by Cynthia Rylant & illustrated by Preston McDaniels ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2005
In this fourth visit to a close, multi-species family of lighthouse tenders, a distressed sea turtle washes up on the rocky shore. Having swum so far from her accustomed South to see the glorious lights for which she’s named, Aurora desperately needs warmth and help to get home—both of which, along with plenty of TLC, the clever cat Pandora, the old canine salt Seabold, and the trio of orphaned mice Whistler, Lila and Tiny are happy to offer. Muffled (except for Aurora) in baggy human clothing, the figures in McDaniels’s elaborate, accomplished graphite drawings exude personality, adding animation to Rylant’s measured but understated writing. Amid a chorus of goodbyes and well-dones, Aurora departs homeward at last, in a rope sling beneath a flock of migrating pelicans—a final image that will stay with the young audiences and recent easy-reader graduates drawn to these tales of castaways from diverse backgrounds making a home together. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: March 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-689-86244-X
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2005
Share your opinion of this book
More by Cynthia Rylant
BOOK REVIEW
by Cynthia Rylant ; illustrated by Arthur Howard
BOOK REVIEW
by Cynthia Rylant ; illustrated by Lisa Congdon
BOOK REVIEW
by Cynthia Rylant ; illustrated by Mark Teague
by Rosanne Parry illustrated by Lindsay Moore ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2020
A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale.
After a tsunami devastates their habitat in the Salish Sea, a young orca and her brother embark on a remarkable adventure.
Vega’s matriarchal family expects her to become a hunter and wayfinder, with her younger brother, Deneb, protecting and supporting her. Invited to guide her family to their Gathering Place to hunt salmon, Vega’s underwater miscalculations endanger them all, and an embarrassed Vega questions whether she should be a wayfinder. When the baby sister she hoped would become her life companion is stillborn, a distraught Vega carries the baby away to a special resting place, shocking her grieving family. Dispatched to find his missing sister, Deneb locates Vega in the midst of a terrible tsunami. To escape the waters polluted by shattered boats, Vega leads Deneb into unfamiliar open sea. Alone and hungry, the young siblings encounter a spectacular giant whale and travel briefly with shark-hunting orcas. Trusting her instincts and gaining emotional strength from contemplating the vastness of the sky, Vega knows she must lead her brother home and help save her surviving family. In alternating first-person voices, Vega and Deneb tell their harrowing story, engaging young readers while educating them about the marine ecosystem. Realistic black-and-white illustrations enhance the maritime setting.
A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale. (maps, wildlife facts, tribes of the Salish Sea watershed, environmental and geographical information, how to help orcas, author’s note, artist’s note, resources) (Animal fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-299592-6
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
Share your opinion of this book
More by Rosanne Parry
BOOK REVIEW
by Rosanne Parry ; illustrated by Kirbi Fagan
BOOK REVIEW
by Rosanne Parry ; illustrated by Niki Stage
BOOK REVIEW
by Rosanne Parry ; illustrated by Mónica Armiño
by Joy Cowley ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1999
Bishop’s spectacular photographs of the tiny red-eyed tree frog defeat an incidental text from Cowley (Singing Down the Rain, 1997, etc.). The frog, only two inches long, is enormous in this title; it appears along with other nocturnal residents of the rain forests of Central America, including the iguana, ant, katydid, caterpillar, and moth. In a final section, Cowley explains how small the frog is and aspects of its life cycle. The main text, however, is an afterthought to dramatic events in the photos, e.g., “But the red-eyed tree frog has been asleep all day. It wakes up hungry. What will it eat? Here is an iguana. Frogs do not eat iguanas.” Accompanying an astonishing photograph of the tree frog leaping away from a boa snake are three lines (“The snake flicks its tongue. It tastes frog in the air. Look out, frog!”) that neither advance nor complement the action. The layout employs pale and deep green pages and typeface, and large jewel-like photographs in which green and red dominate. The combination of such visually sophisticated pages and simplistic captions make this a top-heavy, unsatisfying title. (Picture book. 7-9)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-590-87175-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1999
Share your opinion of this book
More by Joy Cowley
BOOK REVIEW
by Joy Cowley ; illustrated by Giselle Clarkson
BOOK REVIEW
by Joy Cowley ; illustrated by Kimberly Andrews
BOOK REVIEW
by Hye-Eun Shin ; illustrated by Su-Bi Jeong ; edited by Joy Cowley
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.