Yaccarino sends readers whose ride aboard Peter Sís’s Train of States (2004) has only whetted an appetite for random facts, quirky laws and roadside attractions on a somewhat more leisurely car trip from Maine to Hawaii. Each state (plus Washington, D.C.) gets a page or spread strewn with snippets of eminently shareable trivia—from horse, camel, car, lizard or bathtub races to festivals highlighting the culinary delights of pickles, frog legs and roadkill. Places range from the hometowns of lawn flamingoes and miniature golf to places where it’s illegal to sleep in boots (Oklahoma) or tease a skunk (Minneapolis). Though Yaccarino provides visual links with small cartoon figures of a tourist family, plus frequent glimpses of Bigfoot, the art really takes a back seat to the multiple sizes, fonts and colors of the text. He doesn’t get all of his facts straight either—the nation’s first subway wasn’t in Boston, and it’s misleading to claim that Arkansas’s Crater of Diamonds State Park is “the only place in the world where people can keep the gems they find.” Still, browsers will find this hard to put down, and more systematic sorts will linger over the closing chart of state capitals, mottos and the like. (source list) (Nonfiction. 7-11)
Pub Date: April 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-439-70338-3
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2008
Trisha is ready to start at a new school, where no one will know she has dyslexia. At first, she is heartbroken to be in Miss Peterson’s special-ed class, aka, “the junkyard.” But Miss Peterson treats the children as anything but junk, showing them that everyone has a unique talent. Polacco’s trademark style is fully present here; her sensitively drawn alter ego shines with depth of feeling. When bullying occurs, Miss Peterson proves her students are worthwhile by planning a junkyard field trip, where they find valuable objects to be used in exciting ways. Trisha’s group repairs a plane, and the class buys an engine for it. Then a beloved class member dies, and the children must find a way to honor him. While the plot meanders somewhat, the characters are appealing, believable and provide a fine portrayal of a truly special class. Children will be drawn in by the story’s warmth and gentle humor and will leave with a spark of inspiration, an appreciation of individual differences and a firm anti-bullying message, all underscored by the author’s note that concludes the book. (Picture book. 7-10)
Pub Date: July 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-399-25078-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2010
Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay.
Renowned Latin American writer Alvarez has created another story about cultural identity, but this time the primary character is 11-year-old Miguel Guzmán.
When Tía Lola arrives to help the family, Miguel and his hermana, Juanita, have just moved from New York City to Vermont with their recently divorced mother. The last thing Miguel wants, as he's trying to fit into a predominantly white community, is a flamboyant aunt who doesn't speak a word of English. Tía Lola, however, knows a language that defies words; she quickly charms and befriends all the neighbors. She can also cook exotic food, dance (anywhere, anytime), plan fun parties, and tell enchanting stories. Eventually, Tía Lola and the children swap English and Spanish ejercicios, but the true lesson is "mutual understanding." Peppered with Spanish words and phrases, Alvarez makes the reader as much a part of the "language" lessons as the characters. This story seamlessly weaves two culturaswhile letting each remain intact, just as Miguel is learning to do with his own life. Like all good stories, this one incorporates a lesson just subtle enough that readers will forget they're being taught, but in the end will understand themselves, and others, a little better, regardless of la lengua nativa—the mother tongue.
Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-375-80215-0
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
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