by Cynthia Pratt Nicolson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2002
A serviceable title in the “Disaster” series financed in part by the Ontario Arts Council. The author describes several recent hurricanes including “Mitch,” “Hugo,” “Andrew,” and “Floyd,” lists the eight worst hurricanes in the past 500 years, discusses how hurricanes are formed and measured, and interviews scientists who study hurricanes in an effort to help people prepare for them. She includes a few experiments designed to demonstrate concepts described in the text. The impact of the full-color photographs is frequently diminished because of their small size and the decision to border each in a colored box, rather like snapshots in an album. The three-column text is readable, but often abbreviated and amazingly pedestrian given the dramatic content. Describing Hurricane “Mitch,” the author notes: “About 400 crocodiles escaped from a science institute, adding to the danger.” Surely a second sentence could be added to tell the reader what happened. Or, regarding another storm: “About 2000 people were buried in the torrent of mud.” And? The author concludes with a glossary and index. Since it lacks the drama and visual appeal of Patricia Lauber’s Hurricanes (1996) or Seymour Simon’s Storms (1989), this should only be purchased where additional materials are needed. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2002
ISBN: 1-55074-906-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2002
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by Jerry Pallotta ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2000
Who is next in the ocean food chain? Pallotta has a surprising answer in this picture book glimpse of one curious boy. Danny, fascinated by plankton, takes his dory and rows out into the ocean, where he sees shrimp eating those plankton, fish sand eels eating shrimp, mackerel eating fish sand eels, bluefish chasing mackerel, tuna after bluefish, and killer whales after tuna. When an enormous humpbacked whale arrives on the scene, Danny’s dory tips over and he has to swim for a large rock or become—he worries’someone’s lunch. Surreal acrylic illustrations in vivid blues and red extend the story of a small boy, a small boat, and a vast ocean, in which the laws of the food chain are paramount. That the boy has been bathtub-bound during this entire imaginative foray doesn’t diminish the suspense, and the facts Pallotta presents are solidly researched. A charming fish tale about the one—the boy—that got away. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-88106-075-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2000
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by Jerry Pallotta & Sammie Garnett ; illustrated by Vickie Fraser
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by Gail Gibbons ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 15, 1999
The Pumpkin Book (32 pp.; $16.95; Sept. 15; 0-8234-1465-5): From seed to vine and blossom to table, Gibbons traces the growth cycle of everyone’s favorite autumn symbol—the pumpkin. Meticulous drawings detail the transformation of tiny seeds to the colorful gourds that appear at roadside stands and stores in the fall. Directions for planting a pumpkin patch, carving a jack-o’-lantern, and drying the seeds give young gardeners the instructions they need to grow and enjoy their own golden globes. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1999
ISBN: 0-8234-1465-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
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