by David L. Harrison & illustrated by Cheryl Nathan ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2002
A first look at volcanoes by the author of Rivers: Nature’s Busy Waterways (p. 412). Here the author tries to explain what volcanoes are, where they are found, how they form, and what happens when they explode. He states: “Every day somewhere volcanoes erupt. From far off they look like beautiful fireworks. But up close, a volcano is no fun.” The illustrator avoids that understatement showing a lurid double-page spread of a fiery, red-orange, erupting volcano, followed by a double-page spread of catapulting rocks and smoke. Harrison has a difficult time making the text clear, accurate, and accessible. For example, he states: “If too much gas is trapped inside, part of the mountain may blow off, hurling rocks heavier than elephants for miles.” But not all mountains are volcanoes, and how does the gas get trapped inside? Rocks bigger than elephants hurled for miles? Sometimes, the text doesn’t seem to make sense, for example: “Most magna moves toward the crust where it cools and sinks again. But some magna breaks though weak spots by rising through cracks like chimney flues until at last it bubbles or blasts free onto the surface.” Why does it move toward the crust? Why does it cool when it moves toward the crust? Why does it sink? What are chimney flues? This title will lead to more questions than answers. Curious readers should look elsewhere. (Nonfiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002
ISBN: 1-56397-996-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 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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