In a cadenced narrative dancing with wordplay, Birchman describes a hot band that includes ``Rex the King Tyrone on the slide trombone...a mean allosaurus saxophonist nicknamed Lizard Lips Grace...[and] the heart of the band...Brother Billy Bronto. Thumping down on the big bass with the rings on his claws all flashing bright.'' The popular band tours by train; but, alas, a bridge collapses and the band's bones end ``deep dark down in that bayou'' and ``there rests the blues in a pool of ooze with the ghosts of the bygone-bye.'' The catchy lilt here is much in the spirit of Joyce Maxner's Nicholas Cricket (1989), with the dinosaurs as an added attraction. New Yorker cartoonist O'Brien makes another entertaining contribution to the children's book world with his humorously detailed, curled, and crosshatched drawings touched with cheery color; his crowds of busy dinosaurs are wonderfully animated and appealing. Good fun. (Picture book. 5-10)
Pub Date: April 28, 1992
ISBN: 0-688-10423-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
At ``Step 2'' in the useful ``Step into Reading'' series: an admirably clear, well-balanced presentation that centers on wolves' habits and pack structure. Milton also addresses their endangered status, as well as their place in fantasy, folklore, and the popular imagination. Attractive realistic watercolors on almost every page. Top-notch: concise, but remarkably extensive in its coverage. A real bargain. (Nonfiction/Easy reader. 6-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-679-91052-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
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