto Rican actress who played Maria on Sesame Street, adults will recognize her as a trusted diverse voice. In her endnote, she explains her desire to “encourage lively conversations about shared experiences.” Starting out with the familiar, home and community, the text begins with “How many WONDERFUL PEOPLE do you know?” Then it moves out to the world: “Did you know there are about 8 BILLION PEOPLE on the planet?” The photo essay features the usual concrete similarities and differences found in many books of this type, such as housing (a Mongolian yurt opposite a Hong Kong apartment building overlooking a basketball court), food (dumplings, pizza, cotton candy, a churro, etc.), and school. Manzano also makes sure to point out likenesses in emotions, as shown in a montage of photos from countries including China, Spain, Kashmir (Pakistan/India), and the United States. At the end, a world map and thumbnail images show the locations of all photos, revealing a preponderance of examples from the U.S. and a slight underrepresentation for Africa and South America.
Engaging, well-chosen images and a clear, coherent text illuminate the importance of empathy for the world’s inhabitants. (Informational picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4263-3738-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: National Geographic Kids
Review Posted Online: May 2, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2020
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